Inventory Control Manager

9211 Gaither Road, Gaithersburg MD 20877

Albert Uster Imports, Inc. (“AUI”) is a privately held gourmet food company headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD with warehouse locations across the U.S. Founded in 1968, AUI offers over 1,400 products and serves leading hotels, restaurants, casinos, cruise lines, airlines, and manufacturers with high‑quality, innovative solutions.

The Inventory Control Manager leads the inventory management function, ensures inventory accuracy, and manages risk across the supply