Now Hiring - Grane Transportation - Manager of Carrier Sales in Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Full description of the position

Manager of Carrier Sales Location: Oakbrook Terrace, IL Department: Carrier Sales Company: Grane Logistics Express (GLX) Position

Overview

The Manager of Carrier Sales is responsible for leading, developing, and scaling a high-performing carrier sales organization that delivers consistent capacity, disciplined pricing, and reliable service execution. This role blends strategic leadership with hands-on carrier procurement, maintaining direct oversight of daily load coverage while coaching the team to build durable, relationship-driven carrier partnerships. This position owns carrier strategy, margin performance, and execution standards while fostering a competitive, accountable culture focused on growth, consistency, and service excellence.

Essential Duties

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Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the carrier sales team through clear expectations, daily feedback, and structured skill development.
• Establish a high-output, performance-driven culture centered on accountability, ownership, and proactive communication.
• Set performance targets, manage daily and weekly reviews, and drive continuous improvement across the team.
• Identify talent gaps, mentor high-potential reps, and support succession planning as the team scales. Carrier Network & Procurement Strategy
• Build, expand, and maintain a reliable network of core carriers across key lanes and regions.
• Develop and execute strategic capacity plans aligned with customer mix, seasonal trends, and margin objectives.
• Drive repeat carrier utilization to stabilize costs, reduce spot exposure, and improve service consistency. Daily Operational Execution
• Oversee daily load coverage to ensure service reliability, on-time performance, and proactive issue management.
• Support and coach the team through complex negotiations to achieve targeted margin performance.
• Monitor carrier performance, compliance, safety ratings, and insurance qualification standards. Market & Business Intelligence
• Maintain a strong pulse on market conditions, lane pricing, capacity shifts, and seasonal volatility.
• Communicate actionable market intelligence to sales, operations, and leadership to influence pricing and strategy.
• Leverage data to identify inefficiencies, improvement opportunities, and emerging carrier partnerships. Issue Resolution & Escalation
• Serve as the primary escalation point for service failures, late trucks, claims, or carrier disputes.
• Partner cross-functionally with operations, customer sales, and leadership to remove execution barriers and improve workflows.
• Drive root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions to prevent repeat issues.

Requirements

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Qualifications

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in carrier sales, freight brokerage, or transportation operations.
• 2+ years of leadership experience managing carrier sales, brokerage, or operations teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Logistics, or a related field preferred. Skills
• Strong leadership, coaching, and performance management capabilities.
• Proven success in carrier procurement, rate negotiation, and relationship development.
• Excellent communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.
• Working knowledge of carrier compliance, FMCSA regulations, and insurance requirements. Attributes
• Competitive, solutions-oriented, and accountability-driven.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
• Thrives in fast-paced, evolving market conditions and embraces ownership.

Compensation

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Benefits

• Base Salary: $65,000-$80,000 plus performance-based incentives
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and life insurance
• High-growth environment with clear advancement opportunities
• Open-door, performance-driven culture focused on results and continuous improvement Job Type: Full-time Pay: $65,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits

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• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance Work Location: In person