Transportation Specialist

Job Summary:

This role will be responsible for anticipating, providing, and facilitating problem resolutions on domestic and international shipment issues to meet or exceed the satisfaction of customers, carriers, and internal key stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Provide solutions on all shipping issues, including—but not limited to—interruptions resulting from labor disruptions, weather, and other natural disasters. Conduct follow-up and update the team on problem loads and actions that have been taken.
• Manage and communicate tracking information for various transportation modes, including truckload, LTL, Parcel, Ocean, Air, and Drayage.
• Support carriers and global supply chain function with transportation documentation needs (e.g., BOL).
• Obtain rate quotes from preferred carriers to support project activities and new raw material / finished goods transportation lanes.
• Maintain data in LN to maximize preferred carrier use. Tailor load scheduling to meet all customer requirements.
• Establish and maintain carrier routings for shipments between distribution centers, manufacturing plants, customers, vendors, and all nodes within the transportation network.
• Investigate product overage, shortage, and damage; complete appropriate documentation and file carrier claims as needed.
• Support transportation carrier selection efforts and changes to preferred carrier usage within the network.
• Develop, analyze, recommend, and implement opportunities for improvement that improve transportation policies and processes around availability, transportation cost, and supply chain cost.

• Active participation in the identification, negotiation, and implementation of cost/service-effective alternative solutions
• Manage project to expectations and delivery goals
• Lead continuous improvement and LEAN initiatives
• Work with internal and external partners to ensure understanding in communicating with carriers and other internal partners (DC, Purchasing)
• Analysis and audit
• Analyze transportation, freight payment, and carrier databases to determine underlying causes of freight cost trends and identify inefficiencies, non-compliance, and other opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct RFIs and RFPs and conduct business reviews to identify cost savings and service enhancements.
• Work with internal and external partners to identify process improvement opportunities and to implement new policies and processes
• Develop pertinent KPIs’ on relevant metrics
• Conduct audits of gaps in processes
• Maintain and measure previously implemented projects/processes.
• Develop and utilize cross-functional relationships.
• Serve as a key contact for the cross-functional project.

Additional Tasks:

• Keep an up-to-date log of all domestic and international shipments, including ship date, delivery date, carrier, load size, and warehouse information.
• Book initial trailers for all Nike store installs.
• Estimate weights and dimensions.
• Coordinate input of pertinent information into client TMS portals.
• Monitor and ensure that our shipping team communicates final truck counts to the carrier two days before ship dates.
• Handle all direct communication between the plant and the carrier.  
• Arrange all Nike freight requests company-wide. This entails chasing down all vital information pertinent to setting up the shipment with the carrier. This includes LTL shipments and UPS Labels.
• Arrange all pickups of fixtures at stores.
• Handle all quote requests for both clients and RTC employees. Usually have to reach out to 3-4 carriers for multiple quotes.
• Handle the coordination of the Marchon Ocean freight. 
• Answer all questions regarding transit time and truck sizes.
• Handle and manage the signed BOLs and provide accounting when items ship from an outside warehouse.
• Handle all billing issues the carrier may have with the client and RTC.
• Work with carriers on load plans and distribution lists.
• Manage vendor returns and pickups.
• Follow up with carriers on issues.