Sr Director, Transportation Excellence - Military Veterans
at KeHE Distributors LLC
Overview
Good people, working with good people, for our common good.
Sound good?
KeHE-a natural, organic, specialty and fresh food distributor-is all about "good" and is growing, so there's never been a more exciting time to join our team. If you're enthusiastic about working in an environment with a people-first culture and an organization committed to good living, good food and good service, we'd love to talk to you!
Primary Responsibilities
Essential Functions
Transportation Strategy
- Develop, optimize, and set the broader transportation vision for the enterprise to support the scale of change and growth for KeHE.
- Be a thought leader in developing the initiatives during the scoping, piloting, and implementation of new strategies.
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Successfully collaborate with cross functional teams in the organization including:
- Operations teams, Supply Chain, Continuous Improvement partners, and Corporate COEs while leading the overall Centralized Routing and Transportation Management.
Process Improvement
- Optimize and oversee processes to ensure transportation leaders and cross-functional partners are aligned.
- Champion transportation efficiency initiatives for the enterprise.
- Develop and implement best practices based on Lean principles.
- Provide overall Lean process design and efficiency leadership to the business unit.
- Act as a thought leader in developing new initiatives during the scoping, piloting, and implementation phases of each initiative.
- Costing Models
- Develop and maintain accurate costing models for transportation operations, providing insights into cost drivers and opportunities for optimizing efficiency.
- Develop strategy to obtain optimal purchasing power, cost savings and spending optimization with vendors.
- Benchmark and understand vendor as well as industry trends, ensuring an approach that is market competitive.
Transportation Management Systems
- Oversee the implementation and management of Transportation Management Systems to enhance visibility, efficiency, and decision-making within the network.
- Responsible for maximum trailer cube utilization.
- Develop strategy for system enhancements in partnership with IT.
- Stay current with technological developments and recommend system upgrades/enhancements as needed.
Centralized Routing
- Provides leadership for day-to-day centralized routing operations, optimizing efficiency, and minimizing costs.
- Leads initiatives aimed at improving routing strategies and operational excellence.
- Deploy overall strategy to ensure outbound and inbound flow, vehicle cube utilization and route efficiency.
- Control distribution costs and maximize service response through balancing of daily routes and overall system optimization.
- Develop strategy to optimize productivity and customer satisfaction through routing efficiency.
Corporate Transportation Support
- Provide strategic direction for all transportation-related support functions including Payroll, Reporting, and Accounts Payable.
- Partner and communicate internally with cross-functional teams to meet objectives.
- Ensure any key regulatory and compliance risk areas for the company are addressed.
Minimum Requirements, Qualifications, Additional Skills, Aptitude
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
- Strong financial acumen and experience in developing and managing costing models.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate across departments.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office suite
- Ability to lead through influence over authority in a collaborative environment.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a high-performance team.
- Highly organized with strong management skills and track record of development to direct reports
- In-depth knowledge of fleet management, safety regulations, routing strategies, and transportation technologies.
- Working knowledge of routing and transportation within distribution operations.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: 25%-50%
- Periodic, multi-state travel may be required.
- Travel may include transport by airplane, rail, rental, or personal vehicle.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, or a related field
- Minimum of 10 years of increased responsibility in transportation, supply chain or related field
- Proven leadership experience in a similar role within the transportation or logistics industry.
- Experience with Lean principles and labor management systems.
- Advanced Degree or certification: Masters, Six Sigma, Green Belt or Black Belt certification
- Experience using tact and diplomacy in dealing with internal and external customers and with handling proprietary information.
Requisition ID
2024-22649
Equal Employer Opportunity Statement
KeHE Distributors provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion or faith, sex, gender, age, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training as well as the administration of all Human Resources and Talent Acquisition processes.
Naperville, IL
At KeHE, we’re all about goodness. Our mission to serve & feed America is fueled by an obsession with natural & organic, specialty, and fresh products. With more than 7,900 employee-owners & a 19-distribution center network across North America, KeHE is one of the largest & most respected pure-play grocery & natural distributors in the nation. We’re also passionate about employing our veterans and bringing your unique life experiences to our team. We welcome all of our nation's finest to apply for our roles today as we have dedicated veteran hiring initiatives, and we look forward to speaking with you!
Employee Benefits:
- Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
- Employee Buy-Up Options for life and disability insurance
- 401k
- Employee Stock and Ownership Plan (ESOP)
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Paid Parental Leave
- Paid Time Off
- Sick Leave
What Happens After I Apply?
Once you click ‘Apply Now’ on an KeHe job posting, you will either be re-directed to fill out an application on KeHE's career page or be given a confirmation of submission. If you get redirected, please complete the application on the career page and make sure you have an updated resume uploaded to your RecruitMilitary profile. Once the KeHe team reviews your resume and profile, a recruiter will reach out to provide you with more information and to schedule you for an interview.
How to Win An Interview
1. Review the job description for the specific position you are applying for.
2. Review the company website. Know their mission and values. What do they do? What are their products?
3. Prepare a few questions to ask on your interview.
4. Prepare to discuss your military or civilian background and how it relates to the position.
5. Check out the RecruitMilitary Resources tab for resume guidance, interview prep and more!