How to hire an inventory control manager

How to hire an inventory control manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step inventory control manager 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 control manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new inventory control manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an inventory control manager do?

Post an inventory control manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your inventory control manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an inventory control manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 control manager 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 control manager that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of inventory control managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Inventory Control Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Inventory Control Manager		$19-40
   Materials Supervisor	The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met... Show more	$24-42
   Supply Chain Coordinator	A supply chain coordinator is a professional who is responsible for managing inventory and supply sources to support a company's manufacturing and anticipated demand. Supply chain coordinators must assist in the purchase of materials and services and follow-up with vendors to ensure that the purchase orders have the correct price, freight charge, and delivery date... Show more	$15-36

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Inventory Control Procedures
   • Sales Floor
   • Customer Service
   • Team Work
   • Logistics
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Inventory Management
   • Purchase Orders
   • Management System
   • Warehouse Inventory
   • WMS
   • Process Improvement
   • Loss Prevention
   • Direct Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage day-to-day logistics operations of shipping agricultural herbicides/pesticides.
   • Develop new reporting techniques to improve inventory accuracy, KPI's, and root cause analysis.
   • Develop company training program to certify all hazmat employees to 49 CFR, IATA, & IMDG regulations.
   • Maintain inventory accuracy above customer KPI target.
   • Experience handling Hazmat materials and following/training protocols.
   • Monitor adjustments between perpetual inventory and WMS inventory.

   More inventory control manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your inventory control manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An inventory control manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an inventory control manager in Hawaii may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level inventory control manager usually earns less than a senior-level inventory control manager. Additionally, an inventory control manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average inventory control manager salary

   $59,401yearly

   $28.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level inventory control manager salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average inventory control manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$71,868	$35
   2	Virginia	$69,088	$33
   3	New York	$68,028	$33
   4	Nebraska	$64,819	$31
   5	Illinois	$64,753	$31
   6	Washington	$64,670	$31
   7	Pennsylvania	$61,892	$30
   8	Missouri	$60,020	$29
   9	Georgia	$59,904	$29
   10	Colorado	$56,132	$27
   11	Arkansas	$55,963	$27
   12	Arizona	$55,387	$27
   13	Ohio	$54,325	$26
   14	Tennessee	$53,765	$26
   15	North Dakota	$53,644	$26
   16	Texas	$51,440	$25
   17	Louisiana	$50,196	$24
   18	Nevada	$50,066	$24
   19	Florida	$47,904	$23

   Average inventory control manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Penguin Solutions	$97,945	$47.09
   2	REV Group	$97,085	$46.68	9
   3	Fluid Components International	$91,936	$44.20
   4	Portland General Electric	$86,811	$41.74	3
   5	Macy's	$80,901	$38.89	3
   6	Amazon	$80,044	$38.48	214
   7	Smithfield Foods	$73,587	$35.38	5
   8	TTX	$71,057	$34.16
   9	Cummins	$69,441	$33.39
   10	McLane	$68,873	$33.11	30
   11	Sephora	$67,592	$32.50	11
   12	US Foods	$65,542	$31.51	348
   13	Dollar General	$64,171	$30.85	3
   14	Aramark	$63,473	$30.52	30
   15	The Judge Group	$63,353	$30.46	1
   16	Sysco	$62,894	$30.24	36
   17	Klein Tools	$62,744	$30.17
   18	GPAC	$62,371	$29.99
   19	Jabil	$62,113	$29.86	45
   20	Prohealth Corp	$62,067	$29.84

4. Writing an inventory control manager job description

   A good inventory control manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an inventory control manager job description:

   Inventory control manager job description example

   Long Island Community Hospital has served this richly diverse region as a patient-first community hospital for more than 60 years. As Long Island’s only independent community hospital, we are 100% committed to becoming the community’s healthcare provider of choice with our greatly enhanced services including the Knapp Cardiac Care Center, our highly-advanced heart disease diagnosis and treatment facility, our new modern surgical pavilion, our unique ER approach, and our high-touch services including women’s imaging, sleep laboratory and orthopedics and more. These services are delivered with the highest level of compassion by our LI Community Hospital staff – Long Islanders with an unmistakable mix of courage and heart who care about the people right here in our community and whose sole purpose is to provide personalized comfort.
   
   Long Island Community Hospital is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
   Responsibilities: Responsible for order placement of pharmaceuticals and related products for Long Island Community Hospital while
   working in concert with the Pharmacy 340B program team, this role will also provide customer service support to other
   departments as deemed appropriate. Responsible for maintaining relationships with
   suppliers and vendors, managing a hands-on, dynamic pharmacy inventory, and leading all operations in the receiving
   area. Requires an individual with the ability to be an effective leader and communicator who strives to provide a positive
   work environment in a world-class institution. Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications:
   Bachelor's degree and 2 years purchasing or similar experience Strong writing and oral communication skills Strong
   Interpersonal skills that includes active listening and communicating Self-starter with minimal supervision Ability to work
   effectively and collaboratively with different teams both internally & externally Strong conflict management skills Strong
   customer focus with a sense of urgency and high level of accountability.
   Preferred Qualifications:
   Previous experience in managing a team Masters in Business Administration Five or more years of pharmacy purchasing
   experience Experience with purchasing systems and supply chain management technologies are preferred Ability to
   analyze, suggest and improve processes to improve total group efficiency and productivity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right inventory control manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with inventory control managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit inventory control managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with inventory control manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   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 control manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the inventory control manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new inventory control manager 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an inventory control manager?