Description
Lead logistics operations across transportation, warehousing, and distribution to deliver on-time, cost-efficient, and safe product flow. Oversee carrier and 3PL performance, inventory movement, and network optimization. Implement processes, technology, and forecasting to improve accuracy, customer service, and compliance while reducing total landed cost.
- • Select and optimize transportation routes, modes, and loads to reduce cost and transit time.
- • Build and maintain logistics network models to support capacity, service, and cost decisions.
- • Negotiate contracts, rates, and terms with carriers, 3PLs, and freight forwarders.
- • Meet regularly with carriers and logistics partners to review KPIs, scorecards, and forecasts.
- • Document logistics processes, including shipment workflows, dock schedules, and system handoffs.
- • Develop and implement carrier and 3PL evaluation and selection criteria.
- • Design and manage warehousing and distribution strategies across DCs and cross-docks.
- • Align with demand planners to translate forecasts into transportation and labor capacity plans.
- • Define and track logistics KPIs such as OTIF, cost per order, damage rate, and dwell time.
- • Analyze DC inventory positioning and replenishment to improve turns and customer service.
- • Coordinate product launches or changes to ensure packaging, labeling, and routing readiness.
- • Establish procedures to coordinate logistics with sales, customer service, finance, and operations.
- • Design and refine distribution networks to support market changes and cost-reduction goals.
- • Evaluate transportation and warehousing environmental impacts and reduction opportunities.
- • Implement logistics practices that meet sustainability and compliance objectives.
- • Lead reverse logistics programs for returns, repairs, recycling, and responsible disposal.
- • Deploy and enhance TMS, WMS, and visibility tools to improve tracking and control.
- • Identify packaging and dunnage reuse opportunities to cut waste and freight cost.
- • Review carriers’ emissions data and sustainability records during selection and renewal.
- • Update logistics policies and SOPs to reflect new regulations and standards.
- • Determine equipment, staffing, and yard resources to load, unload, and stage freight safely.
- • Oversee transportation procurement, distribution center operations, warehousing, and receiving.
- • Implement process improvements to increase loading, dispatch, and delivery efficiency.
- • Manage shipment execution, track-and-trace, and exception resolution to protect OTIF.
- • Monitor demand and capacity trends to anticipate lane imbalances and mitigate constraints.
- • Identify and onboard new carriers, brokers, and 3PLs to expand capacity or capabilities.
- • Build freight budgets, forecast transportation spend, and oversee freight audit and payment.
- • Audit carriers and 3PL sites for safety, security, capacity, and quality compliance.
- • Ensure regulatory compliance, including DOT, OSHA, hazmat, export, and customs requirements.
- • Manage freight claims for loss, damage, or service failures and drive root-cause fixes.
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Supply Chain & Transportation
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
