Network Optimization Analyst

Dexter is the premier manufacturer and supplier of axles, suspension, brakes, doors, venting products, trailer parts, accessories, and towing components serving the commercial trailer, RV, heavy-duty, marine, agriculture, and manufactured housing markets.

Headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana, Dexter has manufacturing and distribution locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Employing state-of-the-art robotics, precision welding equipment, and automated machining processes, Dexter has achieved many years of success through a commitment to the principles of superior quality, continuous improvement, and unparalleled customer service.

Essential Duties / Responsibilities:

Summary / Statement of Work:

The Network Optimization Analyst develops and maintains logistics network models, SQL-based data sets, Tableau dashboards, cost-to-serve reporting, scenario analyses, and performance tracking tools that support Dexter's logistics network strategy. This role evaluates opportunities to improve the movement of freight across branches, distribution centers, manufacturing sites, TWA, carrier partners, fleet resources, and customer delivery regions.

The analyst incorporates business rules, operational constraints, service requirements, cost assumptions, capacity limits, and network data into models and analyses that support strategic logistics decisions, savings identification, market and zone guardrails, and continuous improvement. The position partners with Logistics leadership, SIOP, Finance, IT/AI, Operations, Manufacturing, TWA, Distribution, Logistics Procurement, and Systems + Execution to translate complex data into recommendations, business cases, dashboards, and action plans that improve service, reduce cost, increase visibility, and support the logistics network roadmap.

Core Ownership Areas

• Logistics network models, scenario analyses, and decision-support tools.

• SQL-based logistics data sets, data extraction, data validation, and refresh processes.

• Tableau dashboards, scorecards, performance tracking, and executive-ready reporting.

• Cost-to-serve reporting and analysis across customers, branches, markets, zones, regions, service models, and transportation flows.

• Savings opportunity identification, quantification, prioritization, and tracking.

• Analysis of transportation flows, branch transfers, linehaul activity, delivery territories, carrier usage, fleet utilization, customer delivery patterns, and network inefficiencies.

• Analytical support for logistics roadmap initiatives, new locations, market changes, service territory design, and capacity planning.

• Business partner alignment, methodology communication, and fact-based recommendations for network decisions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and refresh logistics network models used to evaluate transportation flows, delivery zones, market assignments, branch activity, customer delivery patterns, service requirements, capacity constraints, cost-to-serve, and network performance.

• Lead the extraction, consolidation, validation, and refresh of logistics data from SQL Server, transportation systems, ERP sources, financial data, operational inputs, and other business systems to ensure models, dashboards, and analyses are built on reliable data.

• Build Tableau dashboards, scorecards, and recurring performance reporting that provide visibility to logistics cost, service, savings progress, route performance, network utilization, customer delivery activity, carrier usage, fleet utilization, and execution gaps.

• Incorporate business policies, operational constraints, customer requirements, geography, branch capabilities, fleet capacity, carrier capacity, production inputs, inventory considerations, and service expectations into network models and scenario analyses.

• Identify and quantify logistics savings opportunities related to transportation cost, branch transfers, linehaul activity, carrier usage, delivery zones, route structure, fleet utilization, warehousing touchpoints, customer delivery patterns, and network inefficiencies.

• Develop cost-to-serve reporting and analysis to evaluate customer, market, branch, region, delivery territory, carrier, and service model cost impact.

• Build scenario analyses to support decisions related to new locations, branch alignment, market changes, delivery territory design, capacity requirements, network flow changes, service models, and logistics roadmap initiatives.

• Collect business input, voice-of-customer information, operational requirements, and stakeholder assumptions to ensure modeling outputs reflect realistic business conditions and decision needs.

• Identify and use proxy data sources when clean or complete data is not available, while documenting assumptions, limitations, risks, and confidence levels.

• Analyze large data sets and translate findings into business recommendations, initiative summaries, performance insights, and action plans for Logistics leadership and cross-functional partners.

• Support process improvement projects that result from network analytics by helping define opportunities, quantify expected benefits, establish baselines, track progress, and measure results.

• Partner with Finance to validate savings assumptions, ROI, cost impact, business cases, P&L implications, and financial methodology tied to logistics network initiatives.

• Partner with SIOP to align logistics analysis with demand, supply, inventory positioning, production planning inputs, customer requirements, and service expectations.

• Partner with IT/AI to improve data pipelines, reporting automation, AI-enabled analytics, predictive tools, scalable dashboards, and data availability for logistics decision-making.

• Partner with Logistics Procurement and Systems + Execution to ensure network recommendations are operationally feasible and supported by carrier capacity, fleet capacity, routing execution, system capabilities, and field processes.

• Communicate model methodology, assumptions, calculations, findings, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Maintain and improve data integrity, reporting consistency, model documentation, calculation logic, dashboard definitions, and refresh processes to build confidence in logistics analytics.

• Monitor recurring cost, service, capacity, routing, branch transfer, delivery territory, and network performance trends; escalate insights and recommended actions to the Senior Manager, Network Strategy & Optimization.

• Support governance processes for evaluating network changes, market and zone guardrails, service territory decisions, cost-to-serve logic, savings initiatives, and logistics roadmap priorities.

