Role Overview
Clients hire you to protect their margins and prevent operational chaos. Your job is to bring control and clarity to a part of the business that can easily spiral—inventory levels, product movement, and supplier timelines. You are expected to keep products in stock without creating deadstock, forecast demand without overpromising, and maintain supply flow without bleeding profit. This role exists to stabilize cost, cash flow, and customer experience. When done right, you quietly unlock growth by making sure nothing breaks when demand scales.
This is not a basic admin role, nor is it just about counting units or tracking shipments. You’re not here to wait for instructions or babysit spreadsheets. Clients expect you to own the inventory side of the business with a strategic mindset and a systems-level approach—especially in private label, where wrong timing or wrong math burns thousands. The stakes are high: too much inventory kills cash, too little bleeds sales. Being “close enough” is not good enough here; success is measured in precision and financial impact.
Standards You Must Meet
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Forecasts must be accurate enough to keep bestsellers in stock without tying up cash in excess units—clients are watching what you prevent, not just what you restock.
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You’re expected to identify and act on supplier delays before they become stockouts; surprises in supply flow are a failure of attention, not bad luck.
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Clients will judge how well you balance seasonality, lead times, and cash flow—your reorder plans should align with reality, not assumptions.
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Inventory reports must be real-time, actionable, and free from errors; if they can’t trust your data, they can’t trust your decisions.
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Deadstock is seen as preventable waste—any long-stagnant SKUs or over-orders reflect directly on your planning, not just market demand.
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You’re hired to protect margin, so every shipment plan, MOQ negotiation, or cost comparison must prove it’s keeping profit in, not leaks alive.
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When scaling, your systems must keep up—clients will hold you responsible if growth leads to chaos or fulfillment breaks down.
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You’re not expected to wait for instructions—clients want you to proactively flag risks, recommend improvements, and take ownership of outcomes.
What You’ll Be Doing
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Maintain and adjust weekly rolling forecasts across all active SKUs, factoring in lead times, sales velocity, and channel trends.
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Build proactive reorder schedules that align with real cash constraints, supplier MOQs, and seasonal spikes.
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Track open POs and supplier production timelines to flag and resolve fulfillment risks before they cause stockouts.
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Reconcile inventory levels across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and 3PLs to ensure data reflects real inventory position.
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Prepare and update inventory reports that are accurate, decision-ready, and error-free for weekly use by leadership.
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Identify low-velocity SKUs early and recommend rationalization, bundling, or liquidation to prevent deadstock buildup.
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Review freight costs and container allocation to ensure inbound shipments are timed and costed for margin protection.
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Monitor supplier performance and flag payment, lead time, or quality issues before they disrupt supply flow.
What You’ll Hand Over
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A 12-week rolling forecast with SKU-level projections, updated weekly to reflect sales velocity, supplier lead time, and current stock levels.
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A reorder plan with confirmed PO timelines, MOQ breakdowns, and cash flow impact, aligned with upcoming demand and seasonality.
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A consolidated inventory dashboard showing stock on hand, in transit, and inbound by channel (Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and 3PL).
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A supplier performance log with delivery timelines, cost changes, and negotiation outcomes tied to margin protection.
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A liquidation and SKU rationalization summary identifying slow movers, exit strategy, and financial recovery plan.
Tools You’ll Need to Use
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Amazon Seller Central – For managing FBA shipments, inventory levels, restock limits, and performance metrics across ASINs.
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Walmart Seller Center – To track inbound shipments, maintain stock accuracy, and ensure item availability on the Walmart marketplace.
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Shopify Admin Dashboard – For monitoring stock levels, syncing suppliers, and managing SKUs across DTC operations.
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SoStocked – Critical for forecasting Amazon inventory, planning reorder timelines, and avoiding stockouts or overstock.
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InventoryLab – Used to streamline FBA replenishments, cost tracking, and SKU-level profitability analysis.
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Google Sheets / Excel – Essential for building dynamic forecasting models, lead time trackers, and freight cost comparisons.
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ShipStation or equivalent – For coordinating 3PL shipments, managing order routing, and integration with multi-channel platforms.
Why Work Smarter
Platforms like Zapier, Make, and n8n are now standard tools for automating routine, repetitive processes. If you cannot build or at least maintain simple automations for basic workflows, your client is leaking money — period. This is not advanced tech; it’s becoming foundational competence. Expertise here is not a formal requirement yet, but expect it to be assumed soon — quietly, but completely.
At OES, we make this awareness part of the standard because the best clients already expect it.
Why Your Work Matters
Right now, every seller is feeling pressure—supply chains are inconsistent, ad costs are rising, and cash is tighter than ever. That means any inventory decision—when to restock, how much to order, which SKUs to cut—hits fast and hard across margin, fulfillment, and customer retention. One delayed PO or bloated warehouse bill can wipe out the profit from an entire product line. Clients don’t have the room for recovery; they need accuracy the first time.
This is not back-office work—it’s margin control in real time. If inventory breaks, the business chokes: stockouts kill velocity, deadstock kills cash, and unclear data kills strategic decision-making. Done wrong, this role guarantees loss. Done right, it prevents chaos, protects profit, and gives the client space to grow safely. That’s why this role isn’t optional at OES—it’s foundational.
What We Expect From You
As a Specialist Inventory & Supply Chain Expert at OES, you are expected to execute with precision and think in systems. You understand that inventory is not just numbers—it’s capital, risk exposure, and a direct lever on profitability. You must be able to own the end-to-end product lifecycle: launching SKUs, forecasting demand, planning POs, and navigating 3PLs, Amazon FBA, or Walmart WFS without guesswork. You are not here to task follow—you are here to lead execution through logical frameworks, grounded assumptions, and tactical clarity.
We are looking for someone who knows how to prevent stockouts *before* they happen, not chase them when they do. You will be expected to drive PO timing, MOQ strategy, unit economics management, and replenishment calendars with autonomy and maturity. This role requires full accountability—we trust you with real budgets and real targets that impact growth or loss. If you hesitate to make judgment calls under uncertainty, this is not your lane. Inventory and supply chains are unforgiving—this seat is for someone who can manage that weight with discipline and strategy.
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$700 – $2,100
OES salary standards reflect real market benchmarks, tier and experience level, ensuring fair pay for VAs and realistic expectations for clients.
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