Operations Manager

Position Summary

The Operations Manager is responsible for leading the daily execution, performance, and development of the carrier operations team within the freight brokerage. This role oversees carrier procurement, load coverage, margin protection, service compliance, and carrier relationship management to ensure all customer freight is moved efficiently, profitably, and with a high level of operational reliability.

This individual will manage carrier sourcing personnel, establish operational processes, monitor key service metrics, and drive continuous improvement in on-time pickup, on-time delivery, tender acceptance, and gross margin performance. The Operations Manager serves as the primary leader between customer sales, carrier sales, and execution teams to ensure customer commitments are met while maximizing profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Team Leadership & Personnel Management

• Manage, coach, and develop a team of Carrier Sales Representatives / Carrier Operations Specialists.
• Set daily, weekly, and monthly performance expectations for load coverage, margin, service, and productivity.
• Conduct one-on-one meetings, call reviews, KPI reviews, and performance evaluations.
• Recruit, onboard, and train new carrier operations personnel as business volume scales.
• Build accountability around urgency, communication standards, and customer service execution.

2. Carrier Procurement & Load Coverage

• Oversee all carrier sourcing activity to ensure customer loads are covered quickly and cost-effectively.
• Ensure team is proactively securing capacity through strategic carrier relationships, load boards, internal carrier network, and market outreach.
• Establish routing guides and preferred carrier programs for core lanes/customers.
• Monitor load acceptance speed, coverage ratios, and backup carrier planning.
• Escalate high-risk shipments or uncovered freight before service failures occur.

3. Margin Management & Cost Control

• Maintain profitability targets on all covered freight by balancing buy rates with customer sell rates.
• Review daily margin reports and coach team on carrier negotiation strategies.
• Identify margin leakage, excessive accessorial spend, and operational inefficiencies.
• Partner with customer sales team on lane pricing feedback and market trends.
• Support strategic carrier development to reduce spot market dependency.

4. Service Execution & KPI Ownership

• Own carrier-side operational KPIs including:
  • On-Time Pickup %
  • On-Time Delivery %
  • Tender Acceptance %
  • Carrier Check Call Compliance
  • Load Coverage Time
  • Gross Margin Per Load
  • Fallout / Recovered Load %
• Ensure all shipments are tracked, communicated, and escalated according to company SOP.
• Develop recovery plans for service failures, breakdowns, and carrier fall-offs.
• Drive proactive communication between carrier reps, customer sales, and customers.

5. Carrier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain a high-performing carrier base across target modes and regions.
• Strengthen relationships with strategic carriers to improve pricing consistency and service reliability.
• Monitor carrier scorecards, compliance, and repeat utilization.
• Resolve disputes, detention issues, service complaints, and claims coordination.
• Ensure carrier onboarding and compliance standards are met.

6. Process Improvement & Operational Scalability

• Create and refine SOPs for carrier sourcing, tracking, issue escalation, and after-hours planning.
• Identify workflow bottlenecks that impact customer service or team productivity.
• Partner with leadership on TMS utilization, reporting improvements, and automation opportunities.
• Build a scalable carrier operations structure capable of supporting freight growth.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of freight brokerage experience in carrier sales, dispatch, or operations.
• 1+ years of leadership or team management experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of truckload market pricing, carrier sourcing, and brokerage margin structure.
• Experience working in a fast-paced transactional freight environment.
• Strong negotiation, multitasking, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency with TMS systems, load boards, and Microsoft Excel/reporting tools.
• Ability to lead under pressure and make quick service-critical decisions.

Preferred Experience

• Experience managing carrier sales or operations teams in a high-volume brokerage.
• Familiarity with dry van, reefer, flatbed, and specialized freight markets.
• Proven success improving OTP/OTD and gross margin metrics.
• Existing carrier relationships/network is a plus.