• Inventory must stay in-stock across top SKUs — clients will track whether your ordering decisions maintain sell-through and Walmart listing health.
• You are expected to avoid over-ordering just as much as stockouts; tying up cash in slow-movers will be seen as preventable waste.
• Every PO issued should be intentional — sized to current demand, lead times, and capital, not gut feel or recycled numbers.
• Clients rely on you to manage reorder timing without needing reminders — missed purchase windows are on you, not them.
• Forecasting accuracy matters; clients will judge you on how well your projections match real sales and prevent last-minute inventory scrambles.
• You must flag risks before they cost money — if a key product is about to go OOS or a supplier is slipping, silence is not an option.
• Reporting should be clear, clean, and decision-ready; clients should never be forced to dig for insights you could have flagged first.
• If a product dies in storage or never sells through, expect to explain why you recommended or approved the order — results are your responsibility.
Role Overview
Clients don’t hire you just to “restock” products — they count on you to keep revenue flowing and avoid costly gaps in sales. Your job is to protect the business from stockouts, dead inventory, and misaligned ordering decisions. You handle the layer of operational control that most sellers have zero time — or margin for error — to manage themselves. A well-trained replenishment expert protects profit, smooths out cash flow, and ensures the business can scale without bottlenecks.
This is not a data-entry role or a basic task list. It’s a precision role with financial stakes. The wrong PO at the wrong time isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s lost buy box, broken supplier trust, burn on capital, or worst-case, account suspension due to OOS. Clients don’t expect perfection, but they do expect ownership of outcomes. If you get this role right, you become a key operator in a highly leveraged supply chain — and the business becomes significantly more stable and profitable.
Standards You Must Meet
What You’ll Be Doing
• Analyze sales velocity and current inventory weekly to trigger smart, timely reorder actions before key SKUs risk going out of stock.
• Size every PO using real data—factoring demand trends, supplier MOQs, lead times, and available capital every time.
• Actively monitor distributor portals and supplier timelines to catch potential delays early and adjust plans fast.
• Review SKU performance on Keepa and Seller Center before recommending replenishment—no reorders without proof of movement.
• Maintain a rolling forecast sheet that aligns with Walmart demand cycles, promotional windows, and seasonal patterns.
• Flag inventory risks clearly—whether it’s a stalled SKU, supplier stockout, or demand spike—and escalate before it hits P&L.
• Keep all PO statuses updated for full visibility, so the client always knows what’s pending, inbound, or late.
• Automate repetitive inventory workflows where possible to reduce manual effort and protect margin from preventable delays.
What You’ll Hand Over
• A weekly replenishment report with SKU-level restock status, projected OOS dates, and next recommended POs.
• A validated list of active SKUs approved for reorder, with updated sales velocity, MOQ, and supplier lead time attached.
• A rolling 4-week inventory forecast aligned to budget, Walmart demand trends, and known promotional periods.
• A PO tracker showing all open orders, expected delivery windows, and any supplier delays flagged in real-time.
• A summary of key inventory risks and corrective actions taken — no surprises, just clear, decision-ready updates.
Tools You’ll Need to Use
• Walmart Seller Center – For managing inventory levels, restock limits, and product availability directly on the Walmart platform.
• Amazon Seller Central – To cross-reference inventory data, pricing, and replenishment strategy for wholesale SKUs sold on Amazon.
• Google Sheets – For tracking forecasts, replenishment plans, supplier POs, and inventory movement with accuracy and control.
• InventoryLab – To analyze cost of goods, profitability, and inventory health across wholesale accounts.
• Keepa – For reviewing price history, sales rank trends, and marketplace volatility that impact wholesale buying decisions.
• SPARK or similar distributor portals – To navigate item availability, MOQ requirements, and restocking timelines with suppliers.
• ShipStation or equivalent WMS – To track fulfillment workflows, monitor shipping performance, and align warehouse turnaround times with needed restock dates.
Why Work Smarter
We’re direct about this: if a VA in this role cannot identify and automate basic workflows, the client is overpaying for manual labor. You don’t need to be an engineer, but you do need to be automation-literate. You should know what can be automated, who can help if you can’t, and how to adapt when tools change.
At OES, we don’t wait until the market makes something “required.” Automation awareness is already the silent filter separating high-value operators from outdated ones. We expect you to be on the right side of that line.
Why Your Work Matters
This is not background support. You are driving core financial outcomes — margin protection, availability, and velocity — three things clients obsess over because they make or break months. If you’re off by one PO, they pay for it. But if your forecasts are sharp, your triggers precise, and your automation mindset strong — you become the reason cash keeps moving, the listing stays healthy, and the client can plan growth with confidence. At OES, that level of control isn’t a bonus — it’s expected.
What We Expect From You
You belong in this seat if you treat every inventory buy as a business decision, not just a task. This role expects discipline under pressure, proactive reporting, and an instinct to escalate when variables break pattern. You’re the one bringing structure to chaos—balancing growth with risk, ensuring wallets are spent smart, and products land when the market is ready. You will work with Account Managers but lead ops from the inventory side with your own set of non-negotiables. We are not looking for a follower—we are looking for the person who makes sure the right units are in the right warehouse at the right time.
Login to Get Matched
To view salary standard, expectation based on experience level, or even request a customize or personalize version of this role, please log in.
$535 – $1,200
OES salary standards reflect real market benchmarks, tier and experience level, ensuring fair pay for VAs and realistic expectations for clients.
Can't find a client that fits?
You can get it here, we will match you based on your preferences - salary, set up, schedule and more. Just say the word, we got you covered!