Inventory Control Specialist

Inventory Control Specialist

The Inventory Control Specialist is responsible for maintaining accurate inventory records for raw materials, packaging, work-in-process, finished goods, and other warehouse supplies within a food manufacturing environment. This role performs scheduled physical inventory counts, researches and resolves discrepancies, updates inventory systems, and helps ensure materials are available, properly rotated, and traceable for production and customer orders.

The Inventory Control Specialist works closely with warehouse, production, quality assurance, purchasing, and logistics teams to support inventory accuracy, food-safety compliance, lot traceability, and efficient operations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform daily, weekly, and monthly cycle counts of raw ingredients, packaging materials, finished goods, work-in-process inventory, and warehouse supplies.
• Verify product quantities, item numbers, lot codes, production dates, expiration or best-by dates, storage locations, pallet counts, and unit-of-measure conversions.
• Enter count results accurately and promptly into the company's ERP, warehouse-management system, or inventory-control software.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies by reviewing receiving documents, production transactions, shipping records, transfers, returns, damaged product reports, and inventory adjustments.
• Coordinate with warehouse and production personnel to identify the root cause of inventory variances and recommend corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate lot tracking and product traceability records in accordance with company procedures, customer requirements, and food-safety standards.
• Verify that inventory is stored in the correct location and follows applicable inventory rotation practices, including FIFO and FEFO.
• Identify and report damaged, expired, short-dated, improperly labeled, quarantined, or nonconforming materials to the appropriate supervisor or Quality Assurance representative.
• Assist with physical inventory counts, audit preparation, inventory reconciliations, and year-end inventory activities.
• Monitor inventory locations for labeling accuracy, organization, product identification, and adherence to warehouse procedures.
• Support inventory holds, recalls, mock recalls, and traceability exercises when required.
• Communicate inventory issues, count variances, and potential material shortages to warehouse leadership, production planning, purchasing, and Quality Assurance.
• Follow all company policies related to food safety, sanitation, personal protective equipment, GMPs, allergen control, employee safety, and quality systems.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work area.
• Operate material-handling equipment, such as pallet jacks, reach trucks, or forklifts, if trained and authorized.
• Perform other warehouse, inventory-control, or operational duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent required.
• 1+ year experience in inventory control, cycle counting, warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, or food production preferred.
• Basic computer proficiency, including data entry, spreadsheets, and inventory-management systems.
• Ability to read, interpret, and accurately record product codes, lot numbers, dates, quantities, labels, and warehouse locations.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to perform repetitive counting tasks accurately.
• Basic math skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and unit-of-measure conversions.
• Ability to identify discrepancies, investigate issues, and communicate findings clearly.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to follow written and verbal instructions, standard operating procedures, and food-safety requirements.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing and warehouse environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using an ERP or warehouse-management systems, such as Microsoft Dynamics Navisphere or similar.
• Experience in a food, beverage, cold-storage, pharmaceutical, or regulated manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with GMPs, HACCP, FSMA requirements, allergen controls, lot traceability, FIFO, and FEFO inventory practices.
• Forklift certification or experience operating powered industrial equipment.
• Experience with barcode scanners, RF devices, handheld terminals, or mobile inventory applications.
• Bilingual English/[Spanish or other language] skills, depending on business needs.

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, climb, and move throughout warehouse and production areas for extended periods.
• Ability to stay productive in a repetitive and detail-oriented role.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to [insert weight, commonly 25–50 pounds] regularly, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to work in varying temperatures, including refrigerated, freezer, dry-storage, and production environments, as applicable.
• Ability to safely navigate around forklifts, pallet jacks, conveyors, racking, and production equipment.
• Willingness to wear required personal protective equipment, which may include safety shoes, hairnets, beard nets, gloves, hearing protection, high-visibility vests, and cold-weather gear.
• Availability to work flexible schedules, including overtime, weekends, holidays, or alternate shifts when business needs require.