Inventory Control Specialist

Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Inventory Control Specialist supports inventory accuracy and material availability across the Wolcott manufacturing facility. This salaried individual contributor role performs cycle counts, investigates routine inventory discrepancies, maintains accurate inventory transactions, and processes approved adjustments under the direction of the Materials Manager.

The position works with Materials, Planning, Purchasing, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, Quality, and Engineering to reconcile inventory records with physical inventory and identify issues that could affect production. Complex, recurring, or high-value discrepancies are escalated to the Materials Manager and appropriate process owners.

The position requires regular presence on the plant floor, attention to detail, and consistent execution of established inventory-control procedures. The role has no supervisory responsibilities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Inventory Accuracy & Control

• Execute the plant cycle-count schedule using established ABC classifications, count frequencies, reconciliation procedures, and documentation requirements.
• Monitor inventory accuracy across raw materials, work in process, finished goods, line-side inventory, supermarkets, and warehouse storage areas.
• Follow established counting priorities for high runners, repeaters, critical parts, and historically inaccurate materials; recommend changes to the Materials Manager based on count results.
• Research inventory discrepancies using inventory history, production records, bills of material, material movement, scrap, receiving, and shipping transactions.
• Validate physical counts before inventory adjustments are made.
• Coordinate recounts when discrepancies cannot be immediately validated.
• Complete inventory adjustments in accordance with established approval levels and financial controls.
• Identify obsolete, excess, slow-moving, damaged, or unidentified inventory and support disposition through established approval processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve inventory control, material flow, storage, labeling, and point-of-use practices.

Material Readiness & Production Support

• Monitor inventory availability to ensure materials are ready to support the production schedule.
• Identify potential material shortages caused by inventory inaccuracies, transaction issues, misplaced material, or other inventory-control problems.
• Partner with Planning to validate material availability against current and upcoming production requirements.
• Partner with Purchasing to resolve supplier, receiving, quantity, and material availability issues that may affect production.
• Partner with Operations to validate material physically available at the point of use.
• Support material shortage investigation and recovery while maintaining inventory transaction integrity.
• Identify inventory discrepancies that could result in production downtime or schedule attainment issues.
• Escalate material readiness risks in a timely manner.
• Follow established replenishment and inventory-control procedures and report risks to critical and high-runner material availability.

Line-Side Inventory Management

• Maintain line-side inventory accuracy in accordance with established standards and procedures.
• Work with Operations to verify material quantities and follow point-of-use inventory procedures.
• Coordinate weekly counts of high runners and repeaters.
• Follow approved counting frequencies and recommend adjustments based on observed discrepancies.
• Validate line-side inventory discrepancies before adjustments are made.
• Investigate discrepancies associated with material consumption, backflush, scrap, returns, and material movement.
• Support improvements to line-side storage, staging, labeling, and material identification.
• Follow established material return and end-of-shift inventory procedures; report gaps to the responsible supervisor.
• Identify recurring line-side inventory issues and support assigned corrective actions.

Root Cause & Corrective Action

• Investigate routine inventory variances, negative inventory, backflush errors, missed transactions, and physical-to-system mismatches. Gather supporting records and assist process owners with root-cause analysis of complex or recurring issues.
• Recommend corrective actions and complete assigned tasks within agreed due dates.
• Perform follow-up counts and transaction checks to help verify corrective-action effectiveness.
• Escalate overdue or ineffective actions.
• Review inventory reports for trends by part number, product family, location, transaction type, and dollar value; flag recurring issues for review.
• Recommend practical improvements and support approved changes to inventory procedures, labeling, location discipline, and visual controls.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Purchasing

• Communicate inventory issues that may affect supplier requirements.
• Support resolution of supplier-related quantity or receiving discrepancies.
• Identify inventory problems caused by supplier or receiving processes.
• Support material expedites when inventory accuracy is contributing to a shortage.

Planning

• Validate material availability against production requirements.
• Communicate inventory risks that may affect production schedules.
• Support identification and resolution of material readiness issues.
• Provide inventory accuracy information to improve planning decisions.

Operations

• Coordinate physical inventory counts.
• Validate line-side material quantities.
• Investigate consumption, scrap, and material movement discrepancies.
• Follow physical material-control procedures and report noncompliance to the responsible supervisor.
• Support corrective actions related to material handling and point-of-use inventory.

Warehouse

• Investigate warehouse inventory discrepancies.
• Support receiving, putaway, picking, and material movement accuracy through transaction checks and discrepancy reporting.
• Support location and labeling discipline.

Finance / Plant Controller

• Provide documentation supporting inventory adjustments.
• Support physical inventory preparation and reconciliation.
• Ensure appropriate financial controls are followed.
• Support audit requirements.

Quality / Engineering

• Support disposition of unidentified, damaged, obsolete, or nonconforming inventory.
• Partner on BOM, engineering change, substitution, and material-consumption issues when they affect inventory accuracy.

