Sr Director, Transportation

Join the California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) team, a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to sustainably producing the highest quality dairy products while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. CDI products are delivered locally and around the world. Our Visalia corporate office serves as the central hub for the CDI enterprise, driving strategic decision-making, innovation, overall business support, and growth across our diverse portfolio of dairy products and brands. We encourage you to be part of our team thats shaping the future of dairy, right from the heart of California!

Our commitment to CDI employees:

We believe in valuing our team with a total rewards package that goes beyond the basics. Youll find we offer competitive pay and incentive programs designed to recognize and reward your contributions. Competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous paid time off, sick days & holidays, retirement plans designed to secure your future. We dont stop there. Weve also cultivated a variety of valuable programs focused on your personal well-being and professional growth, ensuring you have the support you need to both inside and outside of work.

Job Summary

The Sr. Director of Transportation role is focused on managing inbound and outbound transportation including milk transport from farm to plant and to customers, which includes approximate 1,000+ truckloads per day, and manages all 3rd party hauling relationships. The role will focus on delivering improvements and results against service, cost, and working capital metrics. This role is responsible for developing and operating the transportation network to ensure competitive advantage and a platform for future growth. The Sr. Director must be able to develop the people, processes, and technology along with building solid partnerships with various third-party providers, especially trucking companies. Key partnerships with CDI Member/Owners, customers, and internal Order to Cash entities (Customer Service, Finance), and 3rd party haulers are essential to ensure efficiencies and to reduce costs and customer chargebacks. There are many exciting improvement opportunities to improve service and cost. Examples of improvement opportunities include network optimization, carrier strategies and density, technology leverage, and process improvements.

Essential Functions

• Serves as the primary point of contact with external hauling companies.
• Manages transportation companies performance and service levels.
• Manages Milk balance and inventories within the CDI plants.
• Satisfies Customers orders on time in Full and with excellence.
• Manages department's reports, data collection, and data accuracy.
• Strategically plans and manages transportation, logistics, and customer service.
• Directs, optimizes, and coordinates full shipment cycle.
• Manages and negotiates with carriers, suppliers, manufacturers, members, and internal staff.
• Oversees KPI's and take actions to optimize delivery times, transport costs, and efficiency.
• Resolves any problems and complaints.
• Supervises, coaches, and trains transportation workforce.
• Ensures cost, productivity, accuracy, and timeliness targets are met.
• Manages staffing, hiring, scheduling, and workload planning within the department.
• Manages department budget and expenses.
• Monitors and communicates performance and behavioral incidents with direct reports and prepare and administer annual reviews.
• Supports company goals of delivery cost reduction, asset utilization, and customer service enhancements.
• Maintains metrics and analyze data to assess performance and implement improvements.
• Complies with laws, regulations, and other requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Lead:

• Clearly communicate the companys vision & goals and how the teams work contributes to them.
• Set a positive example through their own work ethic, attitude, and commitment to quality.
• Develop and empower team members by delegating tasks effectively and providing opportunities for growth and development.

Guide:

• Provide clear instructions and expectations, along with the "why,", for tasks and projects.
• Offer regular feedback and coaching to help team members improve their skills and performance.
• Foster a sense of teamwork and shared purpose, emphasizing that the team is stronger together.

Support:

• Recognize and celebrate team accomplishments and individual contributions.
• Advocate for the teams needs and concerns, up, down, and across the organization.
• Encourage and support the team to challenge the status quo, to identify and suggest process improvements, and to embrace innovation.

Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Proven transportation experience in operations, routing, network design & planning, carrier negotiations & management.
• Track record of operating with a sense of urgency and goal oriented.
• Milk hauling experience is preferred, but not required.
• Demonstrable ability to lead and manage staff.
• Requires strong people management and logistics/routing experience.
• Proficient in standard logistics software and ERP Systems interface.
• Excellent analytical, problem solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple projects.
• Knowledge in logistics management and DOT regulations.
• Must have effective oral and written communication skills.
• Must have ability to communicate and work with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Must be able to perform tasks with a high level of confidentiality.
• Must be flexible and positive in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment.
• Analytical and creative problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to develop positive working relationships in a cross-functional team environment.
• Must demonstrate good judgement when carrying out duties as assigned.

Education and/or Experience

• BS in Business Administration, Logistics or Supply Chain; or equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in transportation operations, routing, and delivery.
• Minimum of 5 years of Management experience.
• Project Management or Process Improvement experience preferred.
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel at a minimum.

Language Skills

English is required as the written and spoken language.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: N/A

Driving Requirements: N/A

Equipment

Personal protective equipment including, but not limited to hearing protection, bump caps, hair and beard nets, gloves, and safety glasses must be used in the performance of duties in the plant setting. Proper lifting techniques must be employed at all times.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The company will make reasonable accommodations that do not cause an undue hardship to the company if such accommodation enables individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. The work is performed in an office environment.

ADA/FEHA

The Company will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

EEO

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Physical Demands

The physical requirements outlined here represent those necessary for successful performance of this positions core responsibilities. Upon request, the company will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these fundamental job duties, provided such accommodations do not create an undue burden on the organization.

• Sitting/Standing/Walking: Each workday the office personnel spend about 75% of their time sitting at their desk while performing computer or manual accounting and other clerical duties. They walk short distances to retrieve and replace files, to photocopy or fax documents, and to interact with other office personnel.
• Lifting/Carrying: Each workday the office personnel rarely carry items weighing over 15 to 20 lbs. Most items would be files or documents weighing less than 10 lbs., and most would be carried short distances. They are directed to seed assistance for heavier items such as a full box of photocopy paper.
• Pushing/Pulling: Each workday the office personnel may occasionally push or pull files, stacks of documents, or boxes of documents, which may be in files or on shelves at any height. They are directed to seek assistance for anything heavy.
• Bending/Stooping: Each workday the office personnel frequently squat or kneel to retrieve and replace files and documents in file drawers or on lower shelves.
• Squatting/Kneeling/Crawling: May assume any combination of these positions during clean-up duties, including kneeling on the floor and crawling under equipment. He/she may squat to use legs for leverage when using a large wrench to open product presses.
• Twisting/Turning: Each workday the office personnel extensively twist, turn and move their head, neck, shoulders, arms and hands at various angles performing heavy computer input, and comparing information from their computer monitor with paper documents. While standing or sitting at their workstation, they occasionally twist or turn to retrieve or replace something form an area beside their workstation.
• Climbing/Balancing: Each workday the office personnel may need to walk up and down stairs several times throughout a day.
• Reaching: Each workday the office personnel may reach overhead to retrieve or replace files or documents on high shelves.
• Grasping/Manipulating: Each work day the office personnel need full range of motion in both hands for heavy computer input and for using other office equipment including calculators, typewriter, and fax machines as well as for sorting through and organizing large stacks of documents.

Fraudulent Recruiting Scam Disclaimer

To all applicants: We take your safety and privacy seriously at California Dairies Inc. All job applicants are directed to apply only through the official career pages. Please be aware that our talent team will never ask for any form of payment, financial account details, or sensitive personal information such as social security numbers. If you receive any suspicious messages claiming to be from California Dairies Inc., please contact us at talent@californiadaires.com. U.S. residents can get more information from the FTC at https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams.

The pay range is listed below and represents our good faith estimate upon hire. The final offer will depend on factors such as the candidates experiences, skills, and qualifications.