Sr. Manager, Transportation & Logistics

Yerba Madre · Oakland · $140,000–$183,800 (stated in the posting)

At Yerba Madre, we’re more than a beverage company—we’re a movement inspired to help people Come to Life. Rooted in the sacred energy of yerba mate, a magical drink like no other, our products are designed to make you feel not just awake, but truly alive. Through a regenerative, circular business model—from sip to seed to shelf—we turn fans into agents of change who give back more than they take. By honoring yerba mate culture, strengthening communities, and restoring the Atlantic Forest, we create a positive impact on both people and planet.

As a company, our core values and fundamental beliefs are guided by these four principles that shape how our company operates:

Alive with Energy: We bring vitality to everything we do

Brave the Unknown: We lead with conviction and unafraid to disrupt

Sacred Service: We lead with care and serve from the heart

Resilient Roots: We grow stronger together a help others do the same

If this resonates with you, we invite you to Come to Life with us.

The Senior Manager, Logistics owns Yerba Madre’s end-to-end logistics function — order review and fulfillment, domestic and international transportation, carrier and 3PL performance, customs coordination, and warehouse governance. The role is accountable for reliable, cost-effective service today while setting the network strategy and multi-year roadmap needed to scale the business.

Reporting directly to the SVP, Global Supply Chain and leading a team of Logistics Specialists, this is a hands-on “player-coach” role. The leader operates with significant independence, sets functional priorities, and makes decisions guided by broad business objectives. Success requires moving fluidly between daily operational problem-solving and forward-looking analysis – staying close to the details to drive execution while building the systems, controls, and capability that let the function scale.

***This role is required to work a hybrid schedule; 3 days a week on-site in our office in Oakland, CA.

How you’ll help:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Order Management & Fulfillment

Own order review, release, and fulfillment execution end to end, ensuring accuracy, on-time performance, and a strong customer experience across channels.
Partner with Sales, Planning and Inventory, and Customer Service to resolve order exceptions, allocation issues, and delivery escalations with urgency.

Transportation & Daily Execution

Direct domestic and international transportation across all modes (sea, rail, FTL, LTL, parcel) for inbound materials and outbound finished goods, meeting service, cost, and compliance targets.
Own carrier sourcing, performance, and annual rate negotiations, including bid events, contract support, and corrective action.
Optimize routing, consolidation, load utilization, and mode selection to reduce freight spend and environmental impact while protecting service.
Partner with customs brokers to ensure compliant, timely import/export activity, documentation, and issue resolution.
Own carrier communication for the freight claims and returns process — providing BOLs, PODs, and supporting documentation — partnering with Accounting and Finance to enable timely resolution and recovery.

3PL & Warehouse Management

Own day-to-day 3PL and warehouse performance through SLAs, scorecards, business reviews, and continuous improvement.
Lead sourcing, onboarding, and operational setup of new 3PL and warehouse partners, including SOPs, systems readiness, compliance, and launch.
Negotiate and review warehouse contracts and rate cards, validate assumptions, and partner with Finance on terms and cost controls.
Partner with the planning function that owns DRP, transfer-order planning, and inventory deployment, providing transportation cost, capacity, and lead-time inputs.

Operational Excellence & Cross-Functional Partnership

Define, standardize, and report logistics KPIs — including OTIF, freight cost per case, claims recovery rate, 3PL SLA attainment, and inventory-in-transit accuracy — to drive transparency and timely corrective action.
Build practical SOPs, controls, escalation paths, and visual management routines that improve consistency, speed, and accountability.
Approve or validate freight and warehouse invoices within authority, reconcile discrepancies, and support Accounting on accruals, refunds, and month-end close.
Identify network risks and lead mitigation plans that protect business continuity, service reliability, product quality, and safety in transit and storage.

STRATEGIC AND LEADERSHIP SCOPE:

Function & Network Strategy

Own and evolve the transportation and network strategy, balancing service, cost, risk, and scalability across a multi-year horizon.
Analyze the distribution footprint to identify opportunities in warehouse location, mode mix, lead time, capacity, and overall cost-to-serve.
Build scenario models and business cases for network changes, capacity investments, partner transitions, and new distribution models.
Own a multi-year logistics roadmap and a pipeline of freight and warehouse cost savings with clear assumptions, financial impact, and realized-benefit tracking.
Support M&A integration, geographic expansion, and emerging fulfillment models; monitor external trends, provider capabilities, and technology, and recommend where to adapt or invest.

