Job Information
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. Associate Logistics Planner in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
We are currently seeking an Associate Logistics Planner to join our team based at the Kemps Home Office in St. Louis Park, MN. In this role, you will support the Logistics Team & Manager with coordinating daily outbound shipments to be hauled by third party carriers; including follow up on timely pickup, delivery, and properly managing the processes required to see each shipment through from start to finish. This may include the planning/consolidating, scheduling, sourcing, settlement, warehousing, and transportation of products to distributors or internal/external customers in a specific geographic region or for a specific product(s). Suggest or determine economical and efficient routes and address common challenges associated with the movement/transportation of the product. Use prescribed guidelines or policies to analyze and resolve routine to moderately difficult problems. This position reports to the Manager, Logistics Optimization. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Manage customer needs and/or orders for load planning using software tools and considering various factors (geographical areas, delivery dates, amount of product, etc.) to optimize loads/truckloads. Prepare schedules that balance all parties' (member, customer) needs with planned load efficiency and profitability. Facilitate effective communication with haulers/drivers and for-hire carriers; provide daily hauler/carrier support through the automated tendering process and ensure all loads are picked up and delivered on time. Communicate with plant personnel, haulers/drivers, for-hire carriers, and warehouse/shipping locations to resolve common shipment and/or service issues, special deliveries, and order adjustments; keep everyone informed of critical changes. Support on-time delivery problem-solving and performance improvements with customers; actively communicate with all impacted parties to discover solutions to various issues, such as the shipment of the wrong product, excess or deficit of product, missed delivery time or date, etc. Work closely with internal contacts to maintain vendor, carrier, and customer data, such as delivery location, frequency, etc.; use this information to support efficient and economical transportation of customer deliveries or shipments. Ensure all transactions are tracked and accurately recorded in the appropriate systems. Daily, reconcile assigned transactions (pickups/receipts) with customers, haulers, members, etc. Ensure plant managers/staff, suppliers, customers, and haulers have properly documented, reported, and/or entered all system product and freight data required. Review with management the status of the current week's activities and transactions; provide an estimate of the current month's performance, if appropriate. Undergraduate degree in business, logistics, supply chain, distribution management, or related curriculum (or equivalent combination of experience and education). 0 to 2 years of transportation, distribution, dispatching, supply chain, or related experience, applying knowledge of the motor carrier industry; knowledge of or experience with transportation management systems (TMS) preferred. General knowledge of regulatory requirements, rules, and regulations (DOT, GMP, USDA, OSHA, HACCP) Computer proficiency with MS Excel, Outlook, Word. Transportation Management/Logistic systems experience. Certification and/or License - may be required during the course of employment. Ability to handle challenging or conflict situations with tact and professionalism. An Equal Opportunity Employer EEO/AA/Female/Minority/Disabled/Veteran