Inventory Manager

Who we are. What we do.
We are Bystronic – a global technology company passionate about creating an impact for a sustainable future with sheet metal and beyond.
We want to work with people who support us in creating innovative solutions to move our industry forward. Our focus is on automating the complete material and data flow of the laser cutting and bending process chain.

Responsibilities & Duties

Inventory Control and SAP Transaction Accuracy

• Own site inventory accuracy and ensure receipts, picks, transfers, consumption, returns, adjustments, and all other stock movements are completed accurately and timely in SAP.
• Develop, maintain, and execute a risk-based cycle-count program; review variances, lead root-cause analysis, approve or escalate adjustments in accordance with company policy, and verify corrective actions are sustained.
• Maintain effective bin-location, labeling, storage, scanning, and warehouse-system controls so material is traceable, protected, and stored in its designated location.
• Lead periodic physical inventories and support financial audits, inventory reconciliations, internal-control testing, and inventory-impairment reviews.
• Assist in monitoring inventory to ensure material is properly staged, issued, consumed, returned, and reconciled at job completion.
• Identify slow-moving, excess, obsolete, and impaired inventory and coordinate disposition recommendations with Procurement, Finance, Quality, Engineering, and other stakeholders.

Operational Controls, Material Flow, and Spare Parts Distribution

• Establish, document, train, and audit standard work for receiving, put-away, picking, staging, material returns processing, shipping, and inventory adjustments.
• Ensure supplier deliveries and kits are verified for quantity, identity, and condition, with discrepancies contained, documented, and escalated promptly.
• Actively participate in the Inventory Impairment Review Board; ensure disposition decisions are documented, completed in SAP, and physically executed.
• Coordinate with Customer Service, Field Service, Procurement, Quality, and Logistics to resolve shortages, supersessions, documentation issues, quality concerns, and delivery exceptions; investigate recurring receiving, picking, returns, shipping, or material-shortage issues; lead or support corrective actions and verify required updates are applied to inventory and procedures.
• Maintain safe, clean, and organized warehouse and production-support areas using 5S and visual management; ensure compliance with forklift, overhead-crane, material-handling, and storage requirements.
• Lead the Spare Parts Distribution department and own the safe, accurate, and timely fulfillment of customer, Field Service, warranty, installation, and internal spare parts orders.
• Ensure orders are prioritized, picked, verified, packed, documented, and shipped in accordance with customer requirements, service commitments, carrier requirements, and company procedures.
• Monitor order backlog, same-day and urgent requests, fill rate, picking accuracy, shipping accuracy, and on-time shipment; assign recovery actions and escalate service risks promptly.
• Maintain packaging, labeling, export-documentation, dangerous-goods, carrier, and shipment-traceability controls applicable to spare parts distribution.
• Ensure returned parts, warranty returns, and unused field or installation material are identified, inspected, dispositioned, and transacted promptly in SAP and accurately.

Team Leadership and Development

• Direct, schedule, coach, and develop assigned employees; set clear daily priorities and ensure adequate coverage for inventory control, receiving, material movement, cycle counting, returns, shipping, and spare parts fulfillment.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance reviews, skills assessments, cross-training, and corrective coaching in partnership with Human Resources.
• Create accountability for safety, transaction discipline, inventory accuracy, order accuracy, responsiveness, housekeeping, and adherence to standard work.
• Identify training needs, maintain qualification and cross-training plans, and build sufficient coverage for critical inventory and distribution activities.
• Serve as the first escalation point for inventory, material-flow, and spare-parts fulfillment issues; remove roadblocks and escalate significant operational or customer risks.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Production Planning and Procurement to identify shortages and confirm materials are available when required by the production schedule and build sequence.
• Develop and report inventory and distribution KPIs, including inventory accuracy, cycle-count completion, count variance, adjustment value, receiving accuracy, picking and shipping accuracy, order backlog, fill rate, on-time shipment, aging, and obsolete inventory.
• Lead corrective-action and continuous-improvement efforts that reduce inventory discrepancies, transaction errors, order defects, material shortages, excess handling, and customer-impacting delays.
• Exercise authority to stop or hold a material movement, receipt, shipment, or inventory adjustment when required documentation, accuracy, safety, or control requirements are not satisfied.
• Approve routine inventory adjustments within delegated authority and escalate material, unusual, or recurring variances for required review and approval.
• Support all company safety policies and perform other related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

• Associate or bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Three or more years of progressive inventory control, warehouse, materials, distribution, or manufacturing experience.
• Strong working knowledge of inventory management, cycle counting, receiving, material movement, order fulfillment, shipping, production-order inventory, reconciliation, and root-cause corrective action.
• Hands-on ERP inventory and warehouse transaction experience required; SAP MM Inventory Management, SD Shipments/Deliveries, and warehouse-process experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in a complex manufacturing, machine-build, spare-parts, or engineer-to-order environment preferred.
• Experience with Lean, 5S, continuous improvement, audits, physical inventories, MRB, returns, and obsolete-stock disposition preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and standard business software, with the ability to analyze inventory data, trends, variances, and KPIs.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, prioritization, follow-through, and problem-solving skills; ability to read and communicate effectively in English.
• Ability to work cross-functionally, make sound decisions, enforce controls consistently, and balance employee leadership with hands-on operational support.
• Ability to operate forklifts and material handling equipment preferred.