WHAT DOES AN INVENTORY ASSISTANT DO?

Published: Oct 23, 2025 - The Inventory Assistant monitors and maintains accurate inventory levels by tracking orders, recording purchases, and reconciling physical counts with system data. This role supports daily operations through receiving, processing, and distributing goods while ensuring proper documentation and payment handling. The assistant also assists in training staff and volunteers, contributing to efficient workflow and customer service within the department.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Inventory Assistant

1. Production Inventory Assistant Duties

  • Team Collaboration: Maintain a professional work environment that fosters a collaborative team spirit with respect for each individual
  • Equipment Operation: Perform safe operation of material handling equipment for the purpose of receiving, sorting, counting, tagging, picking, locating, relocating, and delivering materials with accuracy, including warehouse supplies and materials
  • Document Management: Match Bill of Lading (BOLs) and fill out master receiving and shipping logs
  • Inventory Reconciliation: Assist in the reconciliation of inventory, load discrepancies, and packaging
  • Quality Inspection: Perform proper inspection, tagging, and identification of all incoming material during receipt
  • Record Keeping: Maintain and update accurate records of assigned inventory, handle related paperwork, and follow departmental procedures, managing, performing, and reconciling cycle counts
  • Inventory Management: Standard inventory management procedures and develop necessary reports to facilitate accurate inventory counts including records of all audits, counts, and adjustments
  • Data Correction: Conduct searches to locate products within the system and adjust records when there are discrepancies
  • Process Improvement: Take steps to correct and prevent discrepancies and make recommendations for process improvements
  • Warehouse Organization: Arrange the warehouse in an organized fashion, efficient for finding, receiving, and counting, including rearranging and inventory of bulk ingredients and other materials
  • Production Preparation: Prepare staging locations for brewing and packaging operations, tagging all materials in staging locations that are aligned with the production schedule
  • Safety Maintenance: Keep warehouse areas clean, contributing to a safe and orderly working environment
  • Technical Learning: Continue his/her education to fill gaps in technical knowledge

2. Inventory Assistant Details

  • Order Processing: Receive and check incoming pick tickets
  • Product Location: Locate products using technology
  • Order Accuracy: Retrieve orders according to quantity, size, etc., ensuring accuracy
  • Pallet Building: Build pallets with orders and position them at the loading docks
  • Order Wrapping: Wrap orders before loading on trucks
  • Inventory Restocking: Re-stock inventory manually or with warehouse equipment
  • Record Keeping: Keep records of completed orders
  • Equipment Maintenance: Maintain equipment and report on malfunctions
  • Safety Compliance: Adhere to health and safety policies and quality standards
  • Order Receiving: Receive orders coming in by inspecting and reconciling items to the paperwork
  • Document Handling: Copy packing lists, determine the location, and place where they can be found
  • Data Updating: Update electronic components to track activity and help manage ETA timelines
  • Inventory Tracking: Submit location movements and tagged items to the Purchasing Manager
  • Cycle Counting: Perform cycle counts, reconcile to books, and relay adjustments to Accounting
  • Shipping Coordination: Coordinate initial shipping setup of parts for sales and/or returns
  • Warehouse Organization: General organization and cleanup of plant areas to maximize ease and availability
  • Inventory Auditing: Take part in the year-end physical inventory counts

