Category Manager - Logistics

Position Overview

Title: Category Manager - Logistics

PADNOS is seeking a Category Manager - Logistics to own the strategy, sourcing, commercial agreements, cost performance, and provider portfolio for PADNOS's enterprise-wide third-party transportation network across Michigan and northern Indiana. The network includes van trailers, dump trailers, highsides, flatbeds, and other specialized equipment.

This is a strategic category management role. The Category Manager works closely with operations and dispatch but is primarily accountable for provider strategy, sourcing, cost, performance, contracts, and resolution of systemic issues.

Accountabilities

Category Strategy and Sourcing

• Develop and maintain a written logistics category strategy and execution roadmap covering provider strategy, sourcing priorities, cost reduction, risk, and performance improvement.
• Develop and execute competitive sourcing events, including network-wide bids, targeted lane bids, market tests, and negotiations, based on category strategy, provider performance, contract timing, and market conditions.
• Monitor transportation rates, carrier capacity, fuel trends, equipment availability, and relevant market developments, and use those insights to guide sourcing strategies and negotiations.
• Partner with operations, risk management, dispatch, finance, safety, and site leadership to translate operational requirements into sourcing strategies and drive adoption of awarded providers, routing guides, contracts, and corrective actions.

Cost, Contracts, and Rate Governance

• Build and maintain a pipeline of logistics cost-reduction opportunities, establish financial baselines, forecast expected impact, track implementation, and document savings and cost avoidances.
• Maintain complete documentation of provider agreements, rate schedules, fuel-surcharge formulas, accessorial terms, and renewal dates.
• Ensure awarded rates and routing instructions are implemented accurately and on time, and regularly check for missing lanes, expired rates, and other coverage gaps.
• Lead cost improvement through provider selection, rate negotiation, asset utilization, rate and accessorial compliance, routing, load-weight, and mode optimization.

Performance and Analytics

• Establish and report a concise logistics scorecard covering service, cost, contract and routing compliance, provider risk, and freight-audit performance. Measures include tender acceptance, on-time delivery, claims, cost per gross ton, savings, accessorials, invoice first-pass performance, exception aging, rejected and unrouted invoice visibility, and rate-table coverage.
• Own and lead the monthly freight review with senior leadership, including the preparation and advance distribution of accurate, concise, decision-ready metrics and updates.
• Own the validation and integrity of logistics reporting. Investigate and reconcile material anomalies before distribution, clearly identify known data limitations, and drive permanent correction at the source.
• Analyze recurring freight-audit and invoice exceptions, quantify their impact, identify root causes, and drive corrective actions to closure.

Provider Management

• Develop and manage a balanced transportation-provider portfolio across company-operated capacity, dedicated solutions, asset-based carriers, brokers, and spot capacity, considering cost, service, equipment availability, provider concentration, and business-continuity risk.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for provider service issues and billing disputes. Use scorecards and improvement plans to address poor performance and remove providers when necessary.
• Onboard and develop new providers, partnering with risk management, safety and operations to ensure they meet PADNOS safety, insurance, performance, and onboarding requirements.

Requirements

• Five or more years of experience in logistics sourcing, transportation procurement, category management, or transportation management, with a demonstrated record of delivering measurable cost and performance improvements.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience sourcing and managing truck transportation across multiple equipment types, preferably including specialized or industrial freight.
• Ability to normalize and compare provider proposals with different rate structures, operating assumptions, fuel treatments, and accessorial terms.
• Experience negotiating transportation agreements and leading competitive sourcing events.
• Advanced Excel and transportation-data analysis skills, including the ability to independently reconcile data, build comparable cost models, identify root causes, and communicate clear conclusions.
• Experience designing and implementing logistics metrics and provider scorecards.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple initiatives, competing deadlines, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated root-cause analysis capability in a freight-audit, invoice-exception, provider-performance, or similar recurring-problem environment.
• Demonstrated ability to present concise, decision-ready analysis and recommendations to senior leadership and respond effectively to questions and challenges.
• Experience with transportation-management, freight-audit/payment, and logistics-reporting systems preferred.
• Travel to multiple sites within Michigan required (less than 10%).

PADNOS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by Federal, State or local law.