Director of Transportation - Food Manufacturing

CSG Talent; Rochester (MN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

CSG Talent is assisting a growing food manufacturer in Rochester, MN, to recruit a Director of Transportation. This role leads the outsourced transportation network, oversees 3PL partners and carrier relationships, and drives cost, service and efficiency improvements for temperature-controlled distribution.

Responsibilities include procurement, RFPs, KPI management and cross-functional alignment with Supply Chain, Warehousing and Manufacturing to ensure product integrity and on-time delivery at

Qualifications

• Experience leading transportation in food manufacturing or temperature-controlled environments.
• Proven ability to manage outsourced networks and negotiate carrier contracts.
• Strong analytical and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead transportation strategy for reliable, cost-effective, scalable distribution.
• Manage and develop relationships with 3PLs, freight carriers and partners.
• Oversee outsourced operations and ensure service levels and contractual commitments.
• Drive freight cost optimization through negotiations and network analysis.
• Establish KPIs for on-time delivery, costs, service levels and efficiency.
• Lead carrier procurement, RFPs, contract negotiations and supplier reviews.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Warehousing, Customer Service, Sales and Manufacturing.
• Ensure temperature-controlled transportation maintains product integrity and safety.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, visibility and network efficiency.
• Develop and build capability within the transportation team.

Skills

Transportation leadership

3PL management

Freight procurement

Contract negotiations

Education

Bachelor's in supply chain/logistics

Tools

TMS systems

ERP/SAP

Job description

Ready-to-Eat Food Manufacturing | United States (Relocation to Midwest)

Director of Transportation

The Opportunity

We are partnering with a growing ready-to-eat food manufacturer to appoint a Director of Transportation to lead and optimise its transportation network across the business.

This is a strategic and hands-on leadership position, responsible for overseeing transportation operations, managing third-party logistics (3PL) partners and ensuring the efficient, cost-effective and reliable movement of temperature-controlled products from manufacturing facilities to customers and distribution points.

The successful individual will take ownership of carrier relationships, transportation strategy, service performance and freight costs, driving improvements across a complex supply chain where product quality, freshness and on-time delivery are critical.

Importantly, this is an outsourced transportation model, with the focus on managing external carriers and 3PL providers rather than overseeing a company-owned fleet.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the company's transportation strategy, ensuring reliable, cost-effective and scalable distribution across its network.
• Manage and develop relationships with third-party logistics providers, freight carriers and transportation partners.
• Oversee outsourced transportation operations, holding providers accountable for service levels, delivery performance and contractual commitments.
• Drive freight cost optimisation through carrier negotiations, network analysis, route optimisation and improved load utilisation.
• Establish and manage KPIs covering on-time delivery, transportation costs, service levels, claims, carrier performance and operational efficiency.
• Lead carrier procurement, RFPs, contract negotiations and ongoing supplier performance reviews.
• Partner closely with Supply Chain, Warehousing, Customer Service, Sales and Manufacturing to align transportation capacity with production schedules and customer demand.
• Ensure effective management of temperature-controlled transportation, maintaining product integrity, food safety and quality throughout transit.
• Identify opportunities to improve transportation processes, technology, visibility and overall network efficiency.
• Lead, develop and build capability within the transportation team.

Experience & Background

• Significant transportation and logistics leadership experience within food manufacturing, food distribution, grocery, consumer goods or another relevant temperature-controlled environment.
• Proven experience managing outsourced transportation networks and third-party logistics providers.
• Strong background in carrier management, freight procurement, contract negotiations and transportation cost optimisation.
• Experience managing complex, multi-site distribution networks and high-volume freight movements.
• Strong understanding of refrigerated and temperature-controlled transportation requirements.
• Demonstrated success improving service performance, reducing freight expenditure and driving operational efficiencies.
• Commercially astute, with strong analytical, negotiation and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience leading and developing transportation or logistics teams.

The Ideal Candidate

An experienced transportation leader who understands how to get the best out of a network of external transportation partners. Someone commercially minded, operationally credible and capable of balancing service, cost and product integrity within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.