3. Inventory Assistant Responsibilities

  • Data Entry: Processes all data entry in a timely fashion, ensuring that on-hand quantities of supplies are as accurate as possible at all times
  • Inventory Reporting: Runs daily “out of stock” report, checks significant discrepancies, and makes appropriate adjustments immediately
  • Requisition Processing: Processes all custom requisitions within the established time frame
  • Document Editing: Edits requisitions to ensure all items used by a given department are included on each requisition
  • Issue Resolution: Researches custom requisition issues as they arise, and ensures appropriate communication with the customers
  • Schedule Management: Receives, enters, prints out and prepares the daily OR schedule
  • Data Analysis: Compiles and analyzes data retrieved from the Central Processing and Distribution inventory control computer system
  • Process Recommendation: Makes appropriate recommendations to user departments based on the same and informs the supervisor of pertinent changes
  • Order Management: Manages all faxed orders and other correspondence faxed to the department, ensuring orders are processed within the established time frame and all other material is dispersed appropriately
  • Policy Compliance: Incorporates Lahey Clinic Guiding Principles, Mission Statement and Goals into daily activities
  • Regulation Adherence: Complies with all Lahey Clinic Policies
  • Behavioral Standards: Complies with behavioral expectations of the department and Lahey Clinic
  • Customer Interaction: Maintains courteous and effective interactions with colleagues and patients
  • Customer Service: Demonstrates a commitment toward meeting and exceeding the needs of customers and consistently adheres to Customer Service standards
  • Quality Improvement: Participates in departmental and/or interdepartmental quality improvement activities

4. Inventory Assistant Job Summary

  • Paperwork Verification: Verifies paperwork with the total of totes from DC
  • Truck Unloading: Unloads product from the truck
  • Product Sorting: Separates products by lot numbers and expiration dates
  • Order Reconciliation: Verification of NDC and Qty of each item and reconciles against PO
  • Document Filing: Proper filing and maintenance of all DC receipts and Purchase Order paperwork
  • Product Scanning: Use of handheld scanner application to scan, receive and reconcile incoming product, keying in quantities
  • Inventory Auditing: Assists with annual physical inventory
  • Performance Reporting: Log and report total put-away lines per hour, total items received
  • Date Checking: Performs monthly date check sweeps for short-dated and expired products
  • Discrepancy Resolution: Researches PO discrepancies, initiates cycle count and maintains error logs
  • Policy Compliance: Complies with all appropriate policies, including DSCSA
  • Product Rotation: Rotation of product, attention to detail, reporting damaged product
  • Returns Processing: Assist with the reverse logistics credit returns program
  • Shipment Coordination: Maintaining records, preparing and scheduling shipments
  • Safety Maintenance: Maintain a safe and efficient workspace and proper protocols for maintaining a safe working area

5. Inventory Assistant Accountabilities

  • Inventory Reconciliation: Ensure stock levels between the 3PL warehouse and SAP are correct and reconciled
  • Warehouse Coordination: Liaise with the warehouse operations
  • Report Generation: Generate and action goods in reports
  • Query Handling: Handle email and telephone queries coming into the department
  • Inventory Management: Undertake all routine daily Inventory activities for books and journals
  • Returns Processing: Facilitate pack make-ups, pack break-downs and vendor returns
  • Allocation Support: Executes day-to-day allocation activities, supports replenishment activities
  • Data Analysis: Analyzes to support inventory strategy (e.g., hold and flow, multiple shipments)
  • Sales Optimization: Utilizes analysis tools to increase sales, maximize inventory turn, and minimize markdowns
  • Forecast Support: Support the Inventory Manager to gather key inputs for demand forecasting and inventory optimization
  • Inventory Allocation: Allocate fashion inventory through central fulfillment based on need
  • Replenishment Forecasting: Support In-Season replenishment forecasting, identify inventory risks and opportunities
  • Process Improvement: Support identifying opportunities for improvement in allocation and replenishment processes

6. Inventory Assistant Functions

  • Data Entry: Add equipment into the inventory software with a high level of accuracy
  • Equipment Testing: Test and troubleshoot returned equipment for redeployment
  • Inventory Organization: Replenish, maintain and organize inventory stock and warehouse
  • Shipment Receiving: Receive and verify delivery shipments against packing slips daily
  • Stock Monitoring: Perform daily/weekly checklists to check stock levels and ensure in-stock minimums
  • Shipment Preparation: Prepare shipments for delivery
  • Inventory Auditing: Perform warehouse audits for inventory accuracy
  • Order Fulfillment: Review and fulfill inventory requests through in-house software
  • Task Prioritization: Prioritize multiple assigned tasks
  • Cross-Department Collaboration: Work closely with various departments to determine problems/solutions

