Manager-Transportation

Abdul Latif Jameel Company; Dubai; On-site; AED 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Abdul Latif Jameel Company in Dubai seeks an experienced Transportation Operations Manager to lead daily UAE road transport, manage owned fleets and subcontractors, and coordinate with customers and gateways for on-time delivery.

The role requires 8+ years in road transport with UAE experience, strong knowledge of regulations, and leadership of dispatch teams. Focus on efficiency, safety, and cost control in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Transportation, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of road transportation or fleet operations experience, including 3+ years in management in UAE.
• Strong knowledge of UAE Federal and Emirate transport regulations and permits.

Responsibilities

• Plan, manage, and oversee daily UAE road transportation operations with capacity planning and route optimization.
• Oversee owned fleet and subcontractors, ensuring service levels and compliance.
• Coordinate with UAE gateway, customers, and warehouses for scheduling and delivery execution.
• Manage cross-border transport UAE–Saudi Arabia with customs coordination and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor routes, vehicle utilization, driver productivity, idle time, and costs to improve efficiency.
• Lead, develop, and manage transportation supervision teams and drivers.
• Prepare operational performance reports on costs, performance, and risks.

Skills

Fleet management

Route planning

Dispatching

Driver performance

Cross-border logistics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Logistics

Tools

Transportation Management Systems (TMS)

Telematics & fleet tracking

Job description

Job Description:

Job Purpose:

Manage transportation operations in the UAE, ensuring safe, compliant, cost-effective, and reliable fleet and subcontracted transport services supporting gateway, freight forwarding, warehousing, and customer requirements.

Key Activities

• Plan, manage, and oversee daily road transportation operations across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ensuring efficient capacity planning, route optimization, dispatching, driver allocation, and timely delivery execution.
• Develop and implement transportation plans and operational strategies to optimize fleet utilization, service reliability, cost efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Manage owned fleet operations and subcontracted transportation providers, ensuring compliance with agreed service levels, contractual obligations, transportation permits, documentation requirements, and performance standards.
• Coordinate with UAE Gateway operations, customers, warehouses, and internal stakeholders to ensure effective transportation scheduling, capacity allocation, and seamless delivery execution.
• Oversee cross-border transportation activities between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, coordinating with KSA operations, customs brokers, and regional logistics partners to ensure smooth shipment movements and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor and optimize transportation routes, vehicle utilization, driver productivity, idle time, and empty kilometers to improve operational efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs.
• Manage transportation operating expenses, including fuel consumption, toll charges, vehicle maintenance, cost per trip, cost per kilometer, subcontractor charges, claims, and fines.
• Monitor transportation revenue, operating margins, cost performance, and overall profitability to ensure achievement of approved financial and operational targets.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with UAE transportation authorities, fleet service providers, workshops, subcontractors, and other relevant business partners.
• Ensure compliance with UAE federal and emirate-level transportation regulations, operating permits, vehicle standards, driver licensing requirements, road safety rules, and applicable security procedures.
• Implement and enforce transportation safety policies, operational procedures, and risk management practices to ensure safe and compliant fleet operations.
• Manage transportation incidents, delivery disruptions, customer complaints, and service failures through root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and effective service recovery measures.
• Monitor on-time delivery performance, service quality, fleet availability, and subcontractor performance to ensure customer expectations and contractual service commitments are consistently achieved.
• Collaborate with relevant internal departments and external service providers to resolve operational challenges, improve service delivery, and maintain transportation continuity.
• Utilize transportation management systems (TMS), telematics, fleet tracking solutions, and route optimization technologies to improve operational visibility, efficiency, and decision-making.
• Analyze driver performance, fleet utilization, fuel efficiency, and transportation data to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and productivity enhancement.
• Lead, supervise, and develop transportation supervisors, dispatchers, drivers, and operational teams through effective performance management, coaching, training, and workforce planning.
• Prepare and present operational performance reports covering transportation costs, fleet utilization, delivery performance, regulatory compliance, safety incidents, and operational risks.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance transportation efficiency, reduce operating costs, strengthen safety performance, and support sustainable business growth.

Job-Related Skills

• Bachelors degree in Logistics, Transportation, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in road transportation or fleet operations, including at least 3 years in a management role, with relevant experience in the UAE transportation market.
• Advanced knowledge of road transportation operations, fleet management, route planning, dispatching, and delivery execution within the UAE.
• Strong understanding of UAE federal and emirate-level transportation regulations, operating permits, vehicle compliance requirements, driver licensing, and road safety standards.
• Proven experience in managing owned fleets, subcontracted transportation providers, and third-party logistics service providers.
• Strong knowledge of cross-border transportation operations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including customs coordination, transportation documentation, and regulatory requirements.
• Advanced operational planning and execution capabilities, including transportation capacity management, resource allocation, and service optimization.
• Strong fleet utilization and productivity management skills, including fuel efficiency, maintenance planning, idle time reduction, and route optimization.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness, with expertise in transportation costing, operating budgets, margin management, and cost control.
• Experience in managing transportation contracts, negotiating subcontractor rates, and monitoring vendor performance against agreed service levels.
• Advanced knowledge of transportation safety management, incident investigation, risk assessment, and corrective action implementation.
• Proficiency in transportation management systems (TMS), fleet tracking technologies, telematics, and operational reporting tools.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate transportation performance data and implement operational improvements.
• Proven leadership and team management capabilities, including supervising dispatchers, drivers, and transportation operations teams.
• Excellent communication, coordination, and stakeholder management skills to collaborate with customers, suppliers, regulatory authorities, and regional business partners.
• Strong customer service orientation, with the ability to manage delivery expectations, resolve service issues, and maintain high operational standards.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced transportation environment while managing multiple operational priorities and maintaining service continuity.
• Strong organizational, decision-making, and time management skills, with a focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Professional certifications in Fleet Management, Transport Safety, Defensive Driving, or Supply Chain Management are preferred.