Operations Manager - Shipping

Job Title: Shipping Manager

Reports to: Director, Global Logistics

Location: Ellabell, GA

Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:00am-3:30pm

Work Environment: On-Site; Distribution Center, Office, Dock and Yard

Join us at our brand new, 500,000 square foot distribution center in the Savannah area (Ellabell, GA)

About the Role 

The Shipping Manager, Transportation Planning & Optimization will coordinate inbound and outbound transportation for the Savannah distribution center and ensure freight moves through the right mode, carrier, and appointment at the right cost. The role will manage shipment scheduling, least-cost-carrier compliance, LTL-to-truckload conversion opportunities, container and drayage coordination, and the final review of shipments after load planning. The position is designed to protect the operation from avoidable freight cost, missed consolidation opportunities, demurrage, and order-flow delays while supporting an expected annual volume of approximately 3,000 ocean containers, or an average of 12 containers per day.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Three or more years of experience in transportation, shipping, logistics planning, freight operations, or a related field.
• Experience scheduling inbound and outbound shipments in a distribution, manufacturing, freight brokerage, or 3PL environment.
• Working knowledge of LTL, truckload, ocean-container, drayage, and parcel transportation processes.
• Demonstrated ability to compare freight quotes, evaluate consolidation opportunities, and make cost-conscious routing decisions without compromising required service.
• Experience using a TMS, WMS, ERP, order-management, carrier-portal, or comparable transportation system.
• Strong Excel and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and large volumes of shipment information.
• Clear written and verbal communication, strong follow-through, and the ability to work effectively with warehouse and external transportation partners.

Essential Functions | Accountabilities | Performance Measures

• Schedule inbound and outbound shipments across ocean containers, drayage, truckload, LTL, parcel, and other transportation modes as assigned.
• Coordinate shipment priorities and appointments with warehouse operations, customer service, order entry, suppliers, carriers, dray providers, ocean partners, and customs brokers.
• Monitor compliance with the approved least-cost-carrier routing guide while considering service requirements, shipment characteristics, customer commitments, and capacity.
• Review LTL freight quotes and shipment profiles to identify when freight should be consolidated or shifted from LTL to truckload; document the decision and coordinate execution.
• Serve as the final transportation review after load planning by identifying shipments that can be combined, including parcel and freight orders that should move together when timing, service, and handling requirements allow.
• Support and improve the order-to-ship system workflow so orders move quickly from order entry through planning, release, carrier tender, and shipment confirmation.
• Maintain a daily container plan and work with dray providers to level-load appointments, reduce yard and dock congestion, and prevent demurrage and detention charges.
• Track container bookings, pickup and return dates, appointment status, dwell time, chassis or equipment issues, and exceptions through final delivery or empty return.
• Escalate capacity, routing, appointment, order, and documentation issues early enough for the operation to evaluate alternatives.
• Monitor transportation cost, routing-guide compliance, LTL-to-truckload conversions, consolidation savings, container dwell, demurrage, detention, and on-time shipment performance.  Recommend and Implement sustainment/counter measures.
• Maintain professional working relationships with carriers, brokers, dray providers, ocean partners, and internal teams while holding providers accountable to agreed service and cost expectations.
• Create and maintain standard work, reports, and controls that make transportation decisions repeatable, visible, and auditable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing 2,000 or more annual ocean containers or a comparable high-volume import program.
• Experience with drayage appointment management, container free time, demurrage, detention, chassis, or port-related constraints.
• Experience with routing-guide governance, freight audit, carrier scorecards, or transportation cost-reduction projects.
• Associate or bachelor's degree in logistics, supply chain, business, or related field.

Key Measures of Success

• Inbound and outbound shipments are scheduled accurately, with fewer missed appointments, avoidable delays, and last-minute escalations.
• Least-cost-carrier routing is consistently followed, and exceptions are documented with clear business rationale.
• LTL shipments are routinely reviewed for consolidation or truckload conversion, producing measurable transportation savings.
• The post-load-planning review catches parcel and freight consolidation opportunities before shipment release.
• Container flow is level-loaded, dray providers are managed to plan, and demurrage and detention exposure declines.
• Order-to-ship system improvements reduce cycle time and make the transportation process easier to execute and control.

CFS Brands:

Headquarters located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, CFS BRANDS is a market-leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of commercial foodservice, healthcare, and industrial hygiene products.

CFS BRANDS has maintained its industry-leading position and consistent growth with a strong focus on customer support and satisfaction, product variety and availability, and a unique ability to be a “one-stop shop” solution for a wide range of organizations. CFS BRANDS enjoys this competitive market advantage through its extensive network of brands and global manufacturing and distribution facilities.

CFS BRANDS’s core products include dinnerware, drinkware, professional cookware, industrial hygiene products brushes and cleaning tools, dispensing systems, and healthcare meal service equipment. These products are provided through major distributors customers across the country.

CFS BRANDS became a portfolio company of The Jordan Company (“TJC”), a private equity firm, in 2018. More information on CFS BRANDS can be found at www.cfsbrands.com.

CFS Brands is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s I-9 to confirm work authorization.