The posting
Job Description
Arconic is currently in search of Director, Transportation to join our Procurement & Logistics team based in Pittsburgh, PA or Alcoa, TN.
At Arconic, we take pride in our work and our innovative products and technologies that advance sustainable solutions for a better world. We strive to create a safe, inclusive, and collaborative workplace with competitive benefits, development opportunities and a culture that values and rewards employees on all levels of the organization.
We are seeking a strategic, results-oriented Director, Transportation to lead the development and execution of sourcing and procurement strategies across Arconic's transportation and warehousing network. This leader will be accountable for optimizing cost, service, quality, capacity, risk, and supplier performance while supporting operational excellence and long-term business objectives.
The Director will oversee a significant spend portfolio and partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Planning, Commercial, Finance, and Legal. The role will drive value through strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, network optimization, contracting, market intelligence, financial analytics, and continuous improvement.
As a key member of the Procurement leadership team, the Director will also play an important role in strengthening organizational capability, developing talent, advancing technology and analytics, and ensuring the transportation strategy supports Arconic's long-term competitiveness.
Responsibilities
In this role, you will:
Strategic Category Leadership
- Develop and execute comprehensive sourcing strategies across: Domestic and international transportation Truckload (TL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) freight Rail transportation Ocean and air freight Warehousing Third-party logistics (3PL) providers Inbound, outbound, and intracompany freight
- Establish short- and long-term strategies aligned with business objectives, operational requirements, and growth plans.
- Monitor transportation markets, capacity, inflationary pressures, regulatory developments, technology trends, and supply chain disruptions, translating these insights into actionable business strategies.
- Develop a longer-term transportation roadmap that improves competitiveness, service, resiliency, and scalability across the network.
Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management
- Lead complex sourcing events, commercial negotiations, contracting, and major agreement renewals.
- Develop and maintain executive-level relationships with strategic carriers, logistics providers, and other key partners.
- Establish supplier performance frameworks and scorecards with measurable KPIs, including: Cost competitiveness On- time pickup and delivery performance Tender acceptance Service and quality performance Dedicated asset utilization Sustainability objectives
- Lead regular business reviews with strategic providers, ensuring accountability and corrective action where performance gaps exist.
- Continuously evaluate the supply base to improve competitiveness, capacity, resiliency, and service.
Transportation & Logistics Optimization
- Partner with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Logistics teams to optimize transportation networks, routing strategies, and freight flows.
- Drive initiatives that improve service and reliability while reducing total transportation and landed cost.
- Evaluate carrier mix, routing guides, freight consolidation opportunities, dedicated fleet utilization, and emerging transportation solutions.
- Lead major freight bid events and network optimization initiatives.
- Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve freight execution, and increase utilization of existing transportation assets and capabilities.
Financial & Analytical Leadership
- Deliver annual savings, cost avoidance, productivity, and working capital objectives.
- Develop and manage category budgets, forecasts, and value-creation pipelines.
- Leverage spend analytics, market intelligence, and external benchmarks to identify opportunities and inform sourcing decisions.
- Develop financial models and reporting that provide visibility to historical freight performance, explain key cost drivers, and forecast future transportation cost impacts.
- Translate transportation market changes into clear financial implications and actionable insights for business and executive leadership.
Risk Management & Governance
- Identify and mitigate transportation, supplier, operational, geopolitical, capacity, and broader supply chain risks.
- Develop contingency plans, alternate sourcing strategies, and supplier diversification approaches to strengthen business continuity.
- Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and governance standards.
- Partner across functions to assess emerging risks and establish appropriate mitigation strategies.
Technology & Continuous Improvement
- Provide leadership for the effective use and continuous improvement of Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and related procurement and logistics technologies.
- Identify opportunities to improve automation, data visibility, analytics, and decision-making across transportation and procurement processes.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to develop technology roadmaps that support operational efficiency, scalability, and improved business intelligence.
- Champion continuous improvement and adoption of best practices across the transportation organization.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing transportation procurement team.
- Establish an organizational structure, roles, and capabilities aligned with the long-term transportation strategy.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, commercial excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Build strong cross-functional partnerships and influence decisions across business, operational, and functional leadership teams.
- Lead organizational and change management efforts associated with procurement and logistics transformation initiatives.
Qualifications
You have (required):
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Engineering, Finance, or a related field.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in procurement, transportation, logistics, supply chain, or strategic sourcing.
- 5+ years of leadership experience with responsibility for teams and significant strategic spend categories.
- Demonstrated expertise in transportation sourcing, commercial negotiations, and complex logistics agreements.
- Experience managing transportation or logistics spend portfolios exceeding $100 million annually.
- Demonstrated financial and analytical acumen, including total cost of ownership analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and business case development.
- Proven ability to develop financial models that explain historical freight performance and forecast future transportation cost impacts.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive results through cross-functional collaboration.
- Experience with Transportation Management Systems (TMS), including implementation, optimization, or continuous improvement.
- Proven ability to design organizational structures, develop talent, and build high-performing teams.
- Employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
- This position requires access to controlled technology, as defined in the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. §730, et seq.) and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Authorizations from the relevant government agency may be required to meet export control compliance requirements.
Additional Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree, MBA, or related advanced degree.
- CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management), CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), or similar professional certification.
- Experience in a large, multi-site manufacturing environment, preferably within metals, industrial manufacturing, automotive, chemical, consumer products, or a related industry.
- Experience implementing or optimizing procurement, transportation, supplier relationship management, or advanced analytics platforms.
- Experience leading transformation initiatives involving transportation technology, processes, analytics, or organizational capability.
Why Join Us?
This is a highly visible leadership opportunity with direct influence on Arconic's supply chain performance, operational effectiveness, and financial results. The Director will have the opportunity to shape the company's transportation strategy, lead significant sourcing and transformation initiatives, develop a high-performing organization, and create meaningful value across a complex manufacturing and supply network.
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