How to hire an inventory analyst

How to hire an inventory analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step inventory analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an inventory analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new inventory analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an inventory analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the inventory analyst you need to hire. Certain inventory analyst roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an inventory analyst to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an inventory analyst that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of inventory analysts.

   Type of Inventory Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Inventory Analyst	Operations research analysts use advanced mathematical and analytical methods to help organizations investigate complex issues, identify and solve problems, and make better decisions.	$20-38
   Co-Operations Internship	Co-operations interns perform various tasks for an organization. These include troubleshooting computer issues for employees, updating the documentation on internal troubleshooting, and designing and performing clerical tasks such as data entry and making telephone calls... Show more	$13-24
   Operational Risk Analyst	An operational risk analyst is responsible for evaluating the company's operational processes and policies and identify procedures that pose risks for the business. Operational risk analysts strategize techniques to minimize financial loss and prevent operational hazards that may cause delays in operation and affect the quality of deliverables... Show more	$28-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Supply Chain
   • Customer Service
   • Logistics
   • Purchase Orders
   • Inventory Control
   • Manage Inventory
   • Cycle Counts
   • Strong Analytical
   • ERP
   • Data Entry
   • Pivot Tables
   • Corrective Action
   • Data Analysis
   • MRP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage vendor compliance and EDI contacts; set up new vendors and monitor EDI data flow.
   • Manage inventory procurement through MRP software.
   • Manage production and non-production stockrooms to ensure that inventory FIFO exceed industry standards.
   • Manage inventory levels by running bi-weekly MRP reports by identifying and validating purchasing requirements.
   • Collect, document, monitor, and review inventory data for accuracy and timeliness within an ERP SL system.
   • Analyze inventory transactions within ERP system.

   More inventory analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your inventory analyst job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An inventory analyst can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, inventory analysts' average salary in montana is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level inventory analysts 48% less than senior-level inventory analysts.
   • Certifications. An inventory analyst with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an inventory analyst's salary.

   Average inventory analyst salary

   $58,944yearly

   $28.34 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level inventory analyst salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2026

   Average inventory analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$74,995	$36
   2	New Jersey	$67,867	$33
   3	Virginia	$66,153	$32
   4	New York	$65,587	$32
   5	Oregon	$64,972	$31
   6	North Carolina	$61,741	$30
   7	Illinois	$60,302	$29
   8	Massachusetts	$60,253	$29
   9	Ohio	$60,071	$29
   10	Texas	$58,385	$28
   11	Arizona	$56,187	$27
   12	Colorado	$55,541	$27
   13	Missouri	$51,984	$25
   14	Indiana	$48,871	$24
   15	Wisconsin	$48,780	$23
   16	Florida	$48,505	$23
   17	Iowa	$48,295	$23
   18	Minnesota	$47,643	$23
   19	Nebraska	$47,004	$23
   20	Georgia	$46,342	$22

   Average inventory analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Intel	$86,861	$41.76	12
   2	GoPro	$86,798	$41.73
   3	Boston Scientific	$73,900	$35.53	5
   4	Nike	$72,011	$34.62	13
   5	Quaker Houghton	$71,388	$34.32
   6	Emerson	$70,478	$33.88
   7	Motorola Solutions	$70,466	$33.88	7
   8	RH	$70,457	$33.87	7
   9	Celanese	$69,475	$33.40
   10	Dell	$69,281	$33.31
   11	Gap Inc.	$69,033	$33.19
   12	Mindtree	$68,923	$33.14
   13	Estée Lauder	$68,682	$33.02
   14	Netgear	$68,298	$32.84
   15	Globus Medical	$67,948	$32.67	9
   16	DICK'S Sporting Goods	$67,645	$32.52
   17	CJ America	$67,566	$32.48
   18	Xerox	$66,974	$32.20	10
   19	Castle Metals	$66,510	$31.98
   20	Pactiv	$66,398	$31.92	2

4. Writing an inventory analyst job description

   An inventory analyst job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an inventory analyst job description:

   Inventory analyst job description example

   The Career Potential
   
   Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is committed to improving and saving lives with diagnostics. To do this we hire people who share this dream and are ready for new adventures. As a valued team member, you will carve your own career path and be part of building this company stronger and better than ever before. There is no limit to the experiences, opportunities and new directions you will have access to here at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. More importantly, you will be driving the surge of a whole new direction in important medicine. That's something we can all take pride in as we take this journey together.
   
   Ortho is known in the industry as a leader in customer service and support. Deeply understanding and exceeding the needs of our clinical lab, hospital and blood bank customers is what we do. It's who we are. If you join Ortho, no matter what your role, you will be expected to keep that Customer Excellence focus in your work.
   
   The Opportunity
   
   As the company continues to grow, we are seeking an Inventory Analyst. This position is accountable for managing assigned inventories through daily, weekly, monthly and annual physical counts. The Inventory Analyst organizes and partners in conducting periodic inventory counts, adjusts quantities and locations, records and reports discrepancies to management while maintaining communication with supported internal customers. Will be the leader in ensuring frequent inventory reconciliation between the warehouse WMS system, SAP system and Financial Ledger. This position is located in Memphis, TN.
   
   The Responsibilities
   
   Lead Finished Goods and Spare Parts inventory reconciliation. Ensure frequent inventory syncs between warehouse WMS system and Financial Ledger.Investigate inventory variances stemming from cut-lines, pick errors, cycle count, etc.Document, identify, and analyze gaps in inventory processes.Assist with facilitating cycle counting process.Make inventory adjustments upon approval by established hierarchy.Record and track inventory accuracy for weekly KPI reporting.Perform month-end close preparations and transactions.Ensure all inventory, transaction, reconciliation, IDoc errors, etc. are corrected and complete prior to month end close.Assist in the training of new Material Handlers on shipping and receiving procedures as they relate to inventory transactions.Perform other work-related duties as assigned.
   
   The Individual
   
   High School Diploma or GED with 5 years of related experience or Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 2 years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. Bachelor's Degree preferred.Minimum of 2 years of experience with managing inventory.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Ability to demonstrate a sense of urgency to complete tasks on time.Ability to work collaboratively with other team members and your internal customers.Basic computer skills i.e. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).SAP experience is required.Ability to work in a team environment.5-10% travel required (local warehouse).
   EOE/AA Disability/Veteran
   
   #LI-KS1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find inventory analysts for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your inventory analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit inventory analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit inventory analysts, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview inventory analyst candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new inventory analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect inventory analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new inventory analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an inventory analyst?