Forward Air logo

Operations Supervisor

Forward Air
  • Des Plaines, IL
  • $75,000 Per Year
5 days ago

Job Description

Pay Rate: $75k

Schedule: Mon - Fri Start time of 4am

The Operations Manager provides day-to-day operational leadership for multimodal transportation, supply chain, and/or contract logistics operations. They are accountable for service delivery, operational performance, safety, quality, productivity, and workforce effectiveness across assigned functional areas, shifts, or value streams. This role translates site objectives into disciplined execution by leading Supervisors, Team Leads, and frontline teams. While they aren't accountable for P&L directly, they maintain significant responsibility for workforce management, productivity performance, cost control, and meeting customer and operational commitments. With proven leadership experience in transportation, warehousing, or supply chain operations, they play a critical role in ensuring operational stability, improving performance, and elevating customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

  • Lead daily operations across assigned functional areas, shifts, transportation networks, warehouse processes, or value streams to ensure consistent execution of service commitments.
  • Drive disciplined execution of operational plans that align with customer requirements, service levels, and broader site or network objectives.
  • Serve as the primary operational escalation point for service, quality, throughput, routing, capacity, or execution issues.
  • Enforce adherence to standard work, operating procedures, regulatory requirements, and established operating rhythms.
  • Own operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to safety, quality, delivery, service, cost, and productivity within assigned scope.
  • Lead daily, weekly, and monthly performance reviews, using metrics and dashboards to assess results and drive corrective actions.
  • Identify, prioritize, and lead continuous improvement initiatives aimed at improving labor efficiency, equipment utilization, throughput, routing efficiency, accuracy, and service reliability.
  • Apply structured problem-solving and root cause analysis to eliminate recurring operational or service issues.
  • Lead safety culture and performance for assigned areas; reinforce compliance with safety policies, procedures, and applicable regulations (e.g., OSHA, DOT).
  • Ensure quality standards are consistently met through audits, corrective actions, issue containment, and adherence to defined processes.
  • Manage workforce planning, staffing levels, scheduling, labor deployment, and productivity targets to align resources with demand fluctuations.
  • Monitor variable costs, labor spend, and operational expenses within assigned scope, taking corrective action when needed.
  • Support budgeting, forecasting, and financial reviews by providing accurate operational inputs and cost visibility.
  • Drive cost awareness and financial discipline across Supervisors, Team Leads, and frontline associates.
  • Lead, coach, develop, and mentor Supervisors and front-line teams, including succession readiness.
  • Set clear performance expectations, conduct coaching conversations, and reinforce accountability at all levels.
  • Foster employee engagement, teamwork, and a performance-driven, continuous‑improvement culture.
  • Partner with engineering, continuous improvement, maintenance, quality, transportation, and support functions to improve operational performance.
  • Collaborate with account management and site leadership to ensure operational alignment with customer commitments and service expectations.
  • Participate in customer discussions, business reviews, and site visits as appropriate, focused on operational execution and performance outcomes.
  • All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

  • Education: Undergraduate degree (or higher) in Supply Chain Management, Business, 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.
  • 5+ years' experience in transportation, supply chain, 3PL/contract logistics, manufacturing, or similar operational environments.
  • Demonstrated experience leading Supervisors or multi-level teams in high-volume, complex operational settings.
  • Strong experience using dashboards, KPIs, and operational metrics to drive accountability and improve results.
  • Strong understanding of workforce planning, labor management, productivity measurement, and cost control.
  • Working knowledge of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and reporting/data tools.
  • Experience with LEAN, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or other structured continuous improvement methodologies applied in live operations.
  • Equipment: Ability to safely operate material handling equipment (MHE) such as pallet jacks, dollies, hand trucks, order pickers, pallet riders, conveyors, dock plates, dock levelers, sit-down/stand-up forklifts and reach trucks (with company-assisted certification/training), and/or other specialized MHE as required by the site.
  • Physical Demands: Extensive standing, walking, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, and twisting for 8-12 hours per/shift, with the ability to lift, push, pull, and carry freight up to 50lbs without assistance, with occasional lifting of freight up to 75lbs with assistance or mechanical aids throughout each 8-12 hour shift, multiple times per/week.
  • Environment: Ability to work safely around moving equipment, vehicles, and freight in a non-climate-controlled environment, including frequent exposure to temperature extremes (both hot and cold), occasional outdoor work and/or exposure to precipitation (rain, sleet, snow, etc.), regular exposure to moving equipment, vehicle traffic, exhaust, dust, and moderate to loud noise.
  • 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 occasional travel for related meetings, events, and client

Numbers & Facts

LocationDes Plaines, IL
IndustryTransport and Storage - Materials
Company Size2,500 to 4,999 employees
Year Founded1981
Websitehttps://www.forwardair.com/content/careers-0

