Logistics Operations Manager

Custom Wood Products•St Marys, KS

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Logistics Operations Manager leads the shipping, receiving, and transportation functions at our Kansas facility. This is a leadership-focused role — responsible for coaching, guiding, and managing a team to deliver high-quality service and communication across departments and to customers. While not responsible for product quality control, this leader plays a key role in ensuring only complete and ready product is shipped, in close partnership with our quality team. This role emphasizes process discipline, people leadership, and a customer-first mindset. The Logistics Operations Manager is accountable for ensuring logistics staff follow procedures with precision, communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders, and represent our brand with professionalism.

Requirements

Proven experience managing logistics and transportation teams, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop teams without becoming the primary “doer.”
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate clearly and empathetically with internal teams and customers.
Familiarity with ERP systems and logistics tools; ability to drive process consistency using software systems.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Knowledge of transportation regulations and DOT safety standards.
Passion for delivering excellent service and upholding company values.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in logistics, supply chain management, business administration, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and coach the shipping and receiving team to ensure all logistics processes are followed accurately and consistently.
Focus on managing the team — having a clear knowledge of but not doing the administrative or operational tasks directly.
Ensure all logistics staff understand their roles, meet performance expectations, and are coached regularly for improvement.
Foster a culture of ownership, discipline, and accountability within the department.
Champion clear and empathetic communication with customers, especially around delivery coordination, delays, or special requests.
Work closely with the finance department to ensure inbound and outbound documentation (e.g., packing lists, truck event billables and credits) is accurately captured and shared.
Coordinate inbound and outbound shipments to ensure timely, efficient delivery of goods.
Manage a team of employee drivers responsible for local and out-of-state deliveries.
Ensure all drivers maintain up-to-date licensing and credentials and follow DOT and company safety policies.
Create and reinforce standard processes for staging, loading, and routing to ensure consistency.
Maintain strong internal communication with customer service, project management, sales, and production to anticipate and resolve delivery-related issues.
Set expectations and coach drivers to act as professional brand ambassadors when delivering to customers.
Embody our “On time – every time” mantra.
Prioritize clean, safe, and professional fleet appearance and behavior in the field.
Advocate for a servant-leadership mindset across the logistics team, especially in how they support customers and coworkers.
Resolve scheduling conflicts or customer challenges with empathy and professionalism.
Partner closely with the Quality Control team to ensure only complete and acceptable product is shipped.
Facilitate prompt resolution when product quality concerns impact shipping readiness.
Serve as a key communication bridge between logistics and other departments to avoid miscommunication or delays.
Contribute to company-wide process improvement efforts, using data and metrics to drive decisions.
Make recommendations on vehicle utilization, including lease vs. own decisions based on cost and operational needs.
Ensure maintenance and inspection schedules are followed for all vehicles.
Maintain relationships with service vendors and logistics partners.
Troubleshoot with urgency all on-the-road breakdowns to minimize impact to drivers and customers.
Seek backhaul or routing opportunities to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.