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The differences between inventory leads and inventory controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inventory lead has an average salary of $42,812, which is higher than the $36,911 average annual salary of an inventory controller.
The top three skills for an inventory lead include PET, direct reports and customer service. The most important skills for an inventory controller are inventory control, customer service, and data entry.
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Controller | |
| Yearly salary | $42,812 | $36,911 |
| Hourly rate | $20.58 | $17.75 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 19,766 | 140,496 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
The inventory lead acts as an inventory manager who oversees the inventory level of a business and leads inventory or warehouse employees in record-tracking of new stocks delivered and shipped out. The inventory manager is responsible for recording daily deliveries, assessing new shipments, and analyzing various suppliers. To optimize operations, he/she manages employee's schedules, shipments, and deliveries and develops interpersonal ability and leadership skills while working with marketing, sales, and purchasing managers.
An inventory controller is responsible for performing duties for the inventory department of an organization. Inventory controllers ensure the adequacy of the product and materials needed for daily operations. They maintain inventory reports, manage stock supplies, negotiate with third-party vendors for orders of quality products, monitor deliveries, verifying orders for shipment, handling the employee and customers' requests for supplies, and receiving orders efficiently. Inventory controllers keep receipts of all inventory transactions, as well as inspecting the quality of the inventory items, requiring them to have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.
Inventory leads and inventory controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Controller | |
| Average salary | $42,812 | $36,911 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $60,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Everett, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Accenture | General Dynamics Mission Systems |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between an inventory lead and an inventory controller in terms of educational background:
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Controller | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | - |
Here are the differences between inventory leads' and inventory controllers' demographics:
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Controller | |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.3% Female, 33.7% | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |