Director - Transportation

Tropicana Brands Group•Chicago, IL

6h•$140,000 - $195,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Director of Transportation is a key leadership role responsible for the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of all freight transportation across the enterprise. This leader owns a multimodal network — truckload, LTL, intermodal/rail, ocean drayage, and parcel — including a company-operated refrigerated rail fleet and is accountable for delivering products reliably from origin through final customer destination while optimizing cost, service, and cold-chain integrity. The role leads a national transportation organization, manages carrier partnerships, and contributes significantly to the overall success and competitiveness of the supply chain.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics, business, or a related field; MBA or professional certification (e.g., APICS/CSCMP) preferred.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.
Must be located in Chicago, IL surrounding area or willing to relocate for the duration of employment.
Willingness to adapt and thrive in a blended work environment with 3-days in office, seamlessly transitioning between remote work and in-office operations.
National travel up to 25%

Nice To Haves

10+ years of progressive transportation/logistics experience, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role managing multimodal operations and teams.
Proven senior leadership experience across multiple transportation modes, including truckload, LTL, intermodal/rail, and drayage.
Demonstrated experience managing carrier/3PL networks, freight procurement and bids, and multi-year transportation budgets.
Strong command of transportation economics, including rate benchmarking, fuel surcharge programs, and freight cost/inflation modeling.
Working knowledge of private/dedicated fleet operations and Class I rail relationships is strongly preferred.
In-depth knowledge of transportation management systems (TMS), visibility tools, and industry best practices.
Excellent analytical, communication, and interpersonal abilities, with experience presenting to executive leadership.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a national transportation strategy spanning truckload, LTL, intermodal/rail, ocean drayage, and parcel, aligned to overall supply chain and company objectives.
Design the optimal modal mix and lane network for a temperature-sensitive portfolio (approximately 80% chilled / 20% ambient), balancing cost, service, and cold-chain integrity.
Direct all inbound, outbound, and inter-facility freight movements across the DC and plant network, ensuring reliable, on-time execution from origin to customer delivery.
Oversee ocean import and drayage of raw material and coordinate handoffs into domestic distribution.
Own the company-operated Juice Train rail fleet and the Class I rail relationship, managing utilization, cycle time, and mechanical/fleet health.
Optimize the core FL-to-Jersey City and FL-to-Cincinnati rail lanes and pursue backhaul and load-consolidation opportunities to improve asset productivity and reduce cost per case.
Lead carrier and broker sourcing, annual freight bids/RFPs, and master service agreement (MSA) negotiation across all modes.
Manage 3PL and dedicated-carrier relationships, holding partners accountable to committed service levels, capacity, and cost through structured performance reviews.
Build and manage the national transportation budget, freight-rate outlook, and inflation forecast for executive and finance leadership review.
Govern fuel surcharge programs and market-based fuel pricing and anchor rate decisions to primary market intelligence.
Own On-Time In-Full (OTIF) as an enterprise performance metric for TBG — setting targets, governing measurement, and holding cross-functional partners (planning, warehousing, transportation, and commercial) accountable for the end-to-end result against retailer scorecards.
Lead OTIF root-cause analysis and corrective-action programs and drive the defense against and reduction of delivery-related chargebacks and deductions.
Own the OTIF metric, governance, and improvement roadmap while ensuring accountability for the underlying drivers (fill rate, plant supply, and warehouse execution) remains with the functions that control them.
Evaluate, implement, and manage the transportation management system (TMS), real-time visibility, and analytics tools to streamline planning and execution.
Advance optimization and digital-twin capabilities and stay current on industry trends in freight technology and automation.
Lead, develop, and motivate a national transportation organization through manager-level direct reports across planning, execution, rail, and carrier management.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with DOT/FMCSA and applicable transportation, hazmat, and food-safety-in-transit regulations, and enforce cold-chain and reefer temperature integrity.
Manage transportation risk, including cargo insurance, claims, and carrier qualification and vetting.
Establish and track transportation KPIs (cost per case/mile, on-time performance, tender acceptance, dwell, fleet utilization, and service) to assess network health.
Provide regular reporting and analysis to senior leadership on transportation performance, cost, and improvement initiatives.