Logistics Manager Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
Logistics managers who control freight, service and cost. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
A logistics manager in a manufacturer controls freight in and out, carrier relationships, customer delivery windows, and often shipping and receiving docks. The job changes with the mix: inbound heavy plants must manage raw material and component arrivals, while outbound heavy plants manage finished goods, packaging and customer compliance.
Logistics managers who control freight, service and cost.
A logistics manager in a manufacturer controls freight in and out, carrier relationships, customer delivery windows, and often shipping and receiving docks. The job changes with the mix: inbound heavy plants must manage raw material and component arrivals, while outbound heavy plants manage finished goods, packaging and customer compliance. Employers struggle with hidden cost, such as expedited freight that nobody tracks.
Look for someone who has handled the freight profile you have: full truckload bulk, less than truckload parcels, flatbed for heavy equipment, intermodal or export. A distribution center leader may lack plant knowledge. Title match is thin evidence, so we ask about modes, lanes, carriers, systems and what the candidate negotiated or changed.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Inbound logistics ties to production schedules and supplier terms, so a late truck can stop a line. Outbound logistics ties to customers, packaging standards and bills of lading. Some roles include the shipping dock and its labor, which brings safety and union considerations.
Qualification in practice
We ask for a freight failure and the corrective action. Hazardous material handling, export compliance and customer audits may matter depending on your product. Degrees help, but demonstrated control of freight spend with service results is stronger.
Inbound, outbound and the dock
Inbound logistics ties to production schedules and supplier terms, so a late truck can stop a line. Outbound logistics ties to customers, packaging standards and bills of lading. Some roles include the shipping dock and its labor, which brings safety and union considerations. We ask candidates to describe their dock, who ran it and how they handled a damaged shipment, so that you can see whether they have run operations or only managed paper.
Union and nonunion environments
Where drivers or dock staff are represented, a logistics manager must understand contract language on overtime, scheduling and job classifications. In nonunion settings the manager may have more flexibility but must still manage turnover and safety. We ask which environment the candidate knows and how they handled a dispute, because jumping between the two requires adjustment. Private fleet experience is a separate skill from managing outside carriers.
Running the search
We begin with your freight profile and what hurts today: cost, service, damage or visibility. We then approach logistics managers and senior transportation staff in similar operations, speaking first about modes and systems. We tell you honestly where a candidate is strong in carriers but light on dock leadership. After initial conversations we adjust the profile with you, since freight seldom fits a neat template.
Evidence worth asking for
Ask for a recent carrier failure and what the candidate did on that day and later. Ask how they measured accessorial charges, detention and expedited freight, and who in finance accepted the numbers. Ask how customers reacted to a change in carrier. A seasoned manager speaks with detail about lanes, contracts and exceptions. A person who only cites a savings percentage usually has not owned the day to day service.
Transferability limits
Managing parcel and small shipment programs is not the same as arranging oversize loads, bulk tankers or temperature controlled freight. Customer compliance rules also differ by sector. We identify which freight types the candidate has really handled, and where learning would be needed, before you meet them.
Transport and product integrity
For a logistics manager, quality responsibility includes preserving product identity and condition through handoffs. We discuss damage controls, lot traceability and temperature requirements where applicable, and ask who had authority to release a questionable shipment rather than simply meeting the dispatch target.
Need a Logistics Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
Candidates work in manufacturers with heavy shipping, in third party logistics providers serving industrial customers, and in distribution operations tied to manufacturing. Many come from transportation coordinator or traffic roles inside plants, promoted into management. Some come from carriers or brokers and know the market from the other side.
Where they work now tells us their TMS experience, whether they handled customs and how many carriers they managed.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Why fit is difficult. A good manager measures it, finds the cause and negotiates carriers without hurting service. Responsibilities behind the title. A parcel specialist will not know oversize loads, and a bulk specialist will not know customer retail routing guides.
- Why fit is difficult. A good manager measures it, finds the cause and negotiates carriers without hurting service.
- Responsibilities behind the title. A parcel specialist will not know oversize loads, and a bulk specialist will not know customer retail routing guides.
- Qualification in practice. We look for modes and lanes managed, carrier count, TMS and ERP integration, cost reduction method, on time performance measures, and whether they led staff or only worked solo.
The search
How the search runs?
Look for someone who has handled the freight profile you have: full truckload bulk, less than truckload parcels, flatbed for heavy equipment, intermodal or export. A parcel specialist will not know oversize loads, and a bulk specialist will not know customer retail routing guides.
Agree the brief
Look for someone who has handled the freight profile you have: full truckload bulk, less than truckload parcels, flatbed for heavy equipment, intermodal or export. A parcel specialist will not know oversize loads, and a bulk specialist will not know customer retail routing guides.
Approach relevant people
Candidates work in manufacturers with heavy shipping, in third party logistics providers serving industrial customers, and in distribution operations tied to manufacturing. Many come from transportation coordinator or traffic roles inside plants, promoted into management.
Qualify the work and support the hire
We ask for a freight failure and the corrective action. Hazardous material handling, export compliance and customer audits may matter depending on your product.
Need a Logistics Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about Logistics Manager searches?
Need a Logistics Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your Logistics Manager search?
Need a Logistics Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$107,230 annual national median for SOC 11-3071 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a Logistics Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this Logistics Manager hire?
Sometimes: They know the market well but need to show they can manage inside a plant and its schedule. A logistics manager in a manufacturer controls freight in and out, carrier relationships, customer delivery windows, and often shipping and receiving docks.
Does TMS experience matter?
If you use one, yes. We ask what the candidate configured and what savings or visibility followed.
Can a broker or carrier employee do this job?
Sometimes: They know the market well but need to show they can manage inside a plant and its schedule. A logistics manager in a manufacturer controls freight in and out, carrier relationships, customer delivery windows, and often shipping and receiving docks.
How do you assess carrier negotiation?
We ask for the lane, the baseline, the service terms and what finance accepted. We avoid relying on a single savings figure.
Does export experience matter?
Only if you ship abroad. Then we ask about documentation, brokers and denied or delayed shipments.
How is the search fee agreed?
The fee is a percentage of first-year base salary, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need a Logistics Manager? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
Do you recruit transportation managers separately?
We treat it as a related search. The key is whether the role includes warehouse and dock leadership.
What should you know before sending logistics manager?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.