• Leverage AI-enabled analytics, automation, and predictive modeling where practical to improve logistics planning, scenario development, performance tracking, and decision support.

• Perform other logistics analytics, network optimization, and continuous improvement duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Experience:

Education Level and Area of Study (Required or Preferred):

• Required: Bachelor's degree in supply chain, logistics, business analytics, data analytics, engineering, industrial engineering, operations research, finance, business, or a related field. Equivalent experience may be considered.

# Years Experience: 3 or more years of experience in logistics analytics, supply chain analytics, network optimization, transportation analysis, business intelligence, operations analysis, logistics engineering, or a related field.

Skills / Knowledge (Required or Preferred):

Required Skills / Knowledge

• Experience analyzing large data sets and translating findings into business recommendations, dashboards, models, scorecards, or operational action plans.

• Experience with SQL, SQL Server, relational database tools, data extraction, query development, data validation, and recurring data refresh processes.

• Experience building dashboards, scorecards, or reporting tools using Tableau, Power BI, or similar business intelligence platforms.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including data analysis, modeling, formulas, pivots, and structured analysis.

• Strong understanding of logistics or supply chain operations, including transportation, distribution, branch operations, freight movement, service requirements, capacity, cost, and operational constraints.

• Experience developing scenario analyses, cost models, savings tracking, performance reporting, process improvement recommendations, or business cases.

• Ability to communicate complex analysis, methodology, assumptions, risks, and recommendations to business stakeholders in a clear and practical manner.

• Strong planning, organization, execution, problem-solving, and attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and sometimes ambiguous environment.

• Ability to work effectively with Logistics, Finance, IT/AI, SIOP, Operations, Manufacturing, TWA, Distribution, Procurement, Systems + Execution, and other business partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with logistics network modeling, supply chain optimization, cost-to-serve analysis, route optimization, distribution network analysis, transportation modeling, or logistics engineering.

• Experience with Alteryx, Python, R, Tableau Prep, Coupa Supply Chain Guru, LLamasoft, anyLogistix, simulation tools, optimization platforms, or similar tools.

• Familiarity with optimization concepts such as network flows, linear programming, simulation, heuristics, mixed integer programming, scenario modeling, or constraint-based modeling.

• Experience in a multi-site manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, building products, transportation, or branch-based logistics environment.

• Experience working with TMS, ERP, WMS, telematics, freight audit, transportation visibility, or other logistics systems as data sources.

• Experience partnering with Finance to validate savings, ROI, cost assumptions, and business cases.

• Experience supporting logistics transformation, network redesign, centralized transportation, control tower, or enterprise continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Logistics network optimization and scenario modeling.

• SQL, data extraction, data validation, and data refresh discipline.

• Tableau dashboard development and business intelligence reporting.

• Cost-to-serve analysis and savings tracking.

• Transportation, branch, distribution, and network flow analysis.

• Ability to incorporate business rules, constraints, assumptions, and service requirements into analytical models.

• Financial and operational tradeoff analysis.

• Data storytelling and executive-ready communication.

• Cross-functional partnership with SIOP, Finance, IT/AI, Operations, Manufacturing, TWA, Distribution, Procurement, and Logistics.

• Practical problem-solving, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement mindset.

• Strong ownership, follow-through, documentation, and attention to detail.

Professional Certifications:

Preferred: Lean, Six Sigma, project management, supply chain, analytics, or continuous improvement certification.

Languages Required / Preferred: Not specified in source document; to be confirmed.

Other: Employment Type: Regular Full-time. Role Level: Analyst / Individual Contributor. Internal partners include SIOP, Finance, IT/AI, Operations, Manufacturing, TWA, Distribution, Procurement, and Systems + Execution.

Working Conditions:

Travel Frequency / Method / Distance: Up to 25% as business needs require. Source qualifications also state ability to travel up to 15%; confirm final travel requirement before posting.

Work Environment:

Remote role supporting Dexter's logistics network strategy with frequent interaction across Logistics leadership, SIOP, Finance, IT/AI, Operations, Manufacturing, TWA, Distribution, Logistics Procurement, Systems + Execution, and other business partners. Work includes recurring reporting, modeling, scenario analysis, governance support, stakeholder alignment, and analysis in a fast-paced, multi-site logistics environment.

Dexter cares for our people. Here are some of our great, comprehensive Benefits:

• Dexter offers a competitive wage.

• Full benefits package including Health, Dental, Vision, Life, STD, LTD, FSA, HSA.

• 3% profit sharing in our Safe Harbor program.

• 401(k) Plan with company contributions.

• Paid Holidays and paid time off.

• Opportunities for internal career development and growth.

Apply now to join an industry leader and make a difference in what we do for the customers we serve!

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel in said position.

Dexter is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining a highly qualified, dedicated workforce. We hire and promote individuals based on their qualifications, performance, and abilities.

It is the policy of the Company to provide equal opportunity to all qualified individuals without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, veteran status, citizenship status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by applicable U.S. and Canada equal rights legislation protected by federal, state, province or local law.??