Sr. Manager, Carrier Relations

Riverstone Logistics

$95K — $115K *
Transportation
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8-12+ years in logistics, final mile, carrier management, or supply chain operations
  • Proven experience managing third-party carrier networks at scale
  • Strong commercial acumen with experience in contract negotiation and rate management
  • Demonstrated ability to drive performance improvement and operational discipline
  • Excellent cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management skills

Responsibilities

  • Support carrier performance across key client metrics such as on-time delivery and customer satisfaction
  • Establish and manage risk scorecards for carrier performance
  • Drive accountability and compliance across the carrier network
  • Support risk management with carrier contracts and compliance post-onboarding
  • Develop strategic partnerships with high-performing carriers to expand network capacity
  • Identify network gaps and inform future recruiting priorities
  • Act as the escalation point for carrier-related issues impacting service or customers

Benefits

  • Establish and enforce operational training standards for carrier management
  • Maintain centralized visibility into carrier performance and network health
  • Drive consistency in carrier management across all markets
  • Focus on long-term network health and scalability in performance management
Full Job Description
Position Summary

The Sr. Manager, Carrier Relations is responsible for the performance, quality, and long-term optimization of the carrier network following onboarding and activation. This role supports operations and compliance departments with the full lifecycle of carrier management post-go-live, including contract governance, performance management, and strategic development of carrier partnerships.

This position is not responsible for carrier recruiting or initial sourcing. Instead, it ensures that once carriers are onboarded, they operate at the required contract standards of service, cost, and customer experience while supporting scalable network growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Carrier Performance & Quality Management
  • Support operations with carrier performance across key client metrics, for example on-time delivery, installation quality, claims, and customer satisfaction
  • Establish and manage Risk scorecards
  • Drive accountability and contract compliance across the network while supporting Risk and Operations.

Contract & Commercial Management
  • Support Risk Management with carrier contracts, rates and compliance post-onboarding
  • Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, insurance requirements, and operational standards at all times.

Carrier Network Optimization
  • Support carrier contract compliance to determine growth, retention, or exit decisions with Operations.
  • Develop strategic partnerships with high-performing carriers to expand capacity and capabilities in connection with Carrier Capacity Team.
  • Identify network gaps in collaboration with Carrier Capacity and inform future recruiting priorities


Cross-Functional Alignment
  • Partner closely with Carrier Capacity and Operations to ensure smooth handoff of newly onboarded carriers as needed, i.e. start-ups, acquisitions, as example.
  • Collaborate with Operations, Risk, Finance, and Customer teams to align on service expectations and outcomes as needed on Carrier escalations.
  • Act as the escalation point for carrier-related issues impacting service or customers where Operations or Risk are not able to bring to resolution.

Governance & Process Ownership
  • Establish and enforce standards for carrier management, communication, and engagement thru operational training.
  • Maintain centralized visibility into carrier performance, risks, and network health
  • Drive consistency and discipline in how carriers are managed across all markets, drive relationship culture in all operations.

Scope & Ownership Boundaries:
  • Partners with: Carrier Capacity on onboarding handoff and network needs
  • Does not own: Carrier recruiting, sourcing, or initial onboarding


Key Success Metrics:
  • Carrier performance (on-time %, install completion rates, claims, NPS)
  • Cost stability and adherence to rate structures
  • Carrier retention and development of top-tier partners
  • Reduction in service failures and escalations on high risk carriers.
  • Network quality and consistency across markets


Qualifications:
  • 8-12+ years in logistics, final mile, carrier management, or supply chain operations
  • Proven experience managing third-party carrier networks at scale
  • Strong commercial acumen with experience in contract negotiation and rate management
  • Demonstrated ability to drive performance improvement and operational discipline
  • Excellent cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management skills

Leadership Profile:
  • Balances relationship management with performance accountability
  • Data-driven and operationally rigorous
  • Comfortable making tough decisions (e.g., carrier exits) to protect service quality
  • Focused on long-term network health, not short-term coverage

Summary:
This role ensures that the carrier network is not just sufficient-but high-performing, cost-effective, and scalable. By separating recruiting from performance ownership, the Director of Carrier Relations enables both speed in building the network and discipline in managing it. Works to Improve the Industry by leveling up our overall Carrier Network.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to remain stationary for long periods of time and to communicate effectively with coworkers and outside stakeholders in person, on the telephone and via email and other computer-related messaging. The employee is occasionally required to maneuver about the work areas and move/manipulate various objects. This position may require extended work hours and travel.

Note

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.

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