How to hire a global transportation manager

How to hire a global transportation manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step global transportation manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a global transportation manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new global transportation manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a global transportation manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A global transportation manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, global transportation managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents global transportation manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Global Transportation Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Global Transportation Manager		$16-43
   Traffic Operator	A Traffic Operator coordinates all logistic shipments and associated operations. You will be required to oversee all payments and credit negotiation demands within traffic management... Show more	$11-25
   Terminal Manager	Terminal managers are professionals who are responsible for managing workers and direct dispatching activities of logistics vehicles. These managers are required to develop relationships with corporate and operational departments so that they can ensure the company logistics standards are met... Show more	$26-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Direct Reports
   • Performance Metrics
   • LTL
   • Global Logistics
   • International Transportation
   • Freight Payment
   • KPI
   • Forwarders
   • Global Markets
   • Customs Brokers
   • Cost Savings
   • Global Transportation
   • Cost Reduction
   • Lean Six Sigma

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Negotiate rates and master service agreements with carriers, forwarders, and customs brokers and then manage the implementation worldwide.
   • Manage inventory of inbound ocean containers, coordinate and schedule TL operations, supervise yard hostlers and manage outbound trailer traffic.
   • Work with Solvay procurement to negotiate combine LTL spend.
   • Create process controls, inventory, delivery, quality KPI's and multiple department cycle time measurements.
   • Supervise a platoon of truck drivers, assist company commander as executive officer of a logistics company, command a logistics company
   • Supervise a platoon of truck drivers, assist company commander as executive officer of a logistics company, command a logistics company

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your global transportation manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A global transportation manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, global transportation managers' average salary in north dakota is 46% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level global transportation managers earn 62% less than senior-level global transportation managers.
   • Certifications. A global transportation manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a global transportation manager's salary.

   Average global transportation manager salary

   $55,498yearly

   $26.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level global transportation manager salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 6, 2025

4. Writing a global transportation manager job description

   A job description for a global transportation manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a global transportation manager job description:

   Global transportation manager job description example

   Minimum qualifications:
   
   + Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, or equivalent practical experience
   
   + 10 years of experience in Global Transportation activities including Air, Ocean, Ground, and Parcel
   
   + Experience managing global organizations and influencing across multiple functional teams with success across vendor management
   
   + Ability to travel up to 50% of the time
   
   Preferred qualifications:
   
   + Experience with spreadsheets and presentation software, VISIO, or other project tools
   
   + Experience in Technology by creating and developing capabilities across TMS and other tools to track, trace, and optimize transportation needs
   
   + Experience with defining, developing, and documenting business processes and procedures
   
   + Ability to thrive in a fast-paced business environment with frequent and rapid priority changes
   
   + Experience with exceptional time management, resource management, and persuasion skills
   
   + Excellent critical thinker with exceptional communication, discussing, analytical, project management, and customer service skills
   
   Google's projects, like our users, span the globe and require managers to keep the big picture in focus. As the Head of Global Transportation at Google, you will lead complex, multi-disciplinary operations and projects. You will design, build, and implement capabilities and plan requirements with internal customers and usher projects through the entire value chain (Inbound and Outbound). This includes managing operations and project schedules, identifying risks and clearly communicating goals and needs to project stakeholders. Your responsibilities often span offices, time zones and hemispheres, and it's your job to keep all the players coordinated on operations and project's progress and deadlines.
   
   Our Transportation Operations team actively manages the freight network for all the technical infrastructure data centers around the world in a dynamic, fast changing environment. Our team excels in vendor management, project execution, technology integration, and strategic relationship management with all stakeholders. Key results include freight optimization, savings, network deployment lead time, and in-transit inventory. As a Head of Global Transportation, you will facilitate all fast-paced transportation capabilities and projects to integrate technology, partners, operations across all modes (e.g., Ground, Air, Ocean) globally. You are dependable, highly motivated and have a can-do attitude to get the job done.
   
   Behind everything our users see online is the architecture built by the Technical Infrastructure team to keep it running. From developing and maintaining our data centers to building the next generation of Google platforms, we make Google's product portfolio possible. We're proud to be our engineers' engineers and love voiding warranties by taking things apart so we can rebuild them. We keep our networks up and running, ensuring our users have the best and fastest experience possible.
   
   + Create and manage transportation capabilities and operations based on business requirements and present status reports to major stakeholders and internal teams.
   
   + Track strategic and execution tasks, understand permit process, transit times, and driver curfews and cost management to build scale, flexibility and efficiency.
   
   + Develop risk management and business continuity plans and proactively escalate risk and delays associated with global operations.
   
   + Conduct benchmarking and optimization of transportation needs on pricing, job specs, and load volumes and execute invoicing and cost procedures.
   
   + Lead and partner for Data and Analytics requirements.

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5. Post your job

   To find global transportation managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any global transportation managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level global transportation managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your global transportation manager job on Zippia to find and recruit global transportation manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit global transportation managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new global transportation manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the global transportation manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new global transportation manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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