EFM - Manager, Network Solutions

Estes Forwarding Worldwide•Nashville, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Estes Final Mile (EFM), a subsidiary of Estes Express Lines, was established in 2016 to meet the increasing demand for final mile delivery of consumer and retail goods across the US. EFM is committed to delivering a superior customer experience through its technology-driven delivery network, aiming for industry-leading service. The company offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package. The Manager, Network Solutions is responsible for developing delivery solutions utilizing EFM's nationwide carrier network and acts as the operational lead for specific customers, implementations, and service issues. A key initial objective for this role is the launch of a scalable nationwide White Glove product. This position reports to the EFM Director of Operations and works in conjunction with Sales and National Network Management.

Requirements

Ability to establish credibility and communicate effectively with customer leaders, carrier partners, executive leadership, and cross-functional teams.
Strong customer relationship management, service-review facilitation, consultative problem-solving, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and de-escalation skills.
Ability to analyze service data, customer feedback, exception trends, and information from multiple sources; identify root causes and alternatives; and translate findings into practical operational, network, capacity, process, and carrier-partner solutions.
Ability to lead multi-party action plans, assign accountability, manage change and competing priorities, communicate progress, and drive work through closure without direct authority.
Demonstrated program-development, project-management, and launch leadership, including coordination of internal departments and external partners.
Ability to read and interpret complex business and technical documents, contracts, rate schedules, operating requirements, and service data, and to prepare and present reports, recommendations, action plans, performance results, and business correspondence.
Knowledge of transportation, final-mile and White Glove operations, dock operations, quality freight handling, carrier economics, and nationwide network planning.
Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office, web-based, analytics, and job-specific software; ability to build collaborative relationships, adapt communication style, and maintain stable performance under pressure.
Ability to influence and coordinate internal teams, customers, and external carrier partners.
Ability to read and interpret complex business and/or technical documents.
Ability to write comprehensive reports and detailed business correspondence.
Ability to work with managers or directors and communicate ambiguous concepts.
Ability to present to groups across the organization.
Ability to solve problems with a variety of concrete variables through semi-standardized solutions that require some ingenuity and analysis.
Ability to draw inferences and follow prescribed and detailed procedures to solve moderately complex problems.
Must be eligible to work in the United States.
Candidates who receive a job offer will be required to successfully pass a drug screen and a background check.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) preferred.
5 years of experience in transportation, logistics, carrier management, customer-facing operations, final mile, or White Glove.
Experience developing nationwide carrier networks.
Experience designing or launching White Glove or specialized final-mile programs.
Experience leading customer service resolution.
Experience coordinating cross-functional operational solutions.

Responsibilities

Serve as the customer-facing operational relationship and resolution lead for assigned customers, new implementations, strategic service needs, and accounts requiring focused service improvement.
Establish scheduled customer service reviews, post-implementation checkpoints, and site visits to understand operating requirements and constraints, identify service gaps, and uncover retention, growth, and service-expansion opportunities.
Lead the investigation and resolution of recurring, systemic, or strategically significant service concerns involving EFM's delivery network or carrier partners, while coordinating routine shipment-level exceptions through Customer Experience and Operations.
Coordinate National Network Management, Operations, Customer Experience, Implementation, Sales, and carrier partners to identify root causes, assign corrective actions and completion dates, maintain customer communication, escalate unresolved matters, and verify sustainable improvement.
Translate customer feedback, exception trends, and service data into practical network, capacity, process, training, equipment, technology, communication, and carrier-development solutions; partner with Sales and Operations to address retention risks, new-business requirements, and service-expansion needs.
Identify geographic, capacity, service, and capability gaps within EFM's network; develop sourcing strategies; and maintain a pipeline of qualified carrier partners in existing and emerging markets, including the nationwide coverage needed for scalable White Glove services.
Recruit, evaluate, qualify, and develop carrier partners across the United States based on operational capabilities, geographic coverage, equipment, staffing, financial stability, technology, safety, service quality, and customer and White Glove requirements; conduct partner site visits, operational assessments, and ride-alongs as needed.
Lead commercial discussions with prospective and developing carrier partners, including Schedule B implementation and rate negotiations within approved parameters.
Develop partner readiness or improvement plans and coordinate with National Network Management and Operations for onboarding, implementation, and early-stage launch stabilization, ensuring required training, technology, equipment, and service standards are satisfied before activation.
Build and maintain direct working relationships with carrier ownership groups, terminal managers, and operational leadership to support service resolution, capability development, customer implementations, and network expansion.
Lead, with the Executive Team and cross-functional leaders, the design, documentation, implementation, and launch of the nationwide White Glove product, including the operating model, service standards, partner requirements, coverage plan, implementation roadmap, and launch-readiness criteria; monitor industry capacity, carrier economics, competitive conditions, and transportation cost trends, and recommend network-expansion opportunities.
Maintain reporting on customer reviews, solution initiatives, open actions, coverage gaps, prospective partners, network-development activity, and White Glove milestones, partner readiness, coverage, and launch status; and support EFM's Core Values and safety expectations.
Comply with company C-TPAT and TSA security procedures.
Perform other duties as assigned.