The Role
We are hiring a Shipping Manager who treats shipping cost as a P&L line they personally own. Every responsibility in this role is measured by one question: Are we leaving money on the table, and how do we know?
This is not a desk job. You will be on the floor, in the carrier contracts, in the invoices, and in the data. You will own UPS and FedEx relationships, audit every surcharge, optimize the box mix, train the shipping team, and bring proactive savings proposals to leadership before anyone has to ask.
What You Will Own
Carrier contract ownership and proactive negotiation. Serve as the primary relationship owner with UPS, FedEx, and all parcel and freight carriers. Benchmark rates, initiate renegotiations on a defined cycle, and maintain a rolling view of contract terms, minimums, and expiration dates.
Weekly surcharge and accessorial audit. Use AI tooling every week to parse carrier invoices and flag unauthorized, excessive, or anomalous fees, including DAS, fuel, oversize, residential, and address correction surcharges. Dispute charges in real time and report findings to leadership monthly.
Ground and LTL freight coordination. Manage all inbound and outbound pallet movements, including vendor pickups, interwarehouse transfers, and customer freight orders. Coordinate scheduling with carriers, vendors, and the warehouse team to eliminate delays and detention charges.
Dimensional weight and box size optimization. Continuously review active SKUs and box pairings. Use order data and DIM weight calculations to identify gaps, then proactively recommend new box sizes to manufacture or source. Treat box mix as a living program driven by cost.
Shipper training and SOPs. Develop and maintain written SOPs for packing, labeling, and carrier selection. Conduct regular hands-on training with shipping associates on box selection, poly versus box decisions, weight reduction, and choosing the correct service level.
Shipping cost KPI ownership. Own a weekly shipping cost dashboard covering cost per shipment, cost as a percentage of revenue, carrier split, surcharge totals, and DIM weight ratio. Present actuals against targets to leadership and flag variances before they compound.
Floor presence and operational accountability. Be in the shipping area regularly. Observe packing methods, spot check box selection, catch inefficiencies in real time, and build credibility with the warehouse team.
Carrier performance monitoring. Track on-time delivery, damage rates, and carrier claims. Maintain a scorecard. Escalate poor performance to carrier reps proactively and tie performance data into contract renewal discussions.
Shipping rules across storefronts. Own shipping zone rules, free shipping thresholds, and carrier service level mappings across all storefronts and marketplaces. Audit rules whenever carrier rates change.
New vendor and carrier evaluation. Continuously evaluate alternative carriers, regional delivery services, and hybrid solutions such as USPS injection and zone skipping. Bring actionable proposals with projected savings to leadership without waiting to be asked.
Tariff and import management. Manage tariff and import issues and escalate for resolution or dispute. Work with our broker to clear all imports on time.
Who We Are Looking For
- 5+ years in shipping, logistics, or supply chain management, ideally in ecommerce or distribution at scale.
- Direct experience negotiating UPS and FedEx contracts and reading carrier invoices line by line.
- Comfort using AI tools for invoice auditing and data analysis. We use AI heavily across the business and expect this role to lean into it.
- A track record of measurable shipping cost reduction or surcharge recovery you can walk us through in detail.
- Strong Excel and data fluency, including comfort working with order and shipment data at scale.
- Floor presence. You are energized by being in the warehouse, not behind a desk.
- Bias toward action. You bring proposals before being asked.
Why This Role Matters
Shipping is one of the highest controllable costs in our business and one of the easiest places to quietly lose money. We want someone who treats shipping cost discipline as a craft and is excited to own a meaningful piece of company profitability. If that sounds like you, we want to talk.
