Carrier Relations Specialist

Build Your Career with Ashley Furniture- Where Innovation Meets Comfort

Who We Are

At Ashley, inspiring the love of home is at the heart of everything we do. As the world’s largest manufacturer of home furnishings, we’re more than a business — we’re a family driven by innovation, competitiveness, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. We persevere through challenges, push beyond the status quo, and constantly seek better ways to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Our solutions-first mindset and dedication to growth are why Ashley remains #1 in our industry.

If you’re ready to grow, you’ve come to the right place. With a true “Growth Mindset,” Ashley Furniture invests in developing future leaders and helps every team member learn from the best in the business.

If you are a current Ashley employee: Please login to your UKG account and apply using the internal job board.

Summary

The Carrier Relations Specialist is responsible for building and maintaining strategic relationships with transportation providers to ensure a reliable, compliant, and cost-effective freight network. This role serves as the primary liaison between the company and its carrier partners, driving carrier performance, supporting capacity growth, resolving service issues, and ensuring alignment with operational and customer service expectations. The Carrier Relations Specialist collaborates closely with transportation, distribution, procurement, and customer service teams to optimize network performance and support business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for carrier inquiries, escalations, and performance management discussions.
• Conduct weekly business reviews with an assigned portfolio of carriers to monitor key performance indicators, including on-time delivery, tender acceptance, communication responsiveness, and overall service execution.
• Lead quarterly carrier business reviews and communicate performance expectations, improvement opportunities, and strategic initiatives.
• Source, evaluate, onboard, and qualify new carriers to expand and strengthen the transportation network.
• Partner with transportation and operational teams to understand capacity requirements and identify carrier solutions that support evolving business needs.
• Ensure carriers maintain compliance with company policies, customer requirements, insurance standards, safety regulations, and applicable transportation laws.
• Collaborate with transportation operations teams to address service failures, shipment disruptions, capacity constraints, and network challenges.
• Analyze carrier scorecards, performance trends, and transportation data to identify opportunities for operational improvement.
• Develop and manage corrective action plans for carriers that do not meet established service or compliance standards.
• Work cross-functionally with procurement, transportation, customer service, and distribution center teams to ensure seamless freight movement and customer satisfaction.
• Monitor transportation market conditions, carrier capacity trends, and industry developments that may impact network performance.
• Support strategic initiatives focused on transportation optimization, carrier development, service improvement, and cost containment.
• Assist with special projects and other duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 2 to 5 years of experience in transportation, logistics, carrier management, freight brokerage, or supply chain operations.
• Strong understanding of transportation modes, including truckload (TL), less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, and distribution networks.
• Experience using Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and logistics reporting platforms.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and other business software applications.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret performance metrics and provide actionable recommendations.
• Ability to effectively respond to transportation disruptions and operational issues in a time-sensitive environment.
  
  

Additional Qualifications, Preferred

• Experience managing carrier performance measurement programs and scorecards.
• Knowledge of DOT regulations, FMCSA compliance requirements, and transportation safety standards.
• Experience supporting carrier procurement, sourcing, or contract negotiations.
• Familiarity with freight audit and payment processes.
• APICS, CSCMP, CLTD, or other supply chain certifications preferred.
  
  

Work Environment

This position is located in a climate-controlled office environment with standard lighting and moderate noise levels typical of professional workspace settings. The role primarily involves sitting at a desk for extended periods while working with computers, phones, and other office equipment. The collaborative environment includes interaction with team members and may require attendance at meetings, conference calls, and cross-departmental communications during regular business hours.

Benefits We Offer

• Health, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off; increases with years of service
• Generous Employee Discount on home furnishings
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Tuition Assistance
• Ashley Wellness Centers (location specific)
• 401(k) and Profit Sharing
• Life Insurance
  
  

Our Core Values

• Honesty & Integrity: Acts with transparency, discretion, and ethical judgment. Trusted to handle sensitive information and provide accurate, unbiased insights.
• (Dirty Fingernail: Takes full accountability for outcomes, not just tasks. Inspects details, ensures data accuracy, and follows through to completion.
• Continuous Improvement: Actively seeks better ways to improve templates, tools, and processes. Learns from prior initiatives and embeds lessons into standard work.
• Growth & Results Focus: Understands how transformation initiatives drive growth, cost reduction, and profitability. Keeps work aligned to enterprise priorities.
• Culture of Leadership: Leads through influence, reliability, and example. Builds trust across functions and supports leaders at every level.
• Customer-Centric & Boundaryless: Works across silos for the greater good of the organization. Ensures outputs meet the needs of executives, initiative owners, and teams.
• Operational Excellence: Demonstrates strong organizational discipline, attention to detail, and the ability to translate ambiguity into clear, executable tools.
  
  

About

Interested in learning more about Ashley Furniture’s Community Engagement programs, Environmental Stewardship, or our Core Values, click the links below:

Corporate Social Responsibility

View Our Corporate Brochure

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and provide a drug-free working environment. While Ashley appreciates the interest of all candidates only those meeting specific position requirements may be contacted. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment. The company reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Notice to Search Firms: We are not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms. We will not pay any placement, referral or other fees to any search firms unless we have agreed otherwise in a valid, written agreement for the specific position posted and signed by an authorized representative of Ashley Furniture Industries.

• Please note this position is not eligible for current or future employment sponsorship. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or at any time in the future.