Mars Inc

Transportation Operations Center Manager

Mars Inc • $85K — $110K *
Franklin, TN 37064In-Person
Transportation
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
Be an Early Applicant
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Business, Logistics, Supply Chain or a quantitative field, OR 2+ years' experience in Logistics/Supply Chain Management
  • 5-7 years in transportation operations or logistics
  • 2-3 years leading logistics teams
  • Hands-on experience with a major Transportation Management System (TMS)
  • Proficiency in Excel, including Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPs
  • Experience managing logistics costs and carrier relationships
  • Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

  • Direct day-to-day activities for Logistics Specialists to meet business needs.
  • Oversee transport operations ensuring timely shipment scheduling.
  • Develop root cause corrective action procedures for process improvements.
  • Ensure staffing plans are in place for operational continuity.
  • Support site operations by ensuring carrier compliance with schedules.
  • Meet or exceed key performance targets regarding shipment metrics.
  • Manage Transportation P&L, analyzing costs and expenses.

Benefits

  • Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates.
  • Join a purpose-driven company focused on building a better world.
  • Access to best-in-class learning and development support from Mars University.
  • Industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
Full Job Description
Job Description:

Transportation Operations Center Manager

Franklin, TN

Onsite

As our new Transport Operations Manager, you will own the execution of our day-to-day transportation and shipment activities. Serving as the vital link between our manufacturing sites, RDCs, and external partners, you will manage critical carrier relationships, champion continuous improvement, and ensure world-class customer service.

Your mission: Lead our logistics specialists in high-stakes load planning, scheduling, and error resolution, transforming daily operational challenges into streamlined, productive successes.

What are we looking for?

Minimum

  • Bachelor's Degree within Business, Logistics, Supply Chain or highly quantitative field AND/OR
  • 2+ years' experience in Logistics or Supply Chain Management
  • 5-7 years of progressive experience in transportation operations, logistics, or supply chain management.
  • 2-3 years of direct people management experience (leading logistics specialists, coordinators, or dispatchers).
  • Hands-on experience working with a major Transportation Management System TMS (e.g., Blue Yonder, SAP, Oracle, OTM).• Proficiency in Excel for data analysis (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, data modeling).
  • Experience managing operational budgets, tracking logistics costs, and mitigating accessorial fees.
  • Experience managing carrier relationships, tracking SLAs, and enforcing carrier compliance.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate, coach, motivate and lead a team
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills Ability to drive positive change in both processes, systems, and culture


Preferred
  • 8+ years of experience in a large-scale, fast-paced FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods), Food/Beverage, or retail distribution environment.
  • Direct experience with UberFreight TMS and CASS (freight payment/audit system).• Advanced analytics capability (experience with Power BI, Tableau, SQL, or network optimization software like Optilogic/Llamasoft).
  • Extensive experience managing large-scale 3PL partnerships and co-developing long-term network load-planning solutions.
  • Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt certification.
  • Proven track record of leading structured CI projects that resulted in measurable cost savings (productivity) and service improvements.
  • Experience with process optimization, task automation (using tools like VBA, Power Automate, or Python), and creating interactive visualization tools/dashboards (such as Power BI, Tableau, or custom TMS reporting) to track and optimize key transport metrics.


What will be your key responsibilities?
  • Direct day-to-day activities for Inbound/Outbound Logistics Specialists to ensure operational procedures are followed and business needs are met.
  • Oversee daily transport operations, ensuring all shipments are covered, scheduled (delivery/pickup), and tendered in a timely manner.
  • Develops and maintains root cause corrective action procedures including trend analysis resulting in driving process improvements
  • Ensures daily staffing plans including contingency plans for time sensitive operations (unscheduled absentees, customer issues, system malfunctions, equipment issues, etc.)
  • Support site operations by ensuring carrier partners are adhering to shipment schedules
  • Meet or exceed performance targets (On Time Pickup and Delivery, Tender Acceptance, SRG and Check Call Compliance, Linehaul Spend)
  • Support Transportation cost management - linehaul, accessorials, and Fines & Fees mitigation
  • Create lean ways of working, drivers and measures supporting key priorities for the business
  • Own business relationship with TMS, CASS, and facilitate innovation of analytics and insights
  • Manage Transportation P&L including OHs and expenses for transportation services
  • Analyze data and build network optimization models, including identify and lead initiatives to reduce logistics costs, identify and lead initiatives to improve transportation service and performance, and remove non-value add activities
  • Investigate causes for service failures to determine where changes to process or performance are necessary and take appropriate actions
  • Act as the primary interface for 3PL load-planning partners to develop and execute future-forward network strategies.
  • Ensure carrier compliance with all Mars technical and business process requirements and develop corrective plans as needed


What can you expect from Mars?
  • Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
  • Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
  • Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
  • An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.


#LI-AS2

#LI-Onsite

Mars does not sponsor visas for this role.

This position is not eligible for relocation benefits.

About Mars Inc

Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products. It was founded in 1911 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Mars operates in six business segments: Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. Some of its most popular brands include M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, Skittles, and Pedigree. The company is known for its commitment to sustainability and has set a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 67% by 2050.
Learn more about Mars Inc
Size
125,000 employees
Industry
Food & Beverages
Founded
1911
* Ladders Estimates

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