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Essential Duties and Responsibilities

WHAT TO EXPECT

The Senior Manager, North America Logistics & Transportation is responsible for leading Gates' transportation strategy, execution, and freight spend management across North America. This role oversees the design, governance, procurement, and continuous improvement of transportation operations supporting manufacturing plants, distribution centers, suppliers, and customers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The position is accountable for managing transportation service providers, optimizing freight networks, controlling transportation costs, ensuring service excellence, and driving supply chain performance through data-driven decision-making. The Senior Manager partners closely with Operations, Customer Service, Procurement, Manufacturing, Finance, and Commercial teams to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation solutions that support business growth and customer satisfaction.

As a strategic leader, this individual develops long-term transportation strategies while ensuring day-to-day execution meets customer service, inventory, cost, sustainability, and operational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Transportation Strategy & Network Management

             Develop and execute the North America transportation strategy aligned with Gates' supply chain and business objectives.

             Lead transportation network optimization initiatives across inbound, intercompany, and outbound freight flows.

             Evaluate and implement transportation models that improve service, reduce costs, and increase network flexibility.

             Identify opportunities to consolidate freight, optimize mode selection, improve route efficiency, and reduce transportation waste.

             Drive transportation support for acquisitions, network changes, new distribution facilities, and customer growth initiatives.

Freight Spend Management

             Own and manage the North America transportation budget and freight spend, ensuring achievement of annual cost reduction targets.

             Establish transportation cost governance, forecasting processes, and performance reporting.

             Analyze freight spend trends and develop corrective actions to mitigate cost inflation and capacity risks.

             Lead transportation savings initiatives through carrier negotiations, network optimization, and process improvements.

Carrier & 3PL Management

             Lead strategic relationships with parcel, LTL, truckload, intermodal, ocean, air freight, and brokerage providers.

             Conduct carrier sourcing events, RFQs, contract negotiations, and performance reviews.

             Establish carrier scorecards and performance management processes.

             Ensure compliance with service agreements, rates, KPIs, and contractual obligations.

             Develop contingency plans and carrier capacity strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions.

Operational Excellence

             Establish transportation operating standards across all North American facilities.

             Drive continuous improvement through Lean, Six Sigma, and Supply Chain Excellence methodologies.

             Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for transportation service failures.

             Implement best practices for shipment planning, carrier utilization, freight audit, claims management, and transportation compliance.

             Partner with distribution and manufacturing leaders to improve on-time pickup and delivery performance.

Responsibilities Cont'd

Analytics & Technology

             Leverage transportation management systems (TMS), ERP platforms, and business intelligence tools to improve visibility and decision-making.

             Develop transportation dashboards and executive reporting for KPIs, savings initiatives, service performance, and risk management.

             Lead digital transformation initiatives within transportation operations.

             Utilize advanced analytics to identify optimization opportunities and improve network performance.

Cross-Functional Leadership

             Collaborate with Procurement, Manufacturing, Distribution, Customer Service, Supply Planning, Finance, and Sales teams to align transportation priorities.

             Support S&OP and business planning processes by providing transportation capacity, cost, and risk assessments.

             Influence senior leadership through data-driven recommendations and strategic business cases.

Risk, Compliance & Sustainability

             Ensure compliance with all transportation regulations, customs requirements, trade compliance standards, and company policies.

             Monitor transportation risk and develop mitigation strategies for capacity shortages, carrier disruptions, and geopolitical impacts.

             Lead sustainability initiatives focused on transportation efficiency, emissions reduction, and network optimization.

             Promote a culture of safety throughout transportation operations and among logistics partners.

Requirements and Preferred Skills

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

 

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive transportation, logistics, and supply chain leadership experience.
• 5+ years leading regional or multi-site transportation operations within manufacturing, industrial, automotive, or distribution environments.
• Experience managing transportation budgets and freight spend exceeding $50M+ annually.
• Demonstrated success leading carrier negotiations, RFQs, contract administration, and transportation procurement.
• Experience with parcel, LTL, truckload, intermodal, ocean, and air freight transportation.
• Experience leading transportation network optimization and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of transportation management systems (TMS), ERP platforms, and transportation analytics.

 

Preferred Experience

• Experience operating across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
• Experience supporting manufacturing plants and distribution center networks.
• Knowledge of customs, cross-border transportation, and international trade requirements.
• Lean, Six Sigma, APICS/ASCM, CSCMP, or equivalent certifications preferred