Director - Transportation
Tropicana Brands GroupFresh-Squeezed Legacy, Bold New Chapter Tropicana Brands Group is a $3B startup aiming to revolutionize the beverage category. Formed in 2022 as a joint venture between PAI Partners and PepsiCo, our portfolio includes iconic brands like Tropicana, Naked, KeVita, Izze, Copella, and Punica. With over 76 years of global leadership in the orange juice category, we’re committed to preserving this legacy while driving innovation in other areas. From reimagining orange juice to creating functional smoothies and driving afternoon refreshments, we are striving to become the undisputed global leader in fresh and chilled beverages. The Supply Chain function is essential to Tropicana Brand Group’s success by enhancing operational efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality products. By improving warehouse operations, optimizing transportation routes, and refining inventory management practices, the team plays a critical role in streamlining processes. Collaborating with other departments to align strategies, the Supply Chain team ensures that Tropicana meets customer demands while maintaining a high standard of performance and cost-effectiveness. Through their efforts, they contribute to both short-term achievements and long-term growth. Your Next Pour: The Opportunity The National Director of Transportation is a key leadership role responsible for the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of all freight transportation across the enterprise. This leader owns a multimodal network — truckload, LTL, intermodal/rail, ocean drayage, and parcel — including a company-operated refrigerated rail fleet and is accountable for delivering products reliably from origin through final customer destination while optimizing cost, service, and cold-chain integrity. The role leads a national transportation organization, manages carrier partnerships, and contributes significantly to the overall success and competitiveness of the supply chain. Responsibilities include: Network & Modal Strategy: Develop and execute a national transportation strategy spanning truckload, LTL, intermodal/rail, ocean drayage, and parcel, aligned to overall supply chain and company objectives. Design the optimal modal mix and lane network for a temperature-sensitive portfolio (approximately 80% chilled / 20% ambient), balancing cost, service, and cold-chain integrity. Multimodal Operations Oversight: Direct all inbound, outbound, and inter-facility freight movements across the DC and plant network, ensuring reliable, on-time execution from origin to customer delivery. Oversee ocean import and drayage of raw material and coordinate handoffs into domestic distribution. Private Rail Fleet & Intermodal: Own the company-operated Juice Train rail fleet and the Class I rail relationship, managing utilization, cycle time, and mechanical/fleet health. Optimize the core FL-to-Jersey City and FL-to-Cincinnati rail lanes and pursue backhaul and load-consolidation opportunities to improve asset productivity and reduce cost per case. Carrier & 3PL Network Management: Lead carrier and broker sourcing, annual freight bids/RFPs, and master service agreement (MSA) negotiation across all modes. Manage 3PL and dedicated-carrier relationships, holding partners accountable to committed service levels, capacity, and cost through structured performance reviews. Freight Cost, Rate & Fuel Management: Build and manage the national transportation budget, freight-rate outlook, and inflation forecast for executive and finance leadership review. Govern fuel surcharge programs and market-based fuel pricing and anchor rate decisions to primary market intelligence OTIF Ownership & Customer Delivery Compliance: Own On-Time In-Full (OTIF) as an enterprise performance metric for TBG — setting targets, governing measurement, and holding cross-functional partners (planning, warehousing, transportation, and commercial) accountable for the end-to-end …