Transportation Manager

Transportation Manager

Travel: Approximately 20%

Position Summary

The Transportation Manager will lead the company's transportation and logistics strategy, with responsibility for analyzing approximately $30 million in annual logistics spend and identifying opportunities to improve cost, service, and operational performance. This is a highly visible individual contributor role that will interact regularly with senior leadership, plant personnel, purchasing, finance, suppliers, and third-party logistics providers. The successful candidate will serve as the organization's subject matter expert for transportation and logistics, bringing a data-driven approach to freight analysis, carrier management, cost reduction, and continuous improvement. The Transportation Manager will be trusted to independently evaluate the current transportation network, identify trends and anomalies, develop recommendations, and drive initiatives through completion. This position is best suited for a self-motivated professional who can operate with significant autonomy and confidently communicate findings to leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve short-term and long-term transportation and logistics strategies.
• Analyze approximately $30 million in annual transportation and logistics spend to identify trends, anomalies, inefficiencies, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Translate complex transportation data into clear findings, recommendations, and actionable business strategies.
• Develop and execute freight savings initiatives in partnership with plant operations, purchasing, finance, suppliers, and third-party logistics providers.
• Manage competitive transportation bids, carrier sourcing initiatives, and requests for quotation.
• Lead freight and logistics negotiations to secure competitive pricing, favorable terms, and appropriate service levels.
• Evaluate carrier, lane, route, mode, and supplier performance to identify opportunities for network optimization.
• Develop, track, and communicate key transportation metrics and performance indicators.
• Prepare reports and presentations for senior leadership regarding transportation spend, savings initiatives, service performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Manage relationships and performance expectations with third-party logistics providers, carriers, brokers, and other transportation partners.
• Partner with manufacturing locations and material planning and logistics teams to ensure transportation strategies are executed effectively.
• Support annual freight budgeting, monthly freight accruals, invoice review, and freight payment activities.
• Provide transportation cost input for new production quotes, intercompany movements, product launches, end-of-production activity, and part transfers.
• Monitor changes in transportation routes and volumes and proactively address potential cost or service impacts.
• Support domestic and international shipping activities, including coordination with customs brokers and trade compliance partners.
• Help ensure transportation activities comply with applicable state, federal, import, and export requirements.
• Investigate and resolve freight claims, shipment issues, carrier performance concerns, and invoice discrepancies.
• Independently manage projects, priorities, and deliverables while keeping stakeholders informed of progress and results.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business, Analytics, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of progressive transportation, logistics, freight management, or supply chain experience.
• Strong understanding of transportation spend, freight pricing, carrier management, and logistics cost drivers.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large or complex data sets and identify meaningful trends, anomalies, risks, and cost-saving opportunities.
• Experience developing and implementing transportation or logistics improvement initiatives.
• Experience conducting freight bids, managing RFQs, and negotiating with carriers or logistics providers.
• Strong knowledge of transportation performance metrics and reporting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including the ability to organize, analyze, and present transportation data.
• Ability to independently manage projects and drive initiatives from analysis through implementation.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, including the ability to explain findings and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with purchasing, finance, manufacturing, shipping, receiving, warehouse operations, and external logistics partners.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 20%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting transportation or logistics within a manufacturing environment.
• International shipping, import, or export experience.
• Experience working with third-party logistics providers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, or trade compliance partners.
• Experience managing a substantial transportation or freight spend.
• Experience with transportation management systems, ERP platforms, freight audit systems, or business intelligence tools.
• Experience preparing freight budgets, accruals, forecasts, or executive-level transportation reporting.
• Knowledge of automotive, industrial, or high-volume manufacturing supply chains.

Key Competencies

• Data-driven decision-making: Able to interpret transportation data and convert findings into practical recommendations.
• Initiative and ownership: Highly motivated and comfortable running an area of responsibility with limited day-to-day oversight.
• Follow-through: Consistently completes projects, communicates progress, and delivers against commitments.
• Cost-conscious thinking: Understands transportation cost drivers and continually looks for measurable improvement opportunities.
• Negotiation: Confidently negotiates rates, terms, capacity, and service expectations with transportation partners.
• Executive communication: Comfortable presenting findings and recommendations to senior leaders.
• Cross-functional influence: Able to lead initiatives and gain cooperation without relying on formal authority.
• Problem-solving: Takes a hands-on approach to investigating issues, evaluating alternatives, and implementing solutions.
• Trust and judgment: Demonstrates reliability, sound decision-making, and discretion in a role with significant autonomy and visibility.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Troy, MI.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $90000.00 - $110000.00/yr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

401k Health Dental Vision

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Troy, MI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 7, 2026.