Manager, Transportation Market Intelligence & Spend Strategy - Columbus, OH
About The Position
The Manager, Transportation Market Intelligence & Spend Strategy plays a key role in shaping Abbott Nutrition’s transportation cost, capacity, and service strategy. This role serves as the center of excellence for transportation market intelligence, translating external market dynamics into actionable insights that support rate strategy, budget planning, and operational decision-making. The role works cross-functionally with Transportation Operations, Solutions & Analytics, Procurement, Finance, and external carriers to ensure transportation spend aligns with market conditions, service expectations, and long-term business plans, with a clear focus on margin and profitability outcomes derived from transportation strategy and execution. Success in this role requires strong analytical capability, comfort operating in market volatility, and the ability to influence decisions through data, insight, and clear communication.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, or Operations
- 5–10+ years of experience in transportation, logistics analytics, or supply chain strategy roles
- Strong understanding of transportation pricing, fuel mechanics, carrier economics, and compliance
- Experience working with transportation management systems (BluJay / E2open preferred) and SAP
- Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
- Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally and influence decisions through insight and data
Nice To Haves
- Experience in CPG, food, nutrition, or regulated consumer products
- Dedicated fleet management experience
- Lean or continuous improvement experience
- experience with Power BI or similar tools strongly preferred
Responsibilities
- Own transportation market intelligence, monitoring fuel trends, capacity dynamics, carrier activity, regulatory changes, and industry consolidation
- Translate market trends into clear insights and recommendations for leadership
- Support development of contingency strategies related to capacity constraints, fuel volatility, or disruption risk
- Regularly present transportation market updates and cost improvement recommendations to leadership
- Support development and ongoing management of Logistics Budget Estimates (LBE)
- Evaluate rate, fuel, and spend performance against plan; recommend adjustments as market conditions change
- Validate rate changes and award recommendations to ensure alignment with procurement strategy, capacity commitments, and service expectations
- Own lane-level rate analytics and provide ongoing visibility to network rate health across all transportation modes
- Own weekly, monthly, and quarterly transportation spend reporting, including Tier 3 reporting and Monthly Business Reviews
- Manage accrual accuracy and month-to-month reconciliation
- Lead margin, profitability, and savings evaluations related to transportation initiatives
- Identify emerging cost drivers, accessorial trends, or anomalies requiring action
- Support carrier pricing events and contract maintenance
- Partner with Transportation Operations on carrier reviews, performance discussions, and award compliance
- Ensure transportation systems (BluJay / E2open, SAP) remain aligned with awarded rates and routing guide parameters
- Support dedicated fleet rate analysis and ensure spend aligns with contractual commitments
- Participate in freight audit activities and accessorial governance
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives that optimize cost, service, and network efficiency
- Support network changes, new facility launches, system configuration updates, and service provider onboarding
- Contribute to management operating system (Tier 1–3, compliance reviews, MBRs) across rate, service, and capacity
Benefits
- Training and career development
- onboarding programs for new employees
- tuition assistance
- competitive compensation
- incentives
- retirement plan
- medical, dental, vision, wellness and occupational health programs
- Medical Benefits start day 1
- 3 weeks accrued vacation (1st yr. is prorated)
- vacation buy program
- 5 personal days
- 10 paid holidays
- 401(k) retirement savings with a generous company match of 5%
- Tuition reimbursement
- the Freedom 2 Save student debt program
- FreeU education benefit
- company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world
- named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune
- recognized as one of the best big companies to work for
- a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists
- stability of a company with a record of strong financial performance
- history of being actively involved in local communities
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
