Strategic Director, First & Middle Mile Transportation

Cardinal Health; Augusta (ME); Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

401k savings plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Cardinal Health is seeking a Director of Transportation – First/Middle Mile to lead U.S. transportation across manufacturing sites, cross docks, and replenishment centers. You will direct a ~200M budget, mentor a team of ~20 professionals, and drive cost-to-serve improvements while ensuring reliable on-time performance.

You will collaborate with Distribution, Inventory, Commercial, and Systems teams, manage carrier partnerships, and shape the future of the network with data-driven decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business Administration or related field preferred.
• 12+ years in transportation & logistics with leadership in multi-site environments preferred.
• Experience managing large transportation budgets (e.g., $100M+) and cost improvement.
• Proven carrier management, contract negotiation & relationship building.
• Strong analytical skills with data-driven decision making.
• Experience with route optimization technologies & TMS.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for all U.S. first and middle mile transportation operations across manufacturing sites, cross docks, and replenishment centers.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a team of ~20 transportation professionals.
• Own and manage a transportation budget of ~ $200M; drive cost efficiency and on-time performance.
• Drive network optimization initiatives focusing on routing efficiency, capacity planning, service improvements, and cost-to-serve reduction.
• Ensure transportation excellence across the national distribution and manufacturing network.
• Lead transportation procurement activities: carrier sourcing, RFPs, contract negotiations, vendor management.
• Manage relationships with 100+ commercial carrier partners; ensure performance and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Distribution, Inventory, Commercial, Marketing, Systems, and Network Design teams to optimize flow.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

Carrier management

TMS

Routing optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Logistics

Tools

TMS

Routing software

Analytics tools

Job description

Cardinal Health is seeking a Director of Transportation – First/Middle Mile to lead U.S. transportation across manufacturing sites, cross docks, and replenishment centers. You will direct a ~200M budget, mentor a team of ~20 professionals, and drive cost-to-serve improvements while ensuring reliable on-time performance.

You will collaborate with Distribution, Inventory, Commercial, and Systems teams, manage carrier partnerships, and shape the future of the network with data-driven decisions.