What Does An Inventory Controller Do?

WHAT DOES AN INVENTORY CONTROLLER DO?

Published: Oct 21, 2025 - The Inventory Controller leads the improvement of P&L forecasting, inventory KPI monitoring, and cost analysis to enhance business transparency and financial performance. This role ensures accurate inventory accounting, reporting, and compliance through continuous process optimization and effective stakeholder collaboration. The controller also supports strategic decision-making by providing insightful variance analysis, financial reporting, and implementation of contractual and operational improvements.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Inventory Controller

1. Hotel Inventory Controller Duties

Inventory Management: Oversee inventory and supply chain management according to company guidelines.
Team Training: Train team members in all aspects of inventory management and provisioning operations.
Operations Coordination: Coordinate the operational relationships between ships, supply chain, and logistics.
Process Improvement: Develop and implement improvements to existing operating procedures to maximize efficiency.
Inventory Auditing: Manage critical inventory audit tasks to ensure the correct number of items are in stock and the frequency of inventory counts.
Purchase Analysis: Analyze hotel purchasing orders before they are sent to purchasing, make adjustments based on research, and provide ship management with an explanation.
Stock Monitoring: Monitor onboard usage as well as stock movement (slow/fast-moving items).
Provision Management: Manage provisioning for ships in liaison with the storing schedule.
Cost Control: Establish and maintain standards for consistent cost control for all hotel, food, and beverage items.
Order Management: Ensure all orders placed via the supply chain are submitted promptly following the storing schedule and order due dates.
Procedure Monitoring: Monitor ship upkeep procedures such as the FIFO system, Public Health, stock control, and stock levels.
Item Standardization: Liaise with the operations department on the standard item specification list for all approved items and update the standard item list (C.T. deactivation of items).
HR Coordination: Work in coordination with the H.R. department on assignments.
Financial Integration: Integrate with Finance and Supply Chain to facilitate effective voyage reporting.
Special Duties: Fulfill any special duties assigned by the Director of F&B Operations and Housekeeping.

2. Inventory Controller Details

Inventory Coordination: Working closely with the Supplying sites and Transport providers to ensure continuity and prioritisation of inventory requirements
Safety Promotion: Encouraging and promoting Pepsico Australia’s Health and Safety Policy within the workplace by ensuring attainment of the safety KPIs
Stocktake Management: Assisting in the management and execution of stocktake (internal and external), POS stocktake and damages reporting including posting, reconciliation variance analysis and consolidation of supporting documentation
Transaction Processing: Ensuring timely and accurate processing of inventory discrepancy transactions on SAP (Including returns) with the correct approvals
Transit Management: Manging Daily stock In Transit and set priority of warehouse unload activities
Shipment Follow-up: Follow up with DC Manager and/or freight service provider / 3rd party warehouse to expedite shipments
Inventory Reporting: Monitoring and reporting all matters of site Inventory including Low code/Out of stock/Transit and availability to ensure colleagues can make informed decisions to benefit business goals
Quality Control: Executing QA / HOLD procedure ensuring accurate system control, documentation and physical isolation of all QA / HOLD inventory
Food Safety: Knowledge and adherence to all Food Safety Processes and procedures
Supplier Relations: Develop strong relationships with local and international suppliers
Launch Coordination: Working closely with packaging suppliers and NPD to coordinate product launch
Process Improvement: Brining a continuous improvement mindset to the business to identify efficiencies

3. Inventory Controller Responsibilities

Inventory Leadership: Responsible for leading, monitoring and maintaining flight fastener inventory per NASA-STD-6008: NASA fastener procurement, receiving inspection, and storage practices for spaceline
Document Collaboration: Collaborate with Materials and Processing (M&P) to create and maintain fastener-related Standards and Process spec documents
Inventory Monitoring: Monitor and maintain current inventory levels, assess replenishment needs, and analyze frequent reporting by creating tools and processes for forecasting, identifying shortages and excess material
Inventory Control: Responsible for leading inventory analytics, controlling day-to-day inventory operations, and implementing inventory control protocols
Material Handling: Responsible for performing complex physical or administrative tasks involved in the receiving, storing, distributing and shipping of materials, parts, supplies and equipment
Goods Inspection: Unpack, check and document goods received
Data Entry: Enter information into Oracle
Shipping Operations: Pack and ship items using appropriate tools (containers, machinery, and packing materials such foam and popcorn)
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure documentation complies with regulations
Project Support: Support projects for fabrication and test of all mechanical and electrical ground support equipment
Engineer Interface: Interface with Section Manufacturing Engineers (ME’s), cognizant or research engineers and supply materials per their request
Technical Expertise: Advanced understanding of both general and detailed aspects of job, as well as practical applications to problems and situations ordinarily encountered

4. Regional Inventory Controller Job Summary

Merchandise Availability: Ensuring optimum availability of merchandise in all stores
Inventory Management: Responsible for stock turns through optimum inventory management in terms of Stock cover
Stock Scheduling: Responsible for scheduling of Stock to Store and to shelves
Sales Monitoring: Ensuring Productivity through monitoring and driving sale through
Stock Forecasting: Forecasting stock requirement based on current, past sales trends
Process Compliance: Following all processes and SOPs required to ensure availability
Sales Planning: Planning timely availability of merchandise to maximize sales during Events, Promotions, New Launches, etc
Transit Clearance: Responsible for regular Goods In Transit clearance of Inter Territory stocks
Damage Control: Accountable for timely clearance of Damages, Replacements and Repairs
Inventory Accuracy: Maintaing error free inventory through control checks and following procedures to correct negative inventory, Perpetual counts, Stock takes, etc.
Stock Scheduling: Responsible for timely schedule and posting of Half yearly store wall to wall stock take
Stock Verification: Regular checking of zero sold and negative stocks

5. Regional Inventory Controller Accountabilities

SKU Review: Review of slow moving SKUs and suggest liquidation offers and plans
Quality Check: Responsible for quality check of new arrival and providing feedback of the same
Sales Analysis: Close monitoring of SPD at SKU level and providing analytical inputs to the Sales team to maximize sale
Display Guidance: Responsible for guiding store for correct display and highlight the violations to RCBH
Item Launch: Ensuring proper launch/ replenishment of new items
Replenishment Monitoring: Responsible for monitoring of Min-Max for correct replenishment
COD Control: Ensuring all pending COD is below 90 days
Loss Prevention: Responsible for loss preventation through restricting shrinkage and damages within the norms
Process Adherence: Monitoring all IN and OUT process adherance at stores to reduce and control technical shrinkage
Staff Training: Training store IC, sales staff interms of product handling to control and reduce damages
Cycle Counting: Review and Monitor inventory through cycle counts
Damage Clearance: Responsible for ensuring timely damage segregation, repair and clearance

6. Logistics Inventory Controller Functions

Inventory Oversight: Oversee inventory and supply chain management according to company guidelines
Inventory Control: Perform critical inventory tasks to ensure the correct amount of items are in stock
Discrepancy Resolution: Investigate and correct discrepancies in reported quantities and locations of all inventories
Order Monitoring: Monitor delivery schedule and customer orders
Productivity Analysis: Assess inventory output on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to identify trends in productivity
Record Maintenance: Maintain updated and accurate records of inventory, including transfers and cycle counts
Schedule Review: Review operations schedules and production requirements to ensure timely order fulfilment
Expiry Management: Check date-sensitive products for expiration and facilitate removal or transfer of product
Quality Tracking: Track rates of accuracy, purchase and return as well as defective items to inform quality control decisions
Report Preparation: Prepare, generate, and file inventory reports, review reports monthly with management
Claims Handling: File claims when defective products are discovered
Capacity Management: Location Capacity control, allocating the locations- monthly reporting of the location capacity
Part Planning: Plan for Every part (PFEP) ensuring each part number min/max control is in place

7. Inventory Controller Job Description

Customer Communication: Ensures that regular and consistent communication takes place with both internal and external customers
Request Management: Acknowledges and addresses requests received via phone, email or company systems daily
Time Management: Manages own time and resources to achieve identified objectives, is diligent in meeting all communicated/defined deadlines
Task Monitoring: Monitors and updates tickets/tasks/activities assigned to them in company CRM
Shipment Processing: Performs the daily process of receiving and receipting shipments
Shelf Organization: Keeping shelves stocked and organized and system inventory counts accurate
Material Storage: Maintains the storing of materials in the warehouse, ensures that all products that move in and out of the warehouse are recorded accurately
Labeling Compliance: Ensuring both product storage and labeling align with efficient warehouse operations
Goods Release: Monitors the staging and release of goods from the warehouse
Field Assistance: Assists all field personnel needing and checking out product from the warehouse
Data Accuracy: Ensures that inventory records and data is kept accurate
Order Processing: Processes purchase orders to ensure the receipt of the correct product and quantity as defined
Return Management: Ensures the processing and timely return and credit of RMA’s to their appropriate vendor/customer
Credit Coordination: Works with purchasing to ensure the credit of any charges are made back to the company and its applicable project
Issue Communication: Communicates any non-credit/returns to Division/Department manages

8. Inventory Controller Overview

Material Coordination: Communicate with operations to ensure the material needs of the business network are satisfied in accordance with inventory control, purchasing and customer requirements
Supplier Management: Maintain preferred suppliers list, supplier contract management and purchase orders
Price Negotiation: Negotiate favourable trading terms and pricing with suppliers
Product Evaluation: Review, compare, analyse, and approve products and services for purchase
Asset Control: Identify and implement asset/inventory control measures
Stock Control: Ensure stock control and stocktake procedures are in place over multiple locations
Availability Management: Own the stock availability metric at both warehouses, ensuring that constrained supply products are shared between the sites for best availability everywhere
Stakeholder Relations: Build and maintain strong and effective relationships with key internal stakeholders, ensuring that at the forefront of latest thinking around short term demand trends across all channels
Demand Analysis: Analyse total demand against sell-in forecast to flag any immediate stockholding risks to Supply Planning as well as significant sales over forecast at SKU and category level
Forecast Planning: Help build monthly forecast and activity forecasts to share with the DCs to allow 3PLPs to resource plan and execute requirements on time and to budget
Inventory Accuracy: Working closely with the Global Inventory Controller, discover innovative methods to ensure continual improvements to regional inventory accuracy
Loss Minimization: Work to minimise stock losses ensuring all adjustments are recorded with accurate root cause assigned and within acceptable tolerances
Count Management: Manage and report on the annual inventory counts for both warehouses in the region

9. Inventory Controller Details and Accountabilities

Inventory Management: Manage and maintain the company’s material and stocked product inventory including stock profiles and stock locations (future)
Stock Control: Manage and control perpetual inventory stock counting/inventory accuracy checks
Overstock Reduction: Minimize overstocks and removal of obsolete/redundant raw material to maximize availability of working capital
Material Readiness: Ensure materials are ready and available for production
Material Follow-up: Ensure that any materials that are late or holding up production for whatever reason are chased and followed up until received
Performance Reporting: Provide routine management information on inventory performance
Cost Monitoring: Monitor and evaluate consumables usage and costs
Material Evaluation: Monitor and evaluate material utilization and scrap
Process Documentation: Write and maintain accurate written procedures for all main inventory control processes and functions
Stocktaking Assistance: Responsible for assisting and running planned stock takes
Cycle Checking: Perform cyclic stock checks
Data Verification: Check and adjust shop floor data collection data
Work Order Control: Ensure work orders are correct and fully completed and that all stock has been allocated to the job correctly
System Integrity: Ensure integrity and accuracy of the stock management system
Daily Reporting: Produce daily reports to ensure key critical areas of the stock system are controlled and any discrepancies addressed and resolved
Error Resolution: Manage control measures to ensure mistakes, inaccuracies and discrepancies are highlighted, addressed and resolved

10. Inventory Controller Tasks

Product Receiving: Receive and check products in line with requirements of the Enterprise Requirements Planning (ERP) system, processing deliveries ensuring that parts, batches and quantities are accurate in conjunction with delivery documentation
Order Dispatch: Accurately pick, pack and despatch shipments to internal and external customers
Transaction Updating: Accurately update transactions onto the ERP for items picked
Material Feeding: Support Line Feed of materials direct to the Production floor
Safety Compliance: Adhere to department Health and Safety
Customer Communication: Work and interact with suppliers, customers and all internal CMR customers ensuring clear communication
Stock Counting: Carry out stock counts in line with management guidance
Site Assessment: Perform basic quality and hygiene assessments (3PL's) during site visits
Inventory Checking: Conduct daily perpetual inventory counts and spot checks as directed by the Operations/Contract Manager
Anomaly Investigation: Investigate and reconcile any anomalies highlighted from these checks
Report Presentation: Present findings and rationale in a concise manner
Procedure Adherence: Work with warehouse personnel to ensure adherence to contract procedures

11. Inventory Controller Roles

Stock Accuracy: Ensure stock accuracy is maintained in the system (M3)
Discrepancy Resolution: Investigate and resolve all anomalies in terms of both physical and system based stock discrepancies
Rotation Compliance: Ensure stock rotation processes are strictly adhered to in all 3PL facilities, supported by robust tracking and reporting procedures
Return Coordination: Liaise with 3PL warehouse personnel to ensure the timely and accurate administration/processing of all trade returns
Stock Verification: Conduct independent stock checks to verify 3PL cyclic stock-takes
Obsolete Reporting: Regular reporting on slow-moving/obsolete lines with appropriate escalation
Expiry Monitoring: Close monitoring and proactive escalation of all short-dated product
Master Accuracy: Maintain the accuracy of all products in the Item Master
Inventory Flow: Oversee the flow of inventory in and out of the storage center
Stock Counting: Control perpetual inventory counting and periodical stock takes
Daily Reporting: Produce daily reports to ensure that critical areas of the inventory system are controlled and discrepancies are addressed and resolved
System Accuracy: Ensure accuracy of Inventory stock system (Netsuite) with physical records
Job Allocation: Ensure that inventory items are accurately allocated to job sheets

12. Inventory Controller Additional Details

Finance Partnership: Establish finance as a true ‘business partner’
Business Integration: Integrate finance into the business and provide real value through the provision of quality, timely and accurate information, highlighting issues and trends
Budget Coordination: Coordinate process and prepare Budget and Forecasting, in agreement with Company recommendations/instructions and deadlines
Analytical Support: Provide full financial and analytical support to the management on a wide range of business analysis
Cost Accuracy: Ensure accuracy on management control and costing information in the system of the site, particularly on Inventory evaluation
Performance Analysis: Key contact of Operations leaders supporting KPI’s determination and analysis of Industrial performances
Price Management: Transfer price determination and intercompany flows support
Team Leadership: Efficiently lead, motivate and encourage colleagues
Purchase Forecasting: Forecast and identify merchandise purchase needs
Inventory Management: Inventory management across eCommerce and Retail stores
Supplier Negotiation: Partner with Retail Manager to negotiate with suppliers on costs, delivery times and distribution of shipments
System Support: Provide support for other users for cloud-based, integrated digital supply chain platforms

13. Inventory Controller Essential Functions

Forecast Improvement: Leading the consistent improvement of the P&L Forecasting and Planning process together with Countries and Functions
Performance Analysis: Responsible for analysis and presentations to provide transparency on business performance to Top Management
Inventory Analysis: Develop, improve inventory KPI monitoring, profit and deviations analysis whilst also supporting management with ad-hoc inventory and COGS analysis
Process Development: Ensure continuous development of reporting tools and processes, including identifying improvement opportunities (e.g., process efficiency/simplification) and executing changes
Accounting Management: Manage accounting operations for Inventory/Cost Accounting and support Revenue Recognition
Month-End Support: Support month-end closing and preparation of monthly financial statements
Variance Analysis: Provide analysis and commentary of drivers behind variances, month to month vs. prior year, and forecast and budget
Variance Review: Review price or stock variances and present to management with recommended actions
Best Practices: Shares best practices across global finance team, e.g., process improvements, financial modeling and procedures changes
Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborates with Stakeholders like Managers to explain results, make improvements, manage projects, identify inefficiencies, understand operations and lead the development of complex analysis
Inventory Reconciliation: Reconcile all physical inventory and maintain accuracy in transactions and records for all inventory and perform the financial audit on an annual basis
Contract Support: Support management in the process of inventory purchasing contracts negotiation
Contract Management: Manage the implementation of all contractual terms

14. Inventory Controller Role Purpose

Cycle Management: Managing and completing cycle count plans and strategies
SKU Support: Supporting set up of new SKU’s and end of life products
Inventory Reporting: Providing regular reports on inventory accuracy and trends
Issue Resolution: Working closely with other warehouse team members to resolve day to day inventory issues
Operational Audit: Conducting regular operational audits on inbound and pick and pack tasks to identify compliance issues and improvement options
Storage Coordination: Coordinating management of dangerous good storage
Quarantine Management: Maintenance and processing of quarantine areas
Team Training: Provide training and guidance to warehouse teams on inventory strategies and processes
Process Development: Develop and communicate work processes and improvement plans
Register Maintenance: Managing and updating SDS registers

15. Inventory Controller General Responsibilities

Inventory Monitoring: Review and monitor inventory levels and incoming demands ensuring sufficient stock levels are held for each of contracts enabling supply to NHS service users
Price Maintenance: Ensure all supplier pricing records are updated and maintained within internal systems
Shortage Prevention: Identifying potential stock shortages and prioritizing orders and deliveries with suppliers to address
Order Creation: Purchase order creation and submission to suppliers in line with company processes
Delivery Expediting: Expediting and modifying delivery dates within internal systems for overdue purchase orders
Trend Analysis: Identifying trends and making recommendations to internal stakeholders for performance improvements
Stock Reporting: Reporting and managing redundant and slow-moving stock by utilizing stock levels within the whole business and completing product transfers
Product Support: Supporting new product introductions, product reviews, supplier transactions
Invoice Resolution: Supplier invoice query resolution for invoices not completing 3-way match
Return Management: Managing supplier returns and ensuring associated supplier credits are processed
Stakeholder Support: Support with internal and external stakeholders queries

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