Director: Middle Mile Transportation (Hybrid, Seattle - WA)

Nordstrom, Inc.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/ Vision/ Dental

Retirement and PTO

Life Insurance and Disability

Merchandise Discount

Job summary

Nordstrom, Inc. seeks a senior leader to direct Middle Mile Transportation, covering store delivery, intra-network moves, and sort centers across the Nordstrom supply chain. Drive transformation to deliver faster, lower cost-to-serve, and enable new Rack store openings.

Reporting to the SVP of Transportation and Logistics, you will set the vision, develop the team, and partner with DC/FC/Stores/Data Science/Finance to achieve customer-focused operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of US transportation experience in retail or high-volume distribution.
• 10+ years leading and developing teams across multiple sites or remote environments.
• Strong carrier management, sourcing, and negotiation experience.
• Data-driven approach using metrics, forecasting, and optimization tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight across the distribution network.
• Transform store delivery model using routing/scheduling to lower costs.
• Optimize intra-network flows between DCs, FCs, and SCs to reduce cycle time and costs.
• Enable new store openings, including Rack growth and DC staging.
• Launch and scale Sort Centers with carrier integration and playbooks.
• Design asset and fleet strategy including trailer/tractor utilization.
• Ensure KPIs and data governance to drive performance improvements.
• Manage carriers and service providers to Nordstrom standards.

Skills

Leadership

Transportation

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Engineering/Operations

Job description

Job Description

Middle Mile Transportation moves products across the Nordstrom Supply Chain network, including 10 Distribution and Fulfillment Centers, and delivery to nearly 400 stores. The leader of this team will transform Nordstrom’s store delivery model to deliver faster, lower cost-to-serve, enable new Rack store openings, and introduce new ways of working.

This role leads Middle Mile Transportation: Store Delivery and Intra-network moves (reserve stock, pack & hold, and bulk sort), and Sort centers. and powers differentiated omni-channel service in our key domestic (US) markets.

Reporting to the SVP of Transportation and Logistics, this role is a key enabler of Nordstrom’s supply chain.As a member of the Nordstrom Transportation organization, this leader sets the vision, drives execution, and develops the team in a culture of customer-focused operational excellence.

A day in the life…

• Lead strategic direction and operational oversight to ensure day-to-day execution across Corporate and DC Field teams in the distribution network, delivering results on short-term priorities for Transportation Store Delivery, Intra-network moves, and Sort Centers
• Leading the transformation of our store delivery model, using TMS-driven routing and scheduling to deliver faster, more reliable, and lower-cost service to stores: Delivery model options: overnight, unattended, drop vs. live, and delivery windows, delivery visibility and proactive store communication, and planning inputs: store-level volume forecasts and tailored delivery frequency.
• Optimizing intra-network flows between Distribution Centers (DCs), Fulfillment centers (FCs), and Sort Centers (SCs), including reserve stock redistribution, pack & hold, and bulk sort moves, to reduce cycle times, variability, and cost.
• Enabling new store openings, particularly Rack growth, with scalable delivery schedules, capacity planning, and DC staging.
• Launching, managing, and scaling Sort Centers, including carrier sourcing and integration with store delivery playbooks, to consolidate routes and relieve long-haul pressure on DCs.
• Designing and driving asset and fleet strategy: trailer and tractor utilization, pallets per trailer, yard operations and security, and lease/own/3P decisions.
• Ensuring the right KPIs, metrics, and goals are in place (store on-time delivery, cost per unit, canceled runs, trailer utilization, intra-network cycle time). Leveraging data-driven insights to improve performance today and build future capabilities.
• Managing carriers and logistics service providers to ensure they consistently meet or exceed Nordstrom standards.
• Partnering proactively with stakeholders: DC, FC, and Sort Center Operations, Store Operations (including new store openings), Data Science, Product Management, Tech, and SC Finance.
• Supporting the Middle Mile Transportation teams, providing the leadership, resources, structure, and guidance they need to be successful.

You own this if you have…

• 15+ years of US transportation experience across multiple modes (e.g., truckload, LTL, dedicated fleet, regional courier) in complex, fast-paced retail, e-commerce, or high-volume distribution environments
• A track record leading transformation of store delivery or replenishment networks, with measurable service and cost results (e.g., routing and scheduling, fleet and asset strategy, or sort center/cross-dock operations)
• 10+ years leading and developing high-performing teams across multiple sites or remote environments
• Strong carrier management, sourcing, and negotiation experience
• A data-driven approach, using metrics, forecasting, and optimization tools to drive improvements
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and influence across operations, stores, finance, and technology
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or equivalent experience

Pay Range Details

$175,000.00 - $275,000.00 Annual

Pay offers are dependent on the location, as well as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

We’ve got you covered…

• Medical/Vision, Dental, Retirement and Paid Time Away
• Life Insurance and Disability
• Merchandise Discount and EAP Resources

This position may be eligible for performance-based incentives/bonuses. Benefits include 401k, medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance options, PTO accruals, Holidays, and more. Eligibility requirements may apply based on location, job level, classification, and length of employment. Learn more in the Nordstrom Benefits Overview by copying and pasting the following URL into your browser: https://careers.nordstrom.com/pdfs/Ben_Overview_20-21.pdf

A few more important points...

The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive. There may be additional duties, responsibilities and qualifications for this job.

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