Inventory Controller - External Vendors

Inventory Controller - External Vendors

The Inventory Controller - External Vendors is responsible for overseeing all virtual vendor inventory balances and transaction activity across systems and external vendor manufacturing locations, with a focus on loose stone (diamond, gemstone, pearl) inventory supplied for production. This role serves as the central control point for inventory visibility, reconciliation, and integrity, ensuring inventory outcomes are accurate, validated, and aligned with financial reporting and audit requirements. The Inventory Controller owns the end-to-end validation and reconciliation of inventory positions, ensuring discrepancies are investigated, documented, and resolved to closure. By developing a comprehensive understanding of the processes and cross-functional activities that drive inventory transactions, this role drives collaboration and accountability to maintain inventory accuracy, minimize discrepancies and loss, and ensure sustained audit compliance.

Key Accountabilities

Virtual Vendor Inventory Control & Visibility

• Own end-to-end visibility and control of inventory positions across all virtual vendor locations, ensuring alignment between operational, system, and financial records
• Track and validate inventory movement, including transfer transactions between internal systems and vendor locations, ensuring full traceability and transaction integrity
• Oversee vendor branch inventory (e.g., TIFCOMP, SSTOCK), including ad hoc counts and validation activities
• Manage vendor loss requests and execute inventory adjustments in compliance with control standards
• Partner with Diamond & Gem Supply Planning to monitor safety stock levels and coordinate replenishment actions
• Identify and escalate risks impacting inventory accuracy, discrepancies, and loss, ensuring adherence to SOX, CODC, and internal control requirements

Inventory Reconciliation, Audit & Discrepancy Closure

• Own end-to-end reconciliation of inventory balances between internal systems and vendor-reported inventory
• Prepare reconciliation outputs supporting financial reporting and audit validation, ensuring results are accurate and approval-ready
• Consolidate discrepancy findings and validate inventory impacts, leveraging root cause analysis provided by the Diamond & Gemstone Operations Analysts
• Troubleshoot and resolve Work Order status 94 (WO94) issues impacting inventory alignment 40%
• Drive timely resolution and closure of discrepancies and develop variance explanations and adjustment recommendations for Management review

Inventory Control Enhancement & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Identify control gaps and transaction integrity risks impacting virtual vendor inventory
• Translate reconciliation findings into targeted inventory control enhancements to reduce discrepancy risk and improve transaction integrity
• Develop a holistic understanding of cross-functional processes (Planning, Operations, Product Development, IT, etc.) that drive inventory transactions, ensuring control alignment across inputs
• Partner cross-functionally (Finance, IT, Planning, Operations, USGDC, PD, IDP) to embed control requirements and improve end-to-end transaction flow
• Monitor control effectiveness and provide visibility into risks, trends, and improvement actions to Management

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, or related field)
• 5+ years of experience in inventory control, audit, finance, or supply chain operations, with demonstrated ownership of reconciliation and control processes
• Strong experience with inventory reconciliation and discrepancy resolution; or audit support and control frameworks (e.g., SOX, CODC)
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to understand complex transaction flows across systems and processes
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and experience working with ERP systems (e.g., JDE or equivalent)
• Demonstrated ability to partner cross-functionally and influence stakeholders across Operations, Finance, IT, Planning, and Product teams
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to connect operational details to inventory outcomes and control requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting or leading inventory audits, cycle count programs, and variance investigations
• Familiarity with stone, component, or product-level, multi-location inventory management in a manufacturing or supply chain environment
• Exposure to process mapping or end-to-end workflow analysis across multiple functions
• Lean / Six Sigma or continuous improvement experience

The hiring range for this position ranges from $108,000 - $127,500. The rate of pay offered will be dependent upon candidates' relevant skills and experience.