What does an inventory lead do?
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.
Inventory lead responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real inventory lead resumes:
- Nominate as ISO lead for procurement and achieve ISO 9001certification.
- Manage inventory and production reports through WMS for efficiency improvement opportunities.
- Set up all new items into AS400 system.
- Update inventory by making adjustments in AS400 and AS9000.
- Teach new hires how to perform warehouse functions properly using RF scanners.
- Receive and count stock items, and record data manually into ERP system.
- Use RF scan gun for picking, receiving, put away, and load functions, as required.
- Work with the MRP planners to avoid $2.6MM Obsolescence reserve (Q1'10-Q3'10) by reallocating slow moving material.
- Review the logistics of inventory and equipment management to ensure adequate supply availability.
- Apply logistics and supply chain management techniques to execute the efficient and effective running of day-to-day business operations.
- Participate in all compliance audits from FDA and DEA to maintain license for operation.
- Act as the key corporate contact for product tracing and recall processes ensuring all FDA guidelines are adhere to.
- Review and maintain inventory database using QuickBooks.
Inventory lead skills and personality traits
We calculated that 52% of Inventory Leads are proficient in PET, Direct Reports, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Inventory Leads that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- PET, 52%
Coordinated merchandising functions of store and provided leadership and guidance to ensure safety and satisfaction for all pets and pet parents.
- Direct Reports, 32%
Lead CAT's Operations and Inventory team for northeast region with eight direct reports.
- Customer Service, 4%
General management duties include customer service, operating cash registers, counting profits and preparing deposits, and accountability for performance.
- Highlighted, 3%
Analyzed general ledger accounts and highlighted items for re-classification.
- Shipping Receiving, 1%
Supervised 10 staff members in a warehouse/shipping receiving environment
- Logistics, 1%
Work directly with Site Management/Supervision, Operations Management and Logistics teams to ensure materials move efficiently through Supply Chain.
Most inventory leads use their skills in "pet," "direct reports," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential inventory lead responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an inventory lead to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "material recording clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, or managers and need to convey their company’s needs effectively." Additionally, an inventory lead resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "maintain client communication damaged/aged inventory control training problem solving initiation of cpar. "
Customer-service skills. Many inventory lead duties rely on customer-service skills. "material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints.," so an inventory lead will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways inventory lead responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "reconcile vehicle inventory and recondition vehicles to meet company standards, producing quality cars for customers. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for inventory leads to perform their duties. For an example of how inventory lead responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "material and product inspecting clerks must pay attention to detail when checking items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an inventory lead: "experience with detailed inventory reports and spreadsheets. ".
Math skills. For certain inventory lead responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of an inventory lead rely on this skill, as "material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what inventory leads do: "use hand-held scanners and basic math skills that will articulate how many merchandise in storage bins. "
The three companies that hire the most inventory leads are:
- Stanley Black & Decker4 inventory leads jobs
- Americold4 inventory leads jobs
- Chick-fil-A3 inventory leads jobs
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Inventory lead vs. Material coordinator
A material coordinator is in charge of processing requisitions and ensuring that all departments receive necessary goods and materials within a company. Aside from this, they must maintain positive engagements with vendors, suppliers, and business partners, negotiate contracts, manage schedules of deliveries, and prioritize cost-efficient goods. It is also a material coordinator's responsibility to keep an accurate record of inventory, secure sensitive data, and coordinate with all departments to ensure that all transactions are efficient and precise.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between inventory leads and material coordinator. For instance, inventory lead responsibilities require skills such as "pet," "direct reports," "training associates," and "inventory management tools." Whereas a material coordinator is skilled in "production schedules," "data entry," "cycle counts," and "material inventory." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Material coordinators really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $41,571. Comparatively, inventory leads tend to make the most money in the transportation industry with an average salary of $46,852.The education levels that material coordinators earn slightly differ from inventory leads. In particular, material coordinators are 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an inventory lead. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Inventory lead vs. Expeditor
The role of expeditors is to ensure the timely and efficient preparation and delivery of food. To accomplish this task, they also perform other duties, including managing inventory levels, managing supply requisition, and coordinating with subcontractors. They are also responsible for streamlining interdepartmental communication, monitoring job progress, and collaborating with project managers to collect relevant information about job status. This role requires specific skills and qualifications, including a high school diploma or an associate degree in food service, business management, and hospitality management, relevant work experience, and certifications in CCP, CPSM, or CPPB.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real inventory lead resumes. While inventory lead responsibilities can utilize skills like "pet," "direct reports," "training associates," and "inventory management tools," expeditors use skills like "cleanliness," "house training," "team work," and "good communication."
Expeditors earn a lower average salary than inventory leads. But expeditors earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $46,040. Additionally, inventory leads earn the highest salaries in the transportation with average pay of $46,852 annually.In general, expeditors achieve similar levels of education than inventory leads. They're 1.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Inventory lead vs. Warehouse lead
Warehouse leads are responsible for supply chain management in distribution centers. Their duties and responsibilities include supervising employees and evaluating their performance, meeting safety regulations, and monitoring deliveries and shipments. They are the ones who interact with customers and clients to resolve any delivery issues that may arise. They also help with some administrative tasks such as order and invoice processing and maintenance. This role applies to those with excellent communication skills, leadership capabilities, and strong attention to detail.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an inventory lead is likely to be skilled in "pet," "direct reports," "training associates," and "inventory management tools," while a typical warehouse lead is skilled in "ladders," "pallets," "basic math," and "math."
Warehouse leads earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $41,833. Comparatively, inventory leads have the highest earning potential in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $46,852.Most warehouse leads achieve a similar degree level compared to inventory leads. For example, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Inventory lead vs. Inventory control coordinator
An inventory control coordinator is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of office inventory to ensure that the company has enough supplies to support the employees' needs for business operations. Inventory control coordinators manage supply chain systems, conduct inventory checks regularly, write inventory reports, create purchase requests, and file inventory documents on the database. They must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in analyzing the chain processes, and strictly adhere to the company's internal guidelines and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between inventory leads and inventory control coordinators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an inventory lead might have more use for skills like "pet," "direct reports," "training associates," and "inventory management tools." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of inventory control coordinators require skills like "data entry," "inventory control procedures," "pallets," and "production schedules. "
In general, inventory control coordinators earn the most working in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $38,327. The highest-paying industry for an inventory lead is the transportation industry.In general, inventory control coordinators hold similar degree levels compared to inventory leads. Inventory control coordinators are 0.0% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of inventory lead
Updated January 8, 2025











