Transportation Manager

Buywander; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Health, dental & vision

401(k)

Job summary

BuyWander, in Seattle, seeks a Transportation Manager to own inbound freight end-to-end. You will manage carriers, rates, lanes, and on-time performance while bending the cost curve and scaling the carrier network to support growth.

You will coordinate dock flow, optimize scheduling, and provide real-time visibility to merchandising, finance, and leadership. Strong negotiation, analytics, and TMS experience are essential.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in transportation, freight brokerage, dispatch, or logistics operations with carrier-rate negotiation experience.
• Track record of measurable freight-cost reduction beyond basic shipment coordination.
• Strong verbal communication and ability to hold carriers accountable with real-time calls.
• Strong spreadsheet skills and ability to build tracking/reporting tools in an internal platform (Chuk).
• Highly organized with ability to manage many moving parts and anticipate exceptions.
• Experience with a TMS or load-tracking platform is a plus.
• Must reside in the United States and be legally authorized to work without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Own freight cost as a percent of net revenue and drive it down.
• Negotiate rates, lane pricing, and terms with carriers and brokers.
• Maintain a carrier scorecard and reallocate volume by performance.
• Identify consolidation, backhaul, and lane-optimization opportunities.
• Manage and pursue freight claims for damage, shortage, and service failures.
• Schedule inbound deliveries across BuyWander facilities and prevent dock congestion.
• Coordinate appointment windows and communicate expectations to drivers and teams.
• Partner with Merchandising Planning and Buyer to match inbound flow to capacity.
• Track loads from booking to delivery in Chuk for real-time visibility.
• Provide updates to merchandising, finance, and leadership on KPIs and trends.
• Report on freight KPIs and surface improvement recommendations.
• Build the freight playbook for new markets: carrier coverage and cost benchmarks.
• Improve scheduling, tracking, and performance reporting systems as volume grows.

Skills

Carrier negotiation

Freight cost optimization

Analytics

Stakeholder communication

TMS experience

Logistics operations

Education

High school diploma

Logistics coursework/certification

Tools

Chuk

TMS

Job description

Description

Transportation Manager

Department: Merchandising| Reports to: VP of Merchandising (dotted line to Operations) | Location: Seattle, WA | Type: Full-time

About BuyWander

BuyWander is rebuilding the $850B retail returns industry. We take chaotic truckloads of returned goods and transform them into a fast, fun, treasure-hunt shopping experience powered by AI, real-time auctions, and in-store pickup.

The Role

Every unit we sell arrives on a truck. You'll own inbound freight end to end: the carriers we use, the rates we pay, the lanes we run, and whether trucks show up on time and on budget. Day to day you're keeping loads moving and drivers on task. Quarter to quarter you're bending the cost curve - negotiating rates, consolidating loads, cutting detention and accessorials, and building the carrier network that supports 10X our current footprint.

What You'll Do

Freight Cost & Carrier Strategy

• Own freight cost as a percentage of net revenue as your primary metric, and drive it down against plan.
• Negotiate rates, lane pricing, and terms with carriers and brokers; build and manage a carrier network rather than booking one-off loads.
• Maintain a carrier scorecard covering cost, on-time performance, damage, and responsiveness - and reallocate volume based on it.
• Identify consolidation, backhaul, and lane-optimization opportunities as our market footprint grows and density improves.
• Manage and pursue freight claims for damage, shortage, and service failures.

Scheduling & Dock Flow

• Schedule and manage inbound deliveries across all BuyWander facilities; proactively prevent congestion and truck stacking at receiving docks.
• Coordinate appointment windows and communicate delivery expectations to drivers, carriers, and internal teams.
• Partner with Merchandise Planning and the Buyer so inbound flow matches each market's receiving and processing capacity.

Tracking & Visibility

• Track every load from booking to delivery in Chuk, our internal platform; keep records complete and current.
• Provide near real-time visibility into inbound operations for merchandising, finance, and store leadership.
• Report on the KPIs that matter - freight cost per load, cost as a percentage of net revenue, on-time delivery, schedule adherence, detention, and accessorial charges - and surface trends and recommendations to leadership.

Driver & Carrier Communication

• Serve as the primary point of contact for drivers: appointment confirmations, directions, and real-time issue resolution by phone throughout the day.
• Communicate proactively with carrier dispatch on delays, reschedules, and exceptions - keeping loads on task and internal teams informed.
• Evaluate and onboard new carriers to improve reliability and cost performance.

Scaling the Network

• Build the freight playbook for new market launches: carrier coverage, lane setup, receiving standards, and cost benchmarks.
• Improve the systems and processes behind scheduling, tracking, and performance reporting as volume grows.

Requirements

What You'll Bring

• 4+ years in transportation, freight brokerage, dispatch, or logistics operations, including direct experience negotiating rates with carriers
• A track record of measurably reducing freight cost - not just coordinating shipments
• Strong verbal communication and the confidence to hold carriers accountable. Clear, real-time phone communication with drivers and carrier dispatchers is an essential daily function of this role.
• Strong spreadsheet skills; comfort building tracking and reporting tools, and working in an internally built platform (Chuk) rather than off-the-shelf software
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage many moving parts and stay ahead of exceptions
• Experience with a TMS or load-tracking platform is a plus
• High school diploma or equivalent required; coursework or certification in logistics or supply chain is a plus
• Must reside and work in the United States and be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future employer sponsorship.

Success in This Role

• Freight cost as a percentage of net revenue trending down against plan, quarter over quarter
• A carrier scorecard in place, with volume actively allocated based on performance
• Detention and accessorial charges materially reduced
• On-time delivery and schedule adherence improving, with dock congestion the exception rather than routine
• Every new market launched with carrier coverage and cost benchmarks in place before the first load arrives

Working Conditions

This is primarily a desk-based role based in Seattle. It includes periodic travel to our facilities to observe receiving and processing firsthand, identify bottlenecks, and build working relationships with market teams. Time on site involves moving about an active warehouse environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Schedule and Benefits

• Salary: $70,000–$90,000 DOE
• Unlimited PTO
• Health, dental & vision
• 401(k)

BuyWander is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We make employment decisions based on qualifications, skills, merit, and business needs. We believe a range of skills, perspectives, and experiences strengthens our team and supports better outcomes for our employees and customers.