Manager Distribution Operations Supervisor Jobs in Cincinnati, OH

 Multiple shifts are available, including day, evening/night, and weekend shifts.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Operations Supervisor, Ground leads the Outbound and Inbound Specialist teams and owns execution quality across the full ground shipment lifecycle — from booking acceptance through delivery and release to billing. The Supervisor is accountable for coverage: every booking in the TMF queue is worked, every departed shipment has a named owner, and no exception sits unaddressed across a shift change. The role is the first escalation tier for the specialists, deciding what can be resolved in lane and routing what cannot to capacity, account, or program leadership with the facts already assembled. Beyond the shift board, the Supervisor develops the team — onboarding, certifying competency on the operating systems, cross-training outbound and inbound coverage, managing performance, and building a shift culture where issues are raised early and directly. The Supervisor is measured on service delivery, data integrity between TMF and Aljex, handover discipline, and the capability of the team.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Queue Coverage & Work Assignment

• Monitor EDI bookings in TMF to confirm every booking is picked up and worked by an Outbound Specialist within the target window.
• Monitor unassigned loads in Aljex and confirm an Inbound Specialist takes ownership of every departed shipment — no shipment in Loaded status without a named Service Rep.
• Balance workload across the shift, reassigning files when volume spikes, a lane runs hot, or an absence creates a gap.
• Confirm coverage of both the outbound and inbound queues before the shift begins and again before it ends.
• Maintain visibility of the whole board rather than working files personally, stepping in only when coverage genuinely requires it.

Escalation & Exception Ownership

• Ensure escalated shipments are marked as hot loads in Aljex and receive priority handling and communication.
• Act as the first escalation tier for the specialist teams — make the operational decision where it sits within shift authority, and route it upward where it does not.
• Route escalations to the right owner: capacity shortfalls and carrier failures to the Capacity Manager, customer commitments and date changes to the Operational Account Coordinator, systemic and tooling gaps to the Program Manager.
• Escalate security concerns — cargo integrity, tampering, chain-of-custody gaps, or loss of tracking — to the GSOC Security Team and management immediately.
• Hold escalations to a clear standard: separate what is verified fact from inference, judgment, and allegation, so the receiving party can act on the first line rather than reconstruct the situation.
• Follow escalated issues to closure rather than to handoff, and confirm the resolution is reflected in both systems.

Data Quality & Process Compliance

• Audit parity between TMF and Aljex — milestones, reason codes, cost and revenue, piece counts, references, and documentation — and correct or assign correction of what does not match.
• Verify that signed BOLs and PODs are uploaded to both systems and that milestones are posted in the required sequence and timeframe.
• Enforce SOP adherence on the control steps that protect the file: Tive activation, MacroPoint confirmation, warehouse pre-alerts, and appointment references.
• Hold the team to the defined cycle-time targets for booking build, pre-alert, documentation, and departure milestone posting.
• Identify recurring defects and root-cause them rather than re-correcting the same error each shift; escalate the underlying cause to the Program Manager with evidence.

Shift Handover & Continuity

• Complete the shift handover checklist every shift, without exception.
• Ensure in-flight shipments, hot loads, open exceptions, and pending customer commitments are documented and verbally handed to the incoming supervisor.
• Maintain continuity of ownership across rotating crews so a shipment is never re-discovered by the next shift.
• Improve the handover standard over time as gaps are exposed, keeping checklists current with the process as it changes.

People Leadership & Development

• Supervise, coach, and develop the Outbound and Inbound Specialist teams, with regular one-to-one feedback rather than feedback saved for review cycles.
• Onboard new specialists and certify competency on TMF, Aljex, Tive, Open Dock, and MacroPoint before they work files independently.
• Cross-train the teams so outbound and inbound coverage is interchangeable during absence, volume surges, and holiday periods.
• Own shift scheduling and staffing for continuous coverage, including absence management, overtime, and time-off planning.
• Manage performance directly and fairly — set clear expectations, recognize strong execution, and address shortfalls early with documented, specific feedback.
• Build a shift culture of directness and kindness: problems raised early, communication kept crisp, and no one penalized for surfacing bad news.

Performance Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Report shift performance against service and data-quality targets using the operational dashboards, and explain variance with cause rather than description.
• Use Power BI and system reporting to spot trends the board does not show — aging exceptions, repeat carrier failures, recurring data defects.
• Partner with the Regional Program Manager on process and tooling improvements, including integration gaps, manual workarounds, and milestone or reason-code standardization.
• Contribute to SOP and checklist development so improvements survive turnover and are not held only in the current team’s memory.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Experience supervising within a 24/7 rotating shift model and managing continuity across crews.
• Experience standing up or maintaining SOPs, checklists, and training material for an operations team.
• Experience supporting a high-value or security-sensitive customer program with prescriptive controls.
• Working knowledge of Power BI or comparable reporting tools for building and interpreting operational dashboards.
• Exposure to continuous improvement methods and comfort running root-cause analysis on recurring defects.
• Experience contributing to system or integration improvement work with IT and program stakeholders.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• High school diploma or equivalent; associate’s or bachelor’s degree in logistics, supply chain, business, or a related field preferred.
• 4–6 years of experience in transportation or 3PL operations, including at least 1–2 years supervising, coaching, or leading a team.
• Hands-on operating experience in a transportation management system; direct experience with e2open TMF and/or Descartes Aljex strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to hold a team to a defined process and to correct drift without damaging morale.
• Working knowledge of US domestic ground freight modes (FTL, LTL, intermodal) and the shipment lifecycle from booking through invoice.
• Sound escalation judgment — able to distinguish what to decide, what to delegate, and what to raise.
• Data literacy sufficient to interpret operational reporting and challenge a number that looks wrong.
• Availability to work rotating shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays, in a 24/7 operation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook) and Microsoft Teams.

WHY SHOULD YOU WORK FOR CRANE?

At Crane, we believe in providing our employees with excellent benefits at a Great Place to Work.

We offer:

• Quarterly Incentive Plan
• 136 hours of Paid Time Off which equals 17 days for the year, that can be used for Sick Time or for Personal Use
• Excellent Medical, Dental and Vision benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement for education related to your job
• Employee Referral Bonuses
• Employee Recognition and Rewards Program
• Paid Volunteer Time to support a cause that is close to your heart and contributes to our communities
• Employee Discounts
• Wellness Incentives that can go up to $100 per year for completing challenges, in addition to a discount on contribution rates

Come join the leader in logistics and take your career in the right direction.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

This position requires the final candidate to successfully pass an E-Verify Check.

More Information: http://www.dhs.gov/e-verify 

Company benefits are contingent upon meeting eligibility requirements and plan conditions.