Transportation Manager – AstraZeneca – Wilmington, DE, USA
This position resides within America’s Distribution group and reports to the Logistics and Network Development leader. This position is responsible for managing the strategic relationships with AstraZeneca’s global transportation vendors and ensuring optimal performance of the transportation network. The position provides day-to-day logistics support to all business units, ensuring desired, cost-effective levels of customer service is maintained. This position will execute analyses and studies to drive continuous improvement in transportation management and AZ’s distribution capability. This position is responsible for working closely with the AZ and third party distribution centers to ensure that they have the tools needed to manage the tactical aspects of carrier operations (i.e.; routing guides, rate charts, contact list, etc.). In addition, this role is responsible for monitoring the transportation costs for Domestic and International freight and validating the charges reported through US Bank.
The Transportation Manager will be accountable for the following:
Carrier & Route Management (International & Domestic) *
- Partner with Purchasing in negotiating and initiating carrier contractual agreements *
- Manage strategic relationship with carriers and suppliers including the oversight of business reviews *
- Implement new carriers and ensure all requirements are achieved *
- Manage AZ core carriers and ensure all documentation (standard of care, Insurance verification, etc.) is updated *
- Compile KPI’s in support of distribution analyses, studies, and negotiations *
- Manage carrier claims and ensure that carriers are meeting their contractual obligations and servicing AZ’s customers as required *
- Oversee the freight payment process (US Bank) and ensure accuracy of freight billing *
- Manage carrier performance and drive resolution of business issues *
- Setup new shipping lanes including understanding requirements and critical operational elements, conducting risk assessments and institutionalizing corporate standards *
- Ensure that Route Risk Assessments are completed for all recurring shipping lanes within the Americas region and the Biologics global business *
- Interface with carriers and internal and external customers to ensure that day-to-day transportation operations in support of manufacturing and distribution deliver the desired, cost-effective level of customer service *
- Provide transportation cost estimates for proposed lanes and new product configurations *
- Coordinate and monitor transportation for Non-Routine shipments (CMO Qualification, Reference Samples, Equipment Movements, etc.) *
- Partner with Import / Export Compliance to coordinate a holistic end-to-end approach to delivery *
- Provide situational leadership and personally intercede to resolve transportation issues *
- Manage relationships with ground carriers for US domestic distribution including payment, claims management and the maintenance of qualified carriers to support various customer needs and product requirements. *
- Serve as escalation point for US domestic carrier-related issues impacting internal and external stakeholders. *
- Oversee and manage US domestic finished goods transportation provider documentation requirements (standards of care, insurance verification, quality documentation, etc). *
- Support the annual cargo insurance renewal process for US trade customers. *
- Manage the US Bank relationship, optimizing transactional activities and overseeing the 3rd party auditing and freight payment service to ensure accuracy of freight billing and cost center allocation.
Cold Chain Qualification and Temperature Management *
- Oversee cold chain transportation selection (active and passive) and qualification processes *
- Drive cold chain transportation performance improvement through standardizing testing protocols *
- Partner with the Stability group to establish temperature monitoring parameters *
- Drive cold chain transportation performance and cost improvement
Shipping Strategy & Performance Improvement *
- Execute transportation analyses and studies in support of logistics plans and operations and review existing processes and operations to drive continuous improvement *
- Monitor KPI trends and drive improvements within AstraZeneca’s transportation network, integrating with Distribution and Manufacturing to optimize the overall AZ distribution network *
- Optimize the transportation network (i.e.; service,/mode/lane improvements) to meet the changing needs of AZ and its customers *
- Assist in formulating and implementing short and long-term logistics plans and operations for the business unit *
- Support the conversion from Air to Ocean shipping *
- Own the execution of transportation guidelines within the Americas region and global Biologics business *
- Partner with IT to enable transportation performance by leveraging information technology
This position can be located in either Wilmington DE, or Gaithersburg, MD.
