Director Transportation & Logistics

Sauder Woodworking Co. is North America’s leading producer of Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) furniture and one of the top five residential furniture manufacturers in the United States. Recently we’ve grown beyond furniture with our Sauder Building Products division, which provides value, quality, and environmentally conscious interior laminate products like cabinets and closet systems to the professional building materials market. A majority of Sauder furniture is manufactured in Archbold, Ohio – while the remainder of the product is sourced through our partner factories in Asia. We have significant manufacturing capabilities in 4M ft2 (372k m2) of space and our Ohio distribution center is over 1M ft2 (93k m2) and is equipped with a state-of-the-art Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS). At Sauder, we’re always aiming to build a better world through better furniture and storage, but we can’t do it without our employees.
Sauder is looking for a Director of Transportation and Logistics. This role is responsible for creating, communicating, and implementing a global transportation and logistics strategy that will meet the needs of internal and external customers. This role is the expert on trade compliance and will enhance safety, compliance, quality, and efficiency across the Sauder organization. Sauder receives over 1,200 imported containers and 150 domestic trucks of product and materials from international and national partners annually. We also provide logistic solutions for customers as required, including over 2,000 outbound truckloads per year. Sauder utilizes our own distribution center in addition to a network of 3PLs to provide acceptable assortment, fulfillment percentage and days-to-deliver service levels.
This will be a hybrid role with approximately 50% of the time in office in Archbold, Ohio.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develops and implements global logistics strategies to achieve service expectations while streamlining processes, reducing costs, and improving overall operational efficiency.
• Leads and manages the logistics team (6-8 people), including hiring, training, and mentoring staff to ensure high performance and job satisfaction.
• Oversees the international and domestic transportation and delivery of raw materials, intercompany transfers and finished goods, in coordination with suppliers, carriers, and other stakeholders.
• Monitors and evaluates logistics performance, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions. Analyze data and generate reports on key logistics metrics, such as shipment volume, on-time delivery, and transportation costs.
• Manages relationships and negotiates contracts with transportation and logistics providers. Assist Sauder affiliates with management of preferred transportation and logistics providers to realize service and cost synergies.
• Collaborates with other departments, such as purchasing, manufacturing, distribution, and sales, to ensure smooth coordination and execution of logistics activities.
• Ensures compliance with transportation regulations, customs requirements, and industry standards.
• Stays updated on industry trends and technological advancements, recommending and implementing innovative solutions.
• Prepares and manages annual freight forecasts, expense budgets and staffing plans. Works with Finance to identify and resolve variances, freight invoice discrepancies, freight payment, and/or reporting process issues.
• As a member of the Supply Chain leadership team, contributes to the identification, development, implementation of, and ensures adherence to, corporate and supply chain policies, procedures and operational systems.
• Travel required up to approximately 15%; will vary based on projects and business needs.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Practical experience managing domestic and international transportation and logistics systems, processes, and technologies; ideally, a strong background in strategic planning within the transportation and logistics field.
• Thorough understanding of business systems, processes, regulatory compliance, and operations.
• Excellent leadership and managerial skills with the ability to motivate and guide a team to achieve service, quality, and financial results.
• Exceptional problem-solving and adaptability skills.
• Analytical—able to leverage data and analytics to improve operations and make decisions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to effectively establish worldwide relationships.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or a related field. Advanced degree is preferred.
• Minimum ten years’ experience in business related to areas of transportation, distribution, logistics and customer service, including minimum five years supervisory experience

Sauder Woodworking Co. is a family company, so we believe in a healthy work-life balance for our employees. We want employees to know their time here is more than just a job--they can build a life-long career at Sauder. We have a culture of continuous improvement and internal advancement. We provide 3 weeks of vacation and a full benefits package beginning at 30 days. Other perks include 401(k), company funded health savings account, free counseling, furniture discounts and tuition reimbursement.
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer M/F/Disabled/Veteran

Health savings account, Health insurance, 401(k), Tuition reimbursement