Transportation Manager
Department: Merchandising | Reports to: VP of Merchandising (dotted line to Operations) | Location: Seattle, WA | Type: Full-time
About BuyWander
BuyWander is rebuilding the $850B retail returns industry. We take chaotic truckloads of returned goods and transform them into a fast, fun, treasure-hunt shopping experience powered by AI, real-time auctions, and in-store pickup.
The Role
Every unit we sell arrives on a truck. You'll own inbound freight end to end: the carriers we use, the rates we pay, the lanes we run, and whether trucks show up on time and on budget. Day to day you're keeping loads moving and drivers on task. Quarter to quarter you're bending the cost curve - negotiating rates, consolidating loads, cutting detention and accessorials, and building the carrier network that supports 10X our current footprint.
What You'll Do
Freight Cost & Carrier Strategy
- Own freight cost as a percentage of net revenue as your primary metric, and drive it down against plan.
- Negotiate rates, lane pricing, and terms with carriers and brokers; build and manage a carrier network rather than booking one-off loads.
- Maintain a carrier scorecard covering cost, on-time performance, damage, and responsiveness - and reallocate volume based on it.
- Identify consolidation, backhaul, and lane-optimization opportunities as our market footprint grows and density improves.
- Manage and pursue freight claims for damage, shortage, and service failures.
Scheduling & Dock Flow
- Schedule and manage inbound deliveries across all BuyWander facilities; proactively prevent congestion and truck stacking at receiving docks.
- Coordinate appointment windows and communicate delivery expectations to drivers, carriers, and internal teams.
- Partner with Merchandise Planning and the Buyer so inbound flow matches each market's receiving and processing capacity.
Tracking & Visibility
- Track every load from booking to delivery in Chuk, our internal platform; keep records complete and current.
- Provide near real-time visibility into inbound operations for merchandising, finance, and store leadership.
- Report on the KPIs that matter - freight cost per load, cost as a percentage of net revenue, on-time delivery, schedule adherence, detention, and accessorial charges - and surface trends and recommendations to leadership.
Driver & Carrier Communication
- Serve as the primary point of contact for drivers: appointment confirmations, directions, and real-time issue resolution by phone throughout the day.
- Communicate proactively with carrier dispatch on delays, reschedules, and exceptions - keeping loads on task and internal teams informed.
- Evaluate and onboard new carriers to improve reliability and cost performance.
Scaling the Network
- Build the freight playbook for new market launches: carrier coverage, lane setup, receiving standards, and cost benchmarks.
- Improve the systems and processes behind scheduling, tracking, and performance reporting as volume grows.
