Position Summary
The Director of Inventory Control is a strategic leader responsible for ensuring enterprise-wide inventory accuracy, integrity, and visibility across a complex omnichannel supply chain. This role owns the Inventory Record Accuracy (IRA) function and serves as a key cross-functional partner to Operations, Merchandising, Finance, Production, and Inventory Planning. This leader will drive best-in-class inventory practices across distribution centers, seasonal facilities, and production environments—ensuring the right product is in the right place at the right time while minimizing shrink, excess, and cost. The role plays a critical part in supporting 1-800-Flowers.com’s highly seasonal, customer-centric fulfillment model.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategy & Leadership
- Define and execute the enterprise inventory control strategy, aligning with business growth, service level targets, and cost objectives
- Lead, develop, and scale the Inventory Record Accuracy (IRA) organization, including supervisors, specialists, and cycle count teams
- Serve as the subject matter expert and primary liaison across the internal supply chain to ensure alignment on inventory integrity
Inventory Accuracy & Performance
- Establish and monitor KPIs and dashboards to measure inventory accuracy, shrink, and operational performance across all locations
- Provide regular executive-level reporting and insights on inventory health, risks, and forward-looking initiatives
- Ensure robust cycle count programs and audit processes are consistently executed
Continuous Improvement & Operations
- Identify root causes of discrepancies and partner with cross-functional teams to implement corrective and preventive actions
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance processes, systems, and training across all inventory control activities
- Drive adoption of standardized best practices across distribution centers and seasonal facilities
Systems, Compliance & Controls
- Oversee inventory control systems and drive improvements to ensure accuracy, scalability, and efficiency
- Partner with Finance to ensure SOX compliance and audit readiness across all inventory processes
- Ensure proper management of excess, obsolete inventory, and shrink
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with Operations, Merchandising, Finance, and Inventory Planning to align on forecasts, product flow, and execution strategies
- Support high-volume seasonal peaks (e.g., holidays) with proactive planning and risk mitigation strategies
- Influence stakeholders and drive change across functions without direct authority
Project Leadership
- Lead enterprise inventory control initiatives, including system enhancements, process redesign, and network optimization
- Manage special projects as assigned to support evolving business needs
Qualifications
- Experience:
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in inventory control, supply chain, or operations within a manufacturing, distribution, or retail environment
- Experience in high-volume, seasonal, or omnichannel fulfillment environments strongly preferred
- Technical Expertise:
- Strong hands-on experience with WMS and ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, or similar)
- Data-driven mindset with experience building dashboards and KPIs (Tableau or similar tools preferred)
- Experience with AI-enabled warehouse technologies and optimization tools preferred
- Leadership & Skills:
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams
- Strong change management and cross-functional influencing skills
- Demonstrated success driving large-scale process improvements and operational excellence
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting
- Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field required
- Master’s degree preferred
Key Competencies
- Strategic thinking with operational execution
- Inventory optimization and cost control
- Root cause analysis and continuous improvement
- Data-driven decision-making
- Collaboration and influence
- Adaptability in a fast-paced, seasonal environment
