Director of Transportation

Director Of Transportation

Select Genetics presents a solid platform to serve customers on a national and international scale by providing quality poults, service, and innovation. In association with Aviagen Turkeys, Select Genetics is the nation's leader in turkey breeding and hatching. We are seeking a Director of Transportation to play a key role in driving transportation strategy and operational excellence in our organization! The Director of Transportation is responsible for overseeing the safe, timely, accurate and cost-effective movement of a live product across multiple states while supporting animal welfare, regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction for overall company success. This position provides strategic leadership for transportation operations by optimizing logistics systems, strengthening vendor, customer and cross-functional relationships, and driving consistent processes for operational excellence and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have experience in fostering a culture of safety, teamwork, accountability, and excellence for reliable delivery of a product in a complex and dynamic industry. This position is based at Select Genetics' headquarters in Willmar, MN, or, depending on the selected candidate, may be based at one of our Select Genetics division office locations. Periodic travel to other division locations is required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides strategic leadership operational oversight, and decision making for the enterprise-wide Transportation division, ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable service for a 24/7/365 fleet serving customers throughout the U.S.
• Develops, implements and directs long-term strategic vision for the Transportation Department, including fleet capacity planning, capital investment forecasting, regulatory readiness, technology initiatives and cost-optimization strategies.
• Champions organizational strategies and a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Analyzes and evaluates complex transportation challenges, recommends and implements solutions that improve service levels, operational efficiency and cost performance.
• Oversees the complete fleet asset lifecycle including acquisition, utilization, maintenance, replacement, and disposal, while recommending capital investments to maximize asset performance.
• Builds and maintains collaborative cross-functional partnerships with operations, sales, customer service, safety, finance and other business units to support organizational goals and transportation performance.
• Establishes strong relationships with key customers and internal stakeholders, promoting proactive communication and effective problem-solving.
• Develops and monitors transportation benchmarking metrics to evaluate departmental performance.
• Oversee development and implementation of SOPs and training materials for continuous improvement of the team.
• Hires, develops, coaches and evaluates transportation staff to support current operational needs and future organizational growth. Partners with Logistics Division Managers to assess workloads and maintain appropriate staffing levels.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and company safety policies, regulations and training requirements. Also ensures compliance with border crossings and exports through international airports for international customer deliveries.
• Supports transportation divisional managers in proactively identifying and mitigating logistical risks, including transportation delays, service disruptions, capacity constraints, weather-related impacts, and other challenges to maintain service continuity.
• Provides leadership, technical expertise and operational guidance to local transportation managers while establishing performance expectations and holding leadership accountable for quality, customer service, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of transportation technologies, including routing software, onboard cameras, ELDs, GPS tracking, etc. to enhance operational efficiency, safety and regulatory compliance.

Experience:

• 10+ years management experience, managing remote or distributed teams preferred
• 7+ years with direct financial performance accountability
• 7+ years demonstrated team building leadership skills
• 7+ years of experience in strategy development and change management
• 5+ years of knowledge in DOT, FMCSA and OSHA compliance regulations
• Successful completion of criminal background check is required.

Education: Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience Skills and Abilities:

• Proven leadership in building a culture of accountability, safety, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Demonstrated success in working collaboratively across multiple departments in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to interpret fleet and operational data to drive decisions
• Experience in managing budgets, controlling costs and evaluating financial results.
• Ability to anticipate changes in production and customer needs and adjust transportation strategies accordingly
• Exhibits sound business judgement and decision-making skills, determination and adaptability through a variety of challenges
• Ability to negotiate with vendors
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organization and time management skills
• Proficiency in Office suite (Outlook, Excel, Word)
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license
• Ability to travel 25-40% of the time to other divisions as needed.
• Does not own or operate around backyard poultry, foul, or swine operations off duty.

Physical Requirements: Ability to sit for extended periods while performing computer work, ability to travel by vehicle and air, ability to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds, ability to visit and assess worksites such as hatcheries, farms, garages, and transportation facilities. Compensation Package: We offer a complete and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, telehealth, 401k, life insurance, short- and long-term disability plans, paid holidays, paid time off and more. This position is eligible for the company's annual incentive bonus program. Salary Range: $100,000 - $150,000 based on experience.