Director, Integrated Transportation Planning & TransformationThe Director of Integrated Transportation Planning & Transformation will build and lead a centralized, scalable nationwide transportation-planning capability while preserving the local operating knowledge, responsiveness, and accountability needed to execute complex transportation plans successfully.
This leader will own the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of Ashley Distribution Services' integrated planning operating model. The role combines deep transportation expertise with enterprise transformation leadership across organization design, process standardization, planning technology, information flow, partner governance, talent development, change management, and performance improvement.
This is not a technology implementation role or an effort to separate Planning from Operations. The goal is to create an integrated planning organization that improves service reliability, asset and driver utilization, capacity management, operational execution, and enterprise scalability.
Key ResponsbilitiesBuild the Future-State Planning Organization- Design Ashley Distribution Services' nationwide transportation-planning model and determine which activities should be centralized, regionally aligned, or locally embedded.
- Define roles, reporting relationships, decision authority, escalation paths, coverage requirements, and handoffs across Planning, Routing, Driver and Fleet Management, Operations, and third-party capacity teams.
- Build a scalable planning structure that supports multiple regions, fleets, transportation modes, and time zones.
- Translate local operating knowledge into documented planning rules, system logic, standard work, training, and measurable controls.
Lead Enterprise Planning Transformation- Establish the transformation charter, future-state outcomes, roadmap, milestones, ownership, dependencies, risks, and executive governance.
- Lead multiple transformation workstreams using a disciplined approach that includes current-state assessment, future-state design, business case development, pilots, measurement, adoption, stabilization, and enterprise scaling.
- Coordinate planning, operational, technology, analytics, and change-management activities while maintaining focus on measurable business outcomes.
- Build executive alignment and resolve competing priorities across centralized standards, regional ownership, and local operating requirements.
- Lead controlled pilots and verify results before expanding changes across the enterprise.
Integrate Planning with Operations- Establish formal daily, weekly, and project-based feedback loops between planners and operating leaders.
- Ensure planning decisions reflect customer requirements, driver availability, hours-of-service requirements, equipment positioning, receiving constraints, regional complexity, capacity limitations, and service-recovery needs.
- Preserve critical local knowledge while reducing dependence on tribal knowledge, individual workarounds, and reactive decision-making.
- Ensure technology-generated plans are operationally executable and measured against defined service, utilization, cost, and stability targets.
- Advance the organization toward proactive, exception-based management rather than reactive firefighting.
Standardize Planning and Execution- Define enterprise standards for planning quality, exception management, recovery ownership, operational handoffs, and communication.
- Establish clear business and data requirements for the information needed before planning begins.
- Develop structured processes to address uncovered freight, driver shortages, capacity constraints, service risks, equipment availability, and after-hours coverage.
- Create consistent methods for evaluating planning decisions based on service, capacity, utilization, cost, plan stability, and execution performance.
- Convert operational feedback, performance trends, and pilot results into improved standard work and system requirements.
Own the Planning and Routing Technology Ecosystem- Serve as the business owner for Ashley Distribution Services' integrated Planning and Routing technology ecosystem.
- Partner with Operations, IT, Analytics, and technology providers across transportation management systems, route optimization, forecasting, control-tower, integration, and decision-support capabilities.
- Own business requirements, platform roadmaps, information flows, data handoffs, integration priorities, adoption, and operating performance across connected platforms.
- Establish technology KPIs covering system availability, data timeliness and quality, user adoption, exception volume, planning efficiency, plan quality, service impact, utilization improvement, and realized business value.
- Lead structured quarterly business reviews with strategic technology partners to evaluate performance, defects, roadmap commitments, adoption, emerging capabilities, value realization, and corrective actions.
- Evaluate emerging Planning, Routing, optimization, artificial intelligence, and control-tower capabilities and recommend where Ashley should pilot, invest, scale, or avoid.
Build Planning Talent and Capability- Develop competency models, training standards, certification expectations, coaching routines, and succession plans for planners and planning leaders.
- Use real operating scenarios to strengthen judgment, problem-solving skills, and cross-regional knowledge.