7. Inventory Assistant Job Description

  • Material Handling: Performs tasks at the lab involving receipt, organization and shipment of materials, supplies and donor samples
  • Equipment Operation: Operates material handling equipment such as automated carriers, pallet jacks, hand trucks, conveyers, compactors and forklifts
  • Equipment Maintenance: Participates in mandatory equipment training and performs inspections and routine maintenance on equipment
  • Inventory Documentation: Receives, verifies and documents receipt of materials, supplies and specimens on logs/computerized inventory management system
  • Issue Resolution: Troubleshot and investigated all inbound and outbound sample shipment delays
  • Storage Organization: Organizes materials, supplies and specimens in appropriate storage areas
  • Inventory Distribution: Inspects, stocks, and distributes inventory materials
  • Shipping Management: Maintains shipping records and prepares materials to be shipped to other locations
  • Safety Compliance: Follows safety regulations, Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) rules, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

8. Inventory Assistant Overview

  • Goods Receiving: Receipting incoming goods, ensuring details are matched against the purchase order/invoices
  • Discrepancy Resolution: Investigating any discrepancies and managing communications with suppliers
  • Supplier Coordination: Working with suppliers to ensure efficient delivery schedules
  • Goods Sorting: Sorting incoming goods to facilitate delivery and receipting into various inventory locations across the hospital, ensuring stock requiring cold storage is dealt with appropriately
  • Inventory Replenishment: Replenishing the inventory units located around the hospital
  • Invoice Scanning: Scanning invoices into the system to facilitate review and approval
  • Shelf Restocking: Restocking shelves and stock management of the site staff uniforms
  • Storeroom Maintenance: Ensure the storeroom is kept in a clean and tidy condition and stock can be easily located
  • Cycle Counting: Assisting in cycle counting and year-end stocktake
  • Purchasing Support: Assist the Purchasing team on other daily tasks, including training to support other duties including placing orders and financial month-end tasks
  • Workflow Coordination: Assisting the purchasing team to ensure workflow is seamless and covering for the team during peak times
  • Stock Optimization: Assisting the purchasing team to ensure optimal stock levels in the hospital
  • Safety Compliance: Maintaining all OH&S regulations in the work area

9. Inventory Assistant Details and Accountabilities

  • Warehouse Supervision: Assist the Manager with the daily monitoring and supervision of all warehouse activities
  • Team Management: Supervise workers' daily job tasks
  • Meeting Coordination: Conduct a morning daily toolbox meeting
  • Interdepartmental Communication: Work closely and communicate with the internal department to efficiently and effectively for daily issues and follow up
  • Container Handling: Outgoing containers loading and incoming unloading activities
  • Document Generation: Generate outgoing packing list
  • Goods Packaging: Arrange and pack outgoing goods
  • Logistics Support: Arrange and provide logistical support for meeting customers’ collection activities
  • Customer Assistance: Support customer on-site destruction activities (e.g., HDDs crushing / degausser activities)
  • Inventory Documentation: Work closely with Marketing for all closing GRNs requirements
  • Reporting Accuracy: Summarize and aim to clear off all the monthly GRN’s cut-off and closing dates
  • Waste Management: Arrange the woods and general waste disposal

10. Inventory Assistant Tasks

  • Inventory Monitoring: Monitors and maintains current inventory levels
  • Order Tracking: Tracks orders and investigates problems
  • Inventory Reconciliation: Records purchases, maintains database, performs physical count of inventory, and reconciles actual stock count to computer-generated reports
  • Goods Receiving: Receives, unpacks, and delivers goods
  • Invoice Processing: Processes and/or approves invoices for payment
  • Returns Management: Processes and documents returns following established procedures
  • Clerical Support: Performs routine clerical duties, including data entry, answering telephones, and assisting customers
  • Cash Handling: Serve as a cashier and handle cash and cash-related payments
  • Staff Training: Lead, guide, and train staff/student employees, interns, and/or volunteers performing related work
  • Volunteer Recruitment: Participate in the recruitment of volunteers for the area of operation
Relevant Information
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