Senior Logistics Manager
The Senior Logistics Manager is responsible for delivering goods from the warehouse to the customer, including choosing carriers, managing delivery costs and timelines, and handling warehouse operations and returns in e-commerce.
What a Senior Logistics Manager does
The Senior Logistics Manager oversees the entire physical flow of goods: sourcing or receiving from suppliers, warehousing, packing, handover to carriers, and delivery to the end customer. In e-commerce, including high-risk niches with shipping restrictions and marketplaces, this role determines whether orders arrive on time, how much each delivery costs, and how much margin is lost to returns and losses.
In high-risk verticals the role matters more than in regular retail. Some products require special transport conditions and documentation, and carriers or payment partners can quickly tighten requirements or block shipments. Companies hire at the senior level to have one person balance cost, speed and reliability, and to rebuild the chain quickly when a courier is blocked or returns spike.
Structurally, the role usually reports to the Head of Operations or COO. The Senior Logistics Manager leads warehouse and transport managers, works closely with procurement, customer support, finance and assortment management, and sometimes with the risk team when shipments are checked for compliance.
Responsibilities
- Selecting and managing contracts with carriers and fulfillment operators, comparing rates and liability terms.
- Planning delivery timelines by region and shipping SLAs, and monitoring whether promised dates to customers are met.
- Optimizing logistics costs: weight and volume tariffs, shipment consolidation, and negotiating discounts.
- Managing inventory and stock levels together with procurement, forecasting demand for seasonality and promotions.
- Organizing the handling of returns and damaged goods: routes, timelines, disposal decisions and compensation.
- Agreeing shipping conditions for restricted product categories with lawyers and compliance, and preparing accompanying documents.
- Analyzing incidents such as losses, delays, and customs or carrier blocks, escalating them and restoring the chain.
- Building processes and procedures, training and assigning tasks to warehouse and transport managers.
- Preparing management reports on delivery costs, execution quality and bottlenecks.
- Participating in launching new warehouses, regions and sales channels, including entering new countries.
Skills
- Negotiating with carriers and contractors and defending contract terms.
- Understanding order unit economics: how delivery cost affects margin and the acceptable level of returns.
- Systems thinking and the ability to see the whole chain, from supplier to the customer's door.
- Working with data: analyzing delivery times, costs and return reasons by region and carrier.
- Managing several contractors at once and setting priorities during disruptions.
- Building procedures and processes that work without constant managerial oversight.
- Communicating with procurement, support, finance and legal teams in terms they understand.
- Knowledge of transport and storage requirements for specific product categories, and readiness to work under strict restrictions.
- Leading a team through KPI setting and regular feedback.
Tools
- TMS (Transport Management System) or in-house spreadsheets for routes and rates.
- WMS (Warehouse Management System) for tracking stock and warehouse movements.
- ERP or order management system integrated with the e-commerce platform.
- Carrier dashboards and tracking APIs for monitoring shipments.
- BI tools and SQL for reporting on delivery costs and timelines.
- Jira, Trello or similar systems for tasks and incidents.
- Google Sheets or Excel for modeling rates and scenarios.
How performance is measured
- Share of orders delivered on time (On-Time Delivery).
- Average delivery cost per order and its trend by region.
- Share of returns and damaged shipments out of total shipments.
- Percentage of lost or untracked shipments.
- Inventory levels and the share of stockouts or slow-moving stock.
- Response and resolution time for delivery incidents.
By vertical
E-Commerce
In e-commerce the role focuses on delivery costs and returns, which directly affect the online store's margin. Key priorities are integration with the order platform, shipping speed, and managing seasonal peaks such as sales and promotions.
Levels
Senior
A senior is responsible for the overall logistics strategy, not just day-to-day shipments: choosing carriers and warehouses, building processes, making decisions on cost and risk, and being accountable for results to management. Independently leads major projects, such as entering a new region, and manages a team of managers.
How to get there
People usually enter the field from adjacent roles: delivery coordinator, warehouse manager, procurement specialist, or e-commerce support operator. It helps to start in an operational position where you can see real shipping, returns and carrier processes.
Key foundations for growth: understanding the supply chain, being able to calculate order cost, and working with spreadsheets and data. It is worth learning basic SQL, inventory management principles, and common WMS and TMS systems, and understanding how carrier contracts and liability for loss work.
Growth comes from expanding your scope of responsibility: from executing individual processes to managing an entire area, then to building logistics for new countries and channels. Candidates should document their results in numbers, such as cost or time reductions, which carries more weight than any diploma.
Next steps: Head of Logistics, Supply Chain Manager, Operations Director, Head of Operations, Fulfillment Manager
FAQ
How is a Senior Logistics Manager different from a regular logistics specialist?
A regular logistics specialist handles specific shipments and current tasks, while a senior owns the system: carrier selection, costs, warehouse strategy and overall execution quality. They make decisions that affect the company's budget and margin and are accountable for results to management.
What education is needed for this role?
There is usually no formal requirement. Experience in logistics, procurement or operations and an understanding of processes matter more. A relevant degree helps, but in e-commerce employers more often value real results such as lower delivery costs, fewer returns, or launched new routes.
Why does this role need to be separate in high-risk verticals?
Some products have restrictions on transport, storage and shipping, and carriers can suddenly block shipments. This requires constantly finding alternatives and working closely with lawyers and compliance, so companies value an experienced specialist who can rebuild the chain quickly.
What determines income in this position?
Income usually depends on the scale of the business, the complexity of the chain, the number of countries and warehouses, and how directly the role affects margin. Employers also consider experience working with carriers and managing a team.
What matters more to employers: e-commerce experience or traditional logistics experience?
Employers value a combination: an understanding of traditional logistics, such as TMS, tariffs and warehouse processes, along with knowledge of e-commerce specifics, including platform integration and returns management. Experience in only one of these areas often requires additional learning in the other.
Where should I start if I have no logistics experience?
You can start as a delivery coordinator, warehouse manager or order processing specialist at an online store. Gradually learn inventory tracking, carrier management and basic reporting to build the track record needed to move into a senior role.
Looking for a job in the industry?
Post an anonymous resume in our bot — recruiters from iGaming, payments and crypto search it every day.