Global Freight Procurement & RFQ Lead

Duration 6 months

Onsite - Wotton, Surrey

The Global Freight Procurement & RFQ Lead will be responsible for completing a full diagnostic review of Azenta’s global freight spend, carrier base, freight forwarding arrangements, courier/parcel activity, commercial terms and service performance.

This role is expected to challenge current freight purchasing and transportation arrangements, identify cost and service improvement opportunities, and take the business out to market through a robust RFQ/RFP process.

Working closely with Operations, Procurement, Finance, Sales, Customer Service and regional stakeholders, the role will evaluate existing and potential freight providers across relevant transport modes and geographies. The output will be a clear recommendation pack for leadership, outlining provider options, commercial benefits, service-level improvements, implementation considerations, and the recommended global freight strategy.

Scope clarification: This contract is focused on freight spend and transportation provider sourcing only. It does not include a review of current contracted 3PL warehousing, fulfilment or site operating arrangements, which will be managed as a separate review due to existing contractual commitments.

Key Contract Deliverables

Complete global freight spend baseline, including cost drivers, lanes, shipment volumes, modes, service levels, surcharges and contractual terms.

Identify quick-win freight cost reduction and service improvement opportunities across current transportation arrangements.

Build and run a structured RFQ/RFP process covering relevant freight forwarders, parcel/courier providers, carriers and specialist transport providers.

Create an objective supplier evaluation model covering cost, service, coverage, compliance, technology, risk and implementation capability.

Present recommended freight provider options and a global transportation solution that supports cost reduction, better service levels and future business growth.

What You'll Be Doing

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Map current global freight activity, carriers, freight forwarders, parcel/courier providers, lanes, volumes, shipment profiles, modes, Incoterms dependencies and operating requirements.

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Analyse freight spend across regions, business units and providers to identify savings opportunities, avoidable costs, rate leakage and process inefficiencies.

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Evaluate current freight provider performance against cost, delivery reliability, responsiveness, quality, claims, customer impact, geographic coverage and scalability.

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Benchmark current pricing, rate cards, accessorial charges, fuel mechanisms, surcharges and freight terms against the external market.

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Develop the RFQ/RFP strategy, supplier longlist, data pack, bid requirements, scoring criteria and timeline.

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Engage the market to identify freight providers capable of delivering a stronger global transportation solution across priority lanes and regions.

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Lead supplier Q&A, bid clarification, commercial comparison, operational assessment and final evaluation.

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Build a clear business case showing cost savings, service improvements, risks, assumptions, implementation complexity and expected benefits.

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Recommend preferred freight provider options and a transition roadmap, including contract, implementation, governance and performance management considerations.

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Partner with Procurement, Operations, Finance, Sales, Customer Service, Compliance and regional teams to align recommendations with business needs.

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Define ongoing freight supplier KPIs, reporting cadence and governance process to ensure savings and service improvements are sustained.

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Provide regular progress updates, risks, issues and decision points to the Senior Director, Global C&I Operations.

What You'll Bring

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Strong experience in freight procurement, logistics sourcing, transportation management, carrier management or supply chain cost reduction projects.

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Proven track record of running freight RFQ/RFP processes from data preparation through supplier evaluation, negotiation support and recommendation.

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Strong commercial and analytical capability, with the ability to interpret freight spend, rate structures, surcharges, service data and operational requirements.

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Good understanding of international freight, carrier networks, freight forwarders, parcel/courier providers, customs touchpoints and global transport operating models.

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Ability to benchmark pricing and service levels, identify cost reduction opportunities and translate analysis into a practical business case.

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Experience developing supplier scorecards, KPI frameworks, evaluation matrices and executive-level recommendation packs.

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Confident stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work across Operations, Procurement, Finance, Sales and regional teams.

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Strong project management capability, comfortable managing a fast-paced six-month review with clear milestones and deliverables.

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High proficiency in Excel and data analysis; experience with Power BI, ERP/TMS data or freight audit tools would be advantageous.

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Clear communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex freight options in a simple, evidence-based way for senior decision makers.

Nice to have

Experience in a global, multi-site manufacturing, life sciences, healthcare, technology or regulated operating environment.

Direct experience sourcing parcel, courier, air, ocean, road, express and/or specialist freight services.

Experience negotiating with freight forwarders, carriers, parcel providers and specialist transport organizations.

Knowledge of international trade, customs requirements, temperature-controlled or high-value shipments would be beneficial