About Company

Since 1990, Forward Air has been a leading provider of ground transportation and related logistics services to the North American air freight and expedited LTL market. We offer surface shipping on an accelerated “time-definite” basis, delivering cargo at a specific time, but under less time-sensitive situations – supplying you with a cost effective, reliable alternative to air transportation. We work with companies of all sizes to develop tangible advantages and build the best products to meet your specific needs. Forward Air presents to the wholesale transportation community (logistics companies, freight forwarders, integrated air cargo carriers, passenger/ cargo airlines, and non-traditional shippers), a single-source provider that can deliver more supply chain services and a superior menu of choices. Throughout the years we have added supplementary lines to our linehaul service, such as full truckload operations (Truckload Services), final-mile coverage (Complete® Cartage), and an Airline Logistics program, and we will continue to expand our services to meet the changing needs and growth of our customer base.

Forward Air is structured to optimize both savings and service to our customers. Direct partnerships with owner-operators and other surface transportation providers, enable us to remain cost-competitive. The Forward Air network is designed with over 90 facilities located at or near major U.S. and Canadian airports, 12 regional sort centers and over 300 beyond points (secondary airports provided through our Complete Cartage service), creating one of the most comprehensive linehaul networks in the industry.

The foundation product for Forward Air is our expedited linehaul service, offering consistent and reliable transit and on-time, damage-free deliveries. By locating terminals on or near airports and maintaining a scheduled transportation network, we are able to arrange for convenient and consistent service with broad geographic coverage. Shipments of varying sizes (TL/LTL) are received at our terminals and transported by contracted service providers either (1) on a direct truck to the destination terminal, (2) through our Columbus, Ohio central sorting hub, or (3) through one of our 12 regional hubs, where they are unloaded, sorted, and reloaded in rapid fashion. After reloading the shipments, our contracted service providers deliver them to the destination city for early morning recovery. Through our Forward Air Complete® cartage service, customers also can have shipments picked up from the shipper, delivered to the final consignee, or transferred at the airport, simplifying the freight management processes. These options allow us to maximize handling efficiency of each shipment while minimizing freight loss and damage, improving transit times over traditional ground transportation.

Skills

  • Budgetingunmatched
  • Cargo/Freightunmatched
  • Coachingunmatched
  • Continuous Improvementunmatched
  • Contract Manufacturingunmatched
  • Corrective Actionunmatched
  • Cost Controlunmatched
  • Customer Satisfactionunmatched
  • Database Report Toolsunmatched
  • ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)unmatched
  • Establish Prioritiesunmatched
  • Forecastingunmatched
  • Forkliftunmatched
  • Forklift Licenseunmatched
  • Information/Data Security (InfoSec)unmatched
  • Leadershipunmatched
  • Lean Six Sigmaunmatched
  • Lift/Move 50 Poundsunmatched
  • Loading Dockunmatched
  • Logisticsunmatched
  • Mentoringunmatched
  • Metricsunmatched
  • Microsoft Excelunmatched
  • Microsoft Outlookunmatched
  • Microsoft PowerPointunmatched
  • Microsoft Product Familyunmatched
  • Microsoft Windows Operating Systemunmatched
  • Microsoft Wordunmatched
  • OSHAunmatched
  • Operational Expenditure (OPEX)unmatched
  • Operational Improvementunmatched
  • Operationsunmatched
  • Operations Managementunmatched
  • Operations Planningunmatched
  • Pallet Jackunmatched
  • Performance Managementunmatched
  • Performance Metricsunmatched
  • Performance Reviewsunmatched
  • Physical Demandsunmatched
  • Problem Solving Skillsunmatched
  • Process Improvementunmatched
  • Productivity Managementunmatched
  • Profit & Lossunmatched
  • Purchasing/Procurementunmatched
  • Quality Metricsunmatched
  • Regulationsunmatched
  • Regulatory Requirementsunmatched
  • Reporting Dashboardsunmatched
  • Root Cause Analysisunmatched
  • Safety Complianceunmatched
  • Safety Processunmatched
  • Safety/Work Safetyunmatched
  • Sales Managementunmatched
  • Service Deliveryunmatched
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)unmatched
  • Supply Chainunmatched
  • Supply Chain Managementunmatched
  • Supply Chain Operationsunmatched
  • Team Lead/Managerunmatched
  • Team Playerunmatched
  • Third-Party Logistics (3PL)unmatched
  • Variable Costsunmatched
  • Warehousingunmatched
  • Web Conferencingunmatched
  • WebExunmatched
  • Workforce Managementunmatched
  • Workforce Planningunmatched

Be found by employers

5,500+ employers search our resume database daily. Add yours to get found by recruiters looking for candidates like you.

Level up your application

Professional resume templates

Browse dozens of recruiter approved resume templates, layouts and formats. Choose your favorite and make it your own in minutes.

Free resume templates

Free resume builder

Improve your existing resume or start from scratch and create a standout, ATS-friendly resume. Add job-specific content, download and apply.

Free resume builder