Logistics Analyst

PURPOSE:

The Rail Freight Analyst is responsible for managing rail transportation pricing, procurement, routing, waybill data integrity, and carrier relationships to support the organization's transportation strategy. This position serves as the subject matter expert for rail freight operations, including railroad negotiations, rate management, rail routing, EDI transaction monitoring, waybill validation, and network analysis. The role works closely with Sales, Customer Service, Transportation, Supply Chain, and railroad partners to ensure accurate pricing, reliable transportation execution, data integrity, and continuous cost optimization. Responsibilities align with rail quoting, route management, waybill validation, carrier procurement, and EDI oversight processes described in internal rail operations documentation.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Negotiate rail freight rates, contracts, and service agreements with Class I and short-line railroad carriers to support business objectives and cost reduction initiatives.

Develop and provide rail freight quotes to Sales, Customer Service, and business stakeholders for new and existing customer opportunities.

Lead railroad Request for Quotation (RFQ) activities, including bid solicitation, carrier analysis, comparison of proposals, and award recommendations.

Analyze rail transportation markets, lane activity, and freight volumes to identify optimization and cost-saving opportunities.

Maintain railroad pricing, tariff rates, contract rates, and freight agreements within transportation management and pricing systems.

Create, maintain, and optimize rail transportation routes, ensuring routing accuracy, proper carrier selection, transit time validation, and compliance with operational requirements.

Validate the accuracy and completeness of rail waybill data, ensuring proper routing, station identification, rate application, billing accuracy, and compliance with railroad requirements.

Monitor and maintain EDI 404 transaction integrity between internal systems and railroad partners, ensuring accurate transmission of shipment, routing, and billing information.

Investigate and resolve EDI failures, data discrepancies, mapping issues, transmission errors, and waybill exceptions to minimize service disruptions and billing inaccuracies.

Analyze trends in rail billing discrepancies, EDI exceptions, and waybill errors and implement corrective actions to improve process performance.

Partner with Information Technology, Customer Service, Transportation, and railroad representatives to support system enhancements, EDI integration improvements, and data governance initiatives.

Develop and maintain reporting and analytics related to rail spend, freight volumes, route utilization, and procurement activities.

Support transportation budgeting, forecasting, network analysis, and strategic planning initiatives through detailed freight and market analysis.

Create and maintain standard operating procedures, work instructions, training materials, and process documentation related to rail freight operations.

Serve as the primary rail transportation subject matter expert and provide guidance to internal stakeholders regarding rail pricing, routing, waybilling, EDI transactions, and carrier requirements.

Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.

REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCES:

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Transportation, Finance, or related field, or equivalent experience.

3+ years of experience in transportation, logistics, freight procurement, railroad operations, or transportation analytics.

Experience with railroad pricing, carrier negotiations, freight procurement, or rail transportation management.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data management skills.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and transportation reporting tools.

Excellent communication, organizational, and stakeholder management skills.

PREFERRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCES:

Experience with SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) or similar transportation systems.

Knowledge of rail waybill processes, railroad billing practices, and EDI 404 transactions.

Experience leading transportation RFQs and carrier sourcing events.

Experience with transportation data governance, master data management, and process improvement initiatives.

SKILLS:

Railroad Rate Negotiation

Rail Pricing & Quoting

Rail Route Management

Rail Waybill Validation

EDI 404 Transaction Management

Data Integrity & Governance

Carrier Relationship Management

RFQ Administration

Supply Chain Optimization

Transportation Management Systems

Continuous Improvement

Project Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration