Category Analyst - Bulk Transport

This job was posted by : For more information, please see: Salt is an iconic company with a strong heritage and a bright future. Since 1848, we have been improving lives and enhancing everyday moments at home, at work and virtually everywhere in between. We help unlock the flavors in food, make roads and sidewalks safer, improve the water in baths, pools, and homes, and keep businesses and industries running. We are a dedicated team who constantly strives to do better together, and we are passionate about building a sustainable future for our company, the communities in which we operate, and the world around us. By joining our team, you will contribute to producing and delivering every form of salt that enhances everyday life.Job SummaryThe Category Analyst plans, sources and negotiates transportation services for their assigned transportation category (bulk truck transport) to provide to the organization the lowest total cost to serve and ensures that the carriers and suppliers KPIs, SLAs, and contractual obligations are being met.The jobholder is responsible for the preparation of all data for RFX\'s activities, developing and executing category strategies, managing supplier performance and the day-to-day activities within their assigned transportation category. The jobholder will also provide freight expense estimates for new or potential business, for project analysis to support network and modal optimizations, and source the necessary capacity with suppliers and carriers to support the business.Success in this position is primarily measured by cost reduction/avoidance impact, successful management of suppliers, the ability to work with other departments on transportation-related projects, thus providing a high level of service to the company.Duties and ResponsibilitiesResponsible for the procurement and execution of the companys bulk truck transport business.Work closely with sales and marketing team to timely respond to forecast changes, sales spikes, volumes, and trends on a real time basis.Review freight bills that do not match with freight expense shown as the expected cost. Make corrections as required. Approve for payment and perform root cause analysis and provide contractual information for freight invoice discrepancies.Review and monitor & report on supplier performance and cost performance by use of operational and cost metrics and investigate and resolve service issues.Review actual costs vs budget by performing analysis and forecasting as required.Develop best practice tools, templates and processes.Prepare RFIs, RFPs, and RFQ and lead negotiations with providers to achieve competitive rates and mitigate price increases.Work with Legal and internal stakeholders, as needed, to complete required contracts.Interface independently with internal and external customers at all levels, including senior leadership.Participate in or lead special projects as assigned along with communicating project findings/results to logistics team, manufacturing facilities and others as required.Identify, document and report on areas of cost savings opportunities related to logistics on an ongoing basis.Participate in various company performance meetings and be prepared to present results to leadership.Prepare and enter rates and routing guides into the companys TMS system accurately and on-time.Coordinate solutions to daily transportation/logistics issues with carriers and internal customer service/supply chain personnel to ensure seamless on-time deliveries while exceeding both internal and external customer expectations.Ensure accurate and timely assignment of shipments to ensure shipment of orders on dates requested is occurring.Any other duties as assigned.