Director of Transportation
About The Position
The Director of Transportation leads the execution, performance, and continuous improvement of the Company's transportation operations across manufacturing, distribution, warehouse, and customer locations throughout the United States and Canada. The role provides strategic and operational leadership for private fleet operations, driver management, transportation planning, freight procurement, carrier management, transportation technology, and delivery performance. The Director partners with Operations, Customer Service, Sales, and Finance to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation solutions that support customer commitments and business objectives. The Director drives operational excellence, network efficiency, freight cost optimization, regulatory compliance, and organizational capability while building a high-performing transportation team. Responsibilities include transportation operations and customer service; fleet, carrier, and transportation management; financial performance and network optimization; safety, compliance, and risk management; and transportation technology, continuous improvement, and leadership. The position includes travel of less than 10%.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Transportation, Logistics, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
- 8–12 years of progressive transportation, logistics, fleet management, or supply chain leadership experience.
- Experience managing multi-site transportation operations.
- Demonstrated success managing fleet operations, freight carriers, and transportation contracts.
- Strong knowledge of transportation regulations, compliance requirements, and safety programs.
- Proven ability to drive operational improvements, freight savings, and service performance improvements.
Nice To Haves
- MBA or other advanced degree.
- Experience in manufacturing, industrial, building products, or distribution industries.
- APICS, CSCMP, Lean, Six Sigma, or related certifications.
- Experience supporting transportation operations across both the United States and Canada.
Responsibilities
- Lead transportation operations across North American locations to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient movement of goods.
- Manage inbound and outbound transportation activities across all transportation modes.
- Ensure transportation performance supports manufacturing, distribution, and customer service requirements; drive on-time delivery and customer satisfaction.
- Monitor operational performance and resolve issues affecting service, cost, productivity, or customer commitments.
- Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to align transportation execution with business objectives and growth initiatives.
- Lead private fleet operations, including local, regional, and over-the-road driver teams; improve fleet utilization, driver productivity, asset performance, and equipment reliability.
- Support driver recruitment, onboarding, retention, development, and performance management.
- Manage carrier relationships and capacity strategies; lead freight procurement, contract negotiations, and annual bid processes.
- Establish carrier performance metrics and accountability programs focused on service, quality, safety, capacity, and cost.
- Support transportation planning, network design, facility expansions, customer implementations, product launches, and business integration initiatives.
- Manage transportation spending, freight cost performance, and budget accountability; support budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning.
- Develop and implement cost-reduction strategies while maintaining or improving service levels; analyze costs, freight markets, carrier pricing, and network performance to identify savings.
- Lead transportation network optimization and operational efficiency initiatives; track performance metrics, savings initiatives, and continuous improvement results.
- Ensure effective stewardship of transportation assets, equipment, and resources.
- Ensure compliance with applicable transportation regulations, including DOT, FMCSA, Transport Canada, and company policies.
- Lead transportation safety programs and foster a culture of employee safety, regulatory compliance, customer protection, and risk reduction.
- Monitor compliance, conduct reviews, implement corrective action plans, and partner with fleet maintenance and operational teams to ensure safe, reliable equipment performance.
- Minimize transportation-related business risk through governance, oversight, and operational controls.
- Drive effective use and continuous improvement of transportation technology, including TMS, fleet management systems, telematics, route optimization tools, carrier visibility platforms, and business intelligence solutions.
- Use transportation data and analytics to improve operational performance, service levels, and financial results.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives that standardize processes, improve efficiency, and promote best practices across locations.
- Develop transportation strategies that support network growth, scalability, and long-term business objectives.
- Lead, coach, and develop transportation managers, planners, and logistics professionals; establish performance expectations, strengthen organizational capability, and build succession plans for key roles.
- Foster collaboration and accountability across transportation operations and cross-functional business partners.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
