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North America Transportation Manager

WireCo WorldGroupLeawood, KS🇺🇸United States

Quick overview

SeniorityMid Senior
Employment typeFull Time
Work modeHybrid
LocationLeawood, KS, United States
Microsoft ExcelContinuous ImprovementProcurement

Job description

WireCo® is the strength behind the world’s evolution, through deep legacy and forward thinking, we create premium ropes that inspire innovation without limits. Our global footprint includes manufacturing plants, distribution facilities, and research and development centers around the world.

WireCo® offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including wages plus bonus program, paid time off, paid holidays, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with a generous company match, 100% company-paid life insurance, and 100% company-paid disability insurance.

For more information, check out our website at www.wireco.com and the following videos:

 

The North America Transportation Manager owns the execution, performance, and continuous improvement of WireCo’s North American transportation operations, supporting entities in the United States and Mexico and associated domestic, cross-border, and international freight movements. This role is responsible for delivering safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective transportation that supports customer commitments and operational requirements.

The Manager is accountable for transportation budgets, carrier procurement and performance, freight planning, transportation systems, and inbound and outbound freight execution. This position leads the team responsible for daily transportation operations, export bookings, shipping documentation, and transportation compliance.

Working closely with manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, commercial, and finance teams, the Manager translates business priorities into transportation plans, owns service and cost results, and develops the people, processes, and systems needed to improve regional performance.

The North America Transportation Manager must exhibit and proactively motivate the behaviors of the WireCo Business System (WBS):

  • Teamwork - welcomes an environment of inclusiveness and healthy debate that reflects our team’s strength
  • Accountable – celebrates our successes, learn from failures, avoid excuses, and own the outcomes of our efforts
  • Self-Aware – demonstrates an understanding of our strengths and needs, considering how our actions impact others
  • Noble Intent – acts in the interests of others, approaching our work with integrity to ensure the best outcome
  • Determined – takes initiative, share ideas and find solutions to win and achieve our goals
  • Transparent – promotes open and honest communication and constructive feedback for clarity and truth
  • Curious – seeks knowledge and outside input to test our way of thinking, challenging the status quo

Duties & Responsibilities

  • Own transportation planning and execution. Develop and execute transportation plans that align carrier capacity, shipping requirements, service expectations, and cost with business priorities. Be accountable for daily inbound and outbound freight performance across domestic, cross-border, and international movements supporting the region.
  • Own transportation financial performance. Develop and manage transportation budgets, forecasts, and cost-reduction plans. Monitor spending, explain variances, and implement actions that improve freight expense, cost to serve, and freight as a percentage of sales.
  • Own carrier procurement and routing. Lead carrier sourcing, rate negotiations, quarterly U.S. domestic and annual cross-border bid events, lane optimization, carrier onboarding, and routing guide management. Balance cost competitiveness, capacity availability, and service reliability.
  • Be accountable for transportation service performance. Establish and monitor key performance indicators for on-time pickup and delivery, transit time, freight damage, capacity acceptance, and cost. Own corrective actions and sustained improvement when performance falls below expectations.
  • Own carrier and logistics partner relationships. Maintain carrier scorecards, conduct quarterly business reviews, and manage escalations. Hold carriers, brokers, and third-party logistics providers accountable for service, safety, compliance, and financial commitments.
  • Be responsible for transportation and trade compliance. Manage export bookings, shipping documentation, customs processes, and applicable trade requirements. Maintain controls and clear responsibilities among internal teams, customs brokers, and logistics partners to support accurate documentation, recordkeeping, and timely issue resolution.
  • Own transportation contingency planning. Monitor capacity constraints, border delays, port congestion, labor disruptions, and other transportation risks. Develop alternative shipping arrangements and coordinate responses that protect customer service and operational continuity.
  • Be responsible for cross-functional transportation coordination. Partner with customer care, fulfillment, supply planning, commercial teams, plant operations, and distribution centers to align forecasts, production schedules, shipping priorities, carrier capacity, and customer delivery requirements. Resolve competing priorities and escalate issues with recommended solutions.
  • Own transportation continuous improvement. Identify and execute initiatives that strengthen daily operations, improve service, and reduce avoidable costs. Use freight analytics, root-cause analysis, and standard work to eliminate recurring issues and measure results.
  • Own transportation systems usage and data accuracy. Drive effective use of the Transportation Management System (TMS), reporting tools, and related enterprise systems. Partner with IT to resolve issues, implement enhancements, automate processes, and improve data quality and system adoption.
  • Be accountable for freight payment and recovery processes. Manage freight audit and payment accuracy, accessorial charges, invoice disputes, and claims. Partner with Finance to support timely reconciliation, accurate reporting, and recovery of amounts owed.
  • Own transportation performance reporting. Maintain dashboards and reporting routines that provide visibility into service, cost, capacity, compliance, and improvement results. Communicate trends, risks, and recommended actions to leadership.
  • Own team performance and development. Set clear expectations, assign responsibilities, coach team members, and manage performance. Develop team capabilities and provide training to plant and distribution center partners on transportation processes, compliance, systems, and best practices.
  • Be responsible for supporting global transportation initiatives. Contribute North American operational insights to network planning, supplier benchmarking, sustainability initiatives, and the standardization of transportation practices. Implement regional actions that support broader transportation priorities.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, or a related field.
  • Six or more years of progressively responsible experience in transportation, logistics, or supply chain, including at least two years leading teams and managing North American domestic and cross-border freight.
  • Demonstrated experience managing United States–Mexico transportation operations.
  • Proven experience managing a multimodal transportation network, including truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, parcel, and ocean or air freight.
  • Demonstrated success improving transportation service, controlling costs, and strengthening operational reliability.
  • Experience managing carrier procurement, competitive bid events, rate negotiations, service expectations, and routing guides.
  • Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, freight audit accuracy, and understanding of transportation’s impact on profitability.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of import and export requirements, shipping documentation, Incoterms, Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classification, customs brokerage, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), and other applicable free trade agreements.
  • Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret transportation data, develop performance dashboards, identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions.
  • Proficiency with TMS and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, Microsoft Excel, and business intelligence tools such as Power BI.
  • Demonstrated ability to implement process improvements, strengthen system adoption, and establish consistent practices across multiple facilities.
  • Strong communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence internal stakeholders and hold external partners accountable.
  • Proven ability to coach and develop employees, manage competing priorities, and maintain service and compliance in a fast-paced, global, matrixed organization.
  • Commitment to safety, ethical business practices, sustainability, and the WBS behaviors.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master’s degree or relevant professional certification in transportation, logistics, supply chain, or international trade.
  • Transportation management experience in a manufacturing environment with multiple plants and distribution centers.
  • Experience with Canadian freight movements and broader international transportation networks.
  • Experience with network optimization, TMS enhancements, freight analytics automation, or other transportation improvement initiatives.
  • Demonstrated success maintaining service during capacity shortages, border disruptions, port delays, labor disruptions, or other logistics challenges.
  • Experience incorporating sustainability objectives into transportation planning and carrier selection.
  • Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.

Materials and Equipment Directly Used

  • Standard office equipment, including computer, mouse, keyboard, telephone, and multifunction copier
  • Personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, hearing protection, and steel-toed safety shoes, as required when visiting operational facilities.

Additional Information

  • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.
  • Employment is contingent upon successfully completing a post-offer background check.  A criminal conviction will not be an automatic bar to employment.
  • Must be willing and able to pass a post-offer drug screen and physical (if required)
  • Must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disability

 

 

 

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