Cycle Counts & Physical Inventory

• Coordinate daily, weekly, and monthly cycle counts without disrupting production or customer shipments.
• Follow approved cycle-count frequencies and provide results to support periodic review.
• Complete scheduled weekly counts of high runners, repeaters, and critical production materials.
• Assist team members with established count methods, material identification, units of measure, and transaction procedures.
• Validate physical counts before inventory adjustments.
• Assist with facility preparation for wall-to-wall physical inventories.
• Support Finance with count controls, reconciliation, documentation, and audit requests.
• Summarize counting results and recommend changes to the Materials Manager for review and approval.

Inventory Adjustment Support

The Inventory Control Specialist will support the Materials organization in maintaining disciplined inventory adjustment practices.

Materials own the inventory adjustment process. Operations are responsible for supporting and validating physical line-side counts, while Materials is responsible for validating the count, investigating discrepancies, and processing approved adjustments.

ERP & Transaction Discipline

• Maintain authorized inventory records, including locations, inventory status, and lot/serial information. Report unit-of-measure or master-data discrepancies to the appropriate owner for review and approval.
• Audit receiving, material issue, transfer, backflush, scrap, return, and shipping transactions for accuracy and timeliness.
• Provide transaction records and count findings to Planning, Purchasing, Engineering, and Operations to support resolution of BOM, routing, substitution, and material-consumption issues.
• Identify transaction errors that contribute to inventory inaccuracies.
• Support ERP, warehouse-management, and material-tracking improvements.
• Serve as a day-to-day resource for established inventory-counting and transaction procedures; escalate policy or complex process questions to the Materials Manager.

Inventory Reporting

Prepare routine inventory reports for the Materials Manager and provide supporting information for plant leadership on:

• Inventory accuracy
• Cycle-count completion
• Inventory adjustments
• Inventory variance trends
• High-value discrepancies
• Repeat discrepancies
• Material shortages caused by inventory issues
• Line-side inventory accuracy
• Material readiness risks
• Corrective-action status

Recommended KPIs

• Inventory Record Accuracy: Improve and sustain accuracy
• Cycle Count Completion: 100% of scheduled counts
• Inventory Adjustment $: Reduce adjustments
• Repeat Discrepancies: Reduce recurring issues
• Material Shortages from Inventory Accuracy: Reduce / eliminate
• High Runner Accuracy: Maintain high accuracy
• Line-Side Accuracy: Improve point-of-use accuracy
• Corrective Action Closure: Close actions on time
• Production Downtime from Material Issues: Reduce / eliminate

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve inventory control and material flow.
• Follow standard work and help document approved procedure updates.
• Participate in Lean and continuous-improvement activities.
• Support approved error-proofing and visual-control improvements.
• Identify unnecessary manual transactions and adjustments and recommend improvements.
• Support improvements to material identification and point-of-use controls.
• Complete assigned improvement actions and report recurring issues.
• Suggest process improvements based on count results and transaction findings.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of two years of inventory control, materials, warehouse, production control, or closely related experience in a manufacturing or warehouse environment.
• Experience performing inventory counts, researching discrepancies, and maintaining accurate inventory records.
• Working knowledge of ERP or inventory-management systems and related inventory transactions.
• Understanding of receiving, transfers, material issues, backflush, scrap, returns, and shipping.
• Working proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including data entry, sorting, filtering, and basic formulas.
• Ability to interpret bills of material, work orders, part-number structures, units of measure, inventory reports, and transaction history.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with production, warehouse, and support teams and escalate issues appropriately.
• Practical analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail.
• High school diploma or equivalent required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with manufacturing ERP/MRP systems, including production-related inventory transactions.
• Experience supporting physical inventory and financial audits.
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma experience.
• Experience using Excel pivot tables and lookup functions for inventory analysis.
• Experience with manufacturing BOMs and backflush processes.
• Experience supporting material shortage resolution and production readiness.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Inventory Accuracy • Attention to Detail • Practical Problem Solving • Follow-Through

Material Readiness • Floor-Level Engagement • Teamwork • Process Discipline

Clear Communication • Timely Escalation • Continuous Improvement

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The position works in both office and manufacturing/warehouse environments and requires regular presence on the plant floor. The employee must be able to walk and stand for extended periods; bend, reach, and access inventory locations; use a computer and standard office equipment; and occasionally lift or move up to 35 pounds.

The employee may be exposed to noise, moving equipment, temperature variation, and other conditions typical of a manufacturing facility. Required PPE and all site safety rules must be followed. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions.

POSITION SUCCESS STATEMENT

The Inventory Control Specialist supports accurate inventory and material readiness by completing scheduled counts, investigating discrepancies, maintaining reliable transactions, and following established controls. Success includes timely escalation of material risks, complete documentation, and effective support of corrective actions that reduce recurring inventory problems.