Team Leadership

Lead, coach, and develop three Logistics Specialists with clear priorities, decision rights, and measurable goals.
Establish a team operating rhythm that balances daily execution, exception management, and improvement work, and delegate so routine decisions are made at the right level.
Foster a culture of ownership, customer focus, and continuous improvement, with cross-training that builds bench strength.
Lead through ambiguity and organizational change while maintaining team stability, clear communication, and consistent service.

what you’ll provide:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, Analytics, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
8+ years of progressive logistics, transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, or supply chain operations experience, including direct responsibility for carrier and 3PL performance.
People-leadership experience with a demonstrated ability to set expectations, coach, delegate, and drive accountability — while remaining hands-on in a lean environment.
Proven ownership of domestic transportation plus working knowledge of international logistics, customs coordination, and shipping documentation.
Experience with carrier sourcing, freight bid management, rate analysis, contract negotiation, and transportation cost optimization.
Strong analytical and financial acumen — able to interpret KPIs, evaluate tradeoffs, find root causes, and build data-based recommendations and business cases.
Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office skills; experience with ERP and transportation or warehouse systems.
Working knowledge of transportation regulations, claims practices, freight compliance, and product-quality and safety expectations for goods in transit and storage.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience in consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, or another fast-moving, multi-channel environment.
Experience evaluating or redesigning distribution networks, warehouse footprints, or transportation models, including cost-to-serve and scenario modeling.
Experience supporting warehouse launches, 3PL transitions, geographic expansion, M&A integration, or new distribution models.
Experience with NetSuite, transportation management systems, logistics analytics tools, and project platforms such as Smartsheet.
Professional certification such as APICS/ASCM, CSCMP, or Lean Six Sigma.

How you’ll be successful in this role:

Leads the operation and improves the system. Sustains strong execution while continuously improving cost, service, control, and scalability.
Thinks end to end. Connects transportation, order, and warehouse decisions to customer experience, inventory, working capital, and financial outcomes.
Turns data into action. Uses analysis to frame choices, challenge assumptions, recommend a path, and measure results.
Owns outcomes hands-on. Balances urgency with judgment and does the work personally while building team capability for the future.
Communicates for the audience. Translates operational complexity into concise, executive-ready decisions, risks, and recommendations.

TRAVEL & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Approximately 15% travel, including visits to company locations, carriers, warehouses, distribution centers, and business partners. Travel may occasionally be required on short notice.
Ability to perform work at a computer in a climate-controlled office or remote setting for extended periods.
Employees are frequently required to sit, stand, walk, and climb stairs, including during warehouse or distribution-center visits.
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

what we offer:

The pay range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors; actual pay offered may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Sales commissions and/or variable pay plans are also offered depending on the position (ex: monthly, quarterly, annual bonuses). Additionally, we offer a competitive benefits package including top-tier benefits, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, employee life and disability, mental health benefits, paid medical leave, paid company holidays, and paid time off, as well as opportunities for career growth and advancement within our team!

Salary Range

$140,000—$183,800 USD

Yerba Madre—formerly Guayakí Yerba Mate—is the nearly 30-year pioneer of regenerative yerba mate [yer-bah ma-tay] and the category leader in ready-to-drink mate beverages across North America. The name Yerba Madre, meaning “Mother Herb,” is a tribute to Mother Earth and the ancestral wisdom of the Indigenous communities who have cultivated yerba mate for generations —a reflection of the values the brand has championed since day one.

Headquartered in Oakland and Los Angeles, California, Yerba Madre sources organic, shade-grown yerba mate in direct partnership with 255 family farmers and Indigenous communities across Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Using its Market Driven Regeneration™ model, every purchase helps reforest the Atlantic Forest, support fair trade premiums, and build long-term economic resilience for grower communities.

In 2025, the brand became the world’s first yerba mate to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified™ Gold® status——setting a new global standard for ecological integrity, cultural respect, and environmental restoration.

As an original founding member of the B Corp community and a founding member of the Purpose Pledge, Yerba Madre is committed to ethical business practices across ten key pillars, including climate positivity, living wages, circularity, and inclusion. Yerba Madre is available in over 45,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit www.YerbaMadre.com.

Yerba Madre is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

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