Senior Central Intercontinental Operations Manager

GM•Warren, MI

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Central Intercontinental Operations Manager leads GMNA’s inbound intercontinental material logistics operations for the U.S. and Canada. This role is accountable for end-to-end ocean, air, and heavy-haul material flows from global origins into GM facilities, protecting plant production through proactive risk management, strong partner oversight, and effective escalation management. The supervisor leads a team of internal specialists and logistics service providers to manage normal and premium shipments, resolve network disruptions, and continuously improve cost, transit time, and service performance across the intercontinental network.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Engineering or related field, or relevant equivalent experience in lieu of degree.
5+ years of experience in logistics, supply chain, or material management, with direct exposure to international or intercontinental transportation (ocean/air).
Demonstrated experience leading teams and/or managing third-party logistics providers (3PL/LSC) in an operations, command center, or escalation-driven environment.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with proven ability to interpret logistics data (transit times, dwell, ETA/PDT, days-on-hand), assess risk, and develop recovery plans under time pressure.
High level of oral and written communication skills with the ability to lead cross-functional discussions and provide concise, executive-ready updates on critical issues and network risks.
Ability to manage multiple critical issues simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and maintain composure in a fast-paced, escalation-heavy environment (including after-hours/urgent events).
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and comfort learning GM systems/tools used for logistics visibility and reporting (e.g., MGO, Power BI dashboards, GPFA/PTA, track-and-trace tools).

Nice To Haves

5+ years of experience in inbound material logistics, preferably covering intercontinental flows into North America (US & Canada) and working with LSCs such as DSV and CEVA.
Prior experience in a supervisory or people-leader role within Supply Chain, Logistics Operations, Command Center, or similar environment.
Knowledge of premium freight and cost recovery processes, including PTA/GPFA usage, shutdown letter processes, and claims management.
Familiarity with Power BI or similar analytics tools for operations dashboards, performance tracking, and KPI management.
Experience working directly with plants, Tactical Operations, Logistics Planning, and Purchasing on cross-functional issue resolution and network improvements.

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day intercontinental inbound network execution (US & Canada) across all modes (ocean, air, small parcel, heavy haul) to ensure material availability and protect GM plant uptime.
Lead and develop the Intercontinental Operations material logistics team, including GM employees and logistics service company (LSC) partners (e.g., DSV, CEVA, DB Schenker), providing clear priorities, feedback, and coaching on standard work and escalation expectations.
Serve as the primary escalation point for critical intercontinental shipments, coordinating with plants, Supply Chain, Logistics Purchasing, Tactical Operations, CCA, LSC control towers, and carriers to build and execute recovery plans that avoid or minimize production impact.
Oversee premium transportation and claims interfaces tied to intercontinental, domestic, and rail moves in partnership with the Premium & Claims team (authorizations, root cause, and recovery actions).
Utilize GM logistics tools and dashboards (e.g., intercontinental operations Power BI dashboards, port dwell and network status reporting) to monitor network health, identify risk, and drive timely corrective actions with LSCs and internal stakeholders.
Ensure standard processes and work instructions for intercontinental operations (e.g., DSV Critical Air, IO milestones, network update process, shutdown letter use) are understood, followed, and continuously improved by the team.
Champion robust communication practices with LSC origin/destination control towers (clear subject lines, need-in-plant dates, complete data, confirmation of HBOL/itineraries, after-hours escalation) to improve visibility and execution quality.
Partner with Logistics Planning, Logistics Purchasing, Vehicle Command Center, and SCW / PFEP teams to align on capacity, transit times, spot-buys, dwell, and continuous improvement opportunities in the intercontinental network.
Support education and communication across the business by leveraging the Intercontinental Logistics Operations Playbook, network updates, training tools, and contact/reference documents for internal and external partners.
Drive a strong safety, compliance, and quality culture, ensuring adherence to customs/regulatory requirements (e.g., wood-packaging/ISPM-15, documentation standards) and GM policies when executing intercontinental shipments and escalations.