- Determine the appropriate division of work among planners, analysts, managers, automation, and operational teams.
- Build a continuous-improvement culture that converts operating feedback, KPI trends, technology performance, and pilot learnings into stronger processes and capabilities.
- Develop planning leaders who can operate independently and sustain performance as the organization grows.
Own Planning Performance- Establish and manage a balanced planning scorecard covering service, utilization, capacity, cost, plan quality, stability, adoption, and execution outcomes.
- Build measurable improvement plans with clear baselines, targets, root causes, actions, owners, due dates, results, and documented learnings.
- Provide executive reporting on transformation progress, realized benefits, unresolved risks, technology performance, and decisions required.
- Quantify improvements in service reliability, asset and driver utilization, capacity, cost, operational stability, and planning efficiency.
QualificationsEducation- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Advanced degree or recognized change-management, continuous-improvement, or program-management certification preferred.
Experience- 10+ years of progressive experience in transportation, logistics, supply chain, or related operations.
- 5+ years leading multi-site or enterprise-level transportation planning, optimization, or transformation.
- Demonstrated experience leading a major operating-model transformation from design through implementation, adoption, and sustained performance.
- Experience supporting private fleet, dedicated transportation, multi-stop delivery, truckload, or similarly complex transportation networks.
- Experience defining performance baselines, targets, KPIs, governance structures, and benefits-realization measures.
- Proven ability to lead significant change across Operations, Planning, Technology, Analytics, and executive stakeholder groups.
Preferred Experience- Combination of field or fleet operations experience and enterprise planning or transformation leadership.
- Experience centralizing or standardizing transportation planning across regions, fleets, or business units.
- Business ownership of transportation management, route optimization, control-tower, forecasting, integration, or transportation-analytics platforms.
- Experience managing technology providers, conducting quarterly business reviews, and holding partners accountable for performance and business value.
- Program-management experience coordinating multiple interdependent workstreams.
- Experience building planner competency models, certification programs, cross-training, leadership development, and succession plans.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities- Deep understanding of how transportation plans affect drivers, customers, equipment, sites, service performance, and execution teams.
- Ability to redesign organizational structures, processes, decision rights, metrics, systems, and operating behaviors.
- Strong change-management skills with the ability to build understanding, ownership, capability, and sustained adoption.
- Demonstrated ability to convert enterprise strategy into clear charters, milestones, ownership, risks, decisions, and measurable results.
- Strong knowledge of transportation-planning technology, routing, optimization, analytics, forecasting, system integration, and performance management.
- Ability to evaluate emerging technologies based on practical operational value rather than technology alone.
- Strong analytical judgment with the ability to use data rigorously while recognizing operational context and system limitations.
- Ability to balance enterprise standards with regional ownership and local operating realities.
- Strong executive communication, facilitation, influencing, and stakeholder-management skills.
- Proven ability to develop high-performing planners, managers, and cross-functional teams.
- Strong continuous-improvement mindset grounded in root-cause analysis, controlled pilots, operating feedback, and disciplined follow-through.
What Success Looks Like- One integrated transportation-planning model with clear enterprise standards and defined regional and local responsibilities.
- Documented decision rights and handoffs across Planning, Routing, Driver and Fleet Management, Operations, and third-party capacity teams.
- Local operating knowledge translated into planning rules, technology requirements, standard work, training, and measurable controls.
- Planning decisions consistently evaluated through service, capacity, utilization, cost, stability, and execution metrics.
- Planning and Routing platforms managed as an integrated ecosystem with clear measures for reliability, adoption, performance, and business value.
- Major changes introduced through disciplined pilots, adoption planning, executive governance, continuous improvement, and verified results.
- Reduced reliance on manual workarounds, reactive decision-making, and individual tribal knowledge.
- Measurable improvements in service reliability, asset and driver utilization, capacity management, cost, planning efficiency, and operational stability.
Benefits We Offer:- Health, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program
- Paid Time Off; increases with years of service
- Generous Employee Discount on home furnishings
- Professional Development Opportunities
- Tuition Assistance
- Ashley Wellness Centers (location specific)
- 401(k) and Profit Sharing
- Life Insurance
