Terminal Manager

Posted 3 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Los Angeles, CA, USA
In-Office
175K-190K Annually
Senior level
Logistics • Transportation • 3PL: Third Party Logistics • Industrial
The Role
Leads multimodal terminal operations across ground, air, ocean, and rail transportation. Oversees safety, regulatory compliance, workforce planning, capacity, P&L, capital expenditures, productivity, KPIs, and cost performance. Manages operational teams, carriers, logistics partners, employee relations, continuous improvement initiatives, and transportation analytics while ensuring efficient freight movement from receipt through delivery.
Summary Generated by Built In

Terminal Manager

 

Compensation: $175,000 - 190,000 Annually

 

The Terminal Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of multimodal transportation terminal operations, including ground, air, ocean, and rail workflows. This role provides strategic and day‑to‑day leadership to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient movement of freight from inbound receipt through final delivery. The Terminal Manager ensures operational performance aligns with contractual, service, financial, and regulatory commitments across all supported modes. They drive workforce planning, multimodal capacity management, cost control, and terminal productivity through strong operational discipline and data‑driven decision‑making. They partner with transportation providers, carriers, customers, and internal teams to ensure seamless multimodal handoffs and service delivery. 

 

Responsibilities

 

  • Lead all operations across the terminal’s transportation flows, including ground, air, ocean, and rail processes from inbound receipt through final delivery.
  • Ensure service, financial, safety, quality, and regulatory requirements are met across all transportation modes.
  • Coach operations and support teams to drive consistent execution, operational discipline, and multimodal process accuracy.
  • Own terminal P&L performance, including labor, variable costs, period expenses, and cost-to-serve across modes.
  • Lead workforce planning, volume forecasting, transportation capacity alignment, and cross‑mode resource allocation based on network and customer demand.
  • Monitor terminal operational and financial performance, identify variances, and implement corrective actions.
  • Manage terminal capital expenditures tied to approved investments, terminal improvements, and multimodal handling needs.
  • Sponsor and lead initiatives that improve productivity, quality, velocity, safety, and multimodal cost performance.
  • Establish and manage terminal KPIs aligned with safety, regulatory compliance, on‑time performance, mode accuracy, cost, and productivity.
  • Lead regular operational, transportation, and performance reviews to assess results and identify improvement opportunities.
  • Proactively manage employee relations through communication, coaching, performance feedback, and team development.
  • Ensure robust safety practices and full compliance with DOT, OSHA, TSA, FMC, IATA, rail, and other mode-specific regulations.
  • Collaborate with carriers, drayage providers, freight forwarders, brokers, linehaul partners, and regulatory authorities to ensure smooth multimodal operations.
  • Support and promote continuous improvement methodologies using data, structured problem-solving, and transportation analytics.
  • All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

 

Qualifications

 

  • Education: Undergraduate degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Transportation, Logistics, or a related field preferred; High School Diploma or GED/equivalent required.
  • Certification/Licensure: Valid forklift certification/licensure (or ability to obtain before operating equipment) required, including operation of applicable material handling equipment (MHE) such as sit-down/stand-up forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, pallet riders, or other specialized MHE as required by the site. Additional equipment certifications may be required depending on facility needs.
  • Training in Lean, Six Sigma, DOT compliance, IATA/IMDG familiarity, or similar is preferred.
  • Experience: 5+ years of leadership experience in multimodal transportation, 3PL, contract logistics, or operational environments involving ground, air, ocean, or rail.
  • Strong working knowledge of multimodal transportation processes, carrier operations, freight flow management, and terminal/linehaul coordination.
  • Strong functional understanding of TMS, WMS, ERP (McLeod, SAP, Oracle, etc.), and reporting/data tools.
  • Proven ability to manage operational KPIs, labor planning, transportation capacity, and cost performance.
  • Experience developing and using dashboards, scorecards, and transportation KPI reporting to manage terminal performance.
  • Ability to create, track, and interpret safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity metrics across multiple transportation modes.
  • Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
  • Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.).
  • Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.

 

#LI-Onsite #LI-KB1

Skills Required

  • High school diploma, GED, or equivalent
  • Undergraduate degree in supply chain management, business, transportation, logistics, or a related field
  • Valid forklift certification or ability to obtain certification before operating equipment
  • Ability to operate applicable material handling equipment, including forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, and pallet riders
  • Five or more years of leadership experience in multimodal transportation, 3PL, contract logistics, or related operations
  • Working knowledge of multimodal transportation processes, carrier operations, freight flow management, and terminal or linehaul coordination
  • Functional knowledge of TMS, WMS, ERP, and reporting or data tools
  • Experience managing operational KPIs, labor planning, transportation capacity, and cost performance
  • Experience developing and using dashboards, scorecards, and transportation KPI reporting
  • Ability to create, track, and interpret safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity metrics
  • Discretion and confidentiality when handling sensitive information
  • Proficiency with Windows PCs, Microsoft 365, and web conferencing tools
  • Lean, Six Sigma, DOT compliance, IATA, IMDG, or similar training
  • Ability to work in a 100% on-site setting and commute to and from the workplace
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The Company
6,062 Employees
Year Founded: 1981

What We Do

Forward Air Corporation is an asset-light freight and logistics company that provides ground transportation and related shipping services to the North American air freight and expedited LTL market. It offers a reliable, cost-effective alternative to air transportation through accelerated, time-definite surface shipping. The company serves as a single-source provider for the wholesale transportation community, including logistics companies, freight forwarders, and air cargo carriers.

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