Inventory Manager

Position Summary
The Inventory Manager owns the physical and system-of-record accuracy of inventory across raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, packaging, and consumables, working in partnership with the Director of Supply Planning to keep the business in stock without carrying excess. This role establishes and maintains min/max levels, safety stock, reorder points, and inventory targets, and drives down excess and obsolete inventory while improving inventory turns and working capital.

The Inventory Manager maintains bills of materials (BOMs) and component requirements, calculating material demand from the production schedule so components arrive ahead of scheduled production and downtime from shortages is prevented. The role also owns warehouse material flow end to end receiving, storage, staging, and replenishment, improving warehouse organization and space utilization, maintaining FIFO/FEFO rotation where appropriate, and running the cycle-count program that underpins inventory accuracy.

Key Responsibilities

1. Demand Planning Support

• Compile actual vs. forecast depletion reporting.
• Supports the rolling 12-month demand forecast by brand, product family, and SKU.
• Supports building the weekly/monthly SKU-level sales forecast with Sales & Account Management.
• Supports tracking forecast accuracy / bias (MAPE) and corrective actions.
• Supports maintaining seasonality, holiday, and 4/20 / Green Wednesday demand assumptions.

2. Cultivation & Production Supply Planning

• Schedules packaging/manufacturing runs (flower, pre-rolls, extraction inputs).
• Supports maintaining yield-per-plant/yield-per-square-foot assumptions and grade mix (A/B/smalls).
• Supports allocating biomass between flower sales, pre-rolls, and extraction/bulk wholesale.

3. Inventory Management & Control

• Maintains day-to-day accuracy of finished goods, WIP, and bulk biomass inventory, including packaging inventory.
• Runs cycle counts and full physical inventories; reconciles variances.
• Investigates and documents shrink, loss, and adjustment root causes.
• Manages lot/batch traceability, expiry, and FEFO rotation.
• Manages quarantine, failed-test, hold, and destruction inventory queues.
• Owns warehouse slotting, bin/location structure, and storage-condition compliance.
• Reports inventory KPIs: turns, days-of-supply, fill rate, accuracy %, shrink %, write-offs.
• Supports setting and maintaining safety stock, reorder points, and target days-of-supply by SKU.
• Supports monitoring aged, slow-moving, and at-risk inventory; markdown/remediation plans.
• Supports reconciling inventory valuation and COGS inputs with Finance/Accounting.

4. Procurement & Materials Planning

• Plans packaging, label, jar/bag, and pre-roll component requirements (MRP).
• Plans cultivation inputs: nutrients, media, IPM, and consumables.
• Issues and expedites purchase orders; tracks supplier lead times and OTIF.
• Manages inbound receiving, PO-to-receipt matching, and invoice discrepancies.
• Supports planning wholesale purchases of third-party biomass/distillate to fill supply gaps.

5. Compliance & Seed-to-Sale Traceability

• Ensures state track-and-trace (Metrc/BioTrack) records match physical inventory.
• Logs compliant waste/destruction events and required hold periods.

6. Systems, Data & Reporting

• Maintains item setup, barcodes, and pricing/cost fields in the system of record.
• Writes and maintains SOPs / work instructions for planning and inventory processes.
• Supports ERP/seed-to-sale system master data: SKUs, UOM, BOMs, lead times.
• Supports the supply planning model and dashboards.
• Supports the weekly supply/demand review pack and S&OP materials.
• Supports system implementations, upgrades, and integration testing.

7. Leadership, Finance & Cross-Functional

• Trains warehouse and cultivation staff on counting, labeling, and handling procedures.
• Supports the S&OP / weekly supply-demand meeting.
• Supports department KPIs, goals, and continuous-improvement roadmap.
• Supports coordination with Sales, Cultivation, Production, Compliance, and Finance leads.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Logistics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3–5 years of inventory management, warehouse, or supply chain experience.
• Direct experience with inventory management systems; cannabis industry experience with Metrc strongly preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of cycle counting, reconciliation, and lot/batch traceability practices.
• Proficiency with Excel and ERP/inventory platforms.
• Working knowledge of NJ cannabis regulatory requirements (N.J.A.C. 17:30) or ability to learn quickly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in a licensed cannabis cultivation or manufacturing operation.
• Familiarity with Metrc and ERP systems commonly used in the cannabis industry.
• Experience supporting cycle-count programs and inventory valuation/COGS reconciliation with Finance.
• APICS/ASCM (CPIM) certification or equivalent supply chain credential.

Core Competencies

Operational Rigor
Drives accuracy and discipline across inventory, compliance, and reporting processes.

Attention to Detail
Catches discrepancies early and keeps records precise across systems.

Analytical Thinking
Uses data to set stock targets, spot variances, and identify efficiencies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Works closely with the Director of Supply Planning, Cultivation, and Finance.

Regulatory Fluency
Maintains full traceability and audit-readiness under CRC requirements.

Process Improvement
Identifies opportunities to tighten inventory processes and reduce shrink.

Physical Environment
Work is performed primarily in a warehouse and cultivation environment. May require standing, walking, and lifting up to 40 lbs, as well as exposure to varying temperatures, humidity, and plant material within licensed production areas. Reasonable accommodations will be made in accordance with applicable law.

Pay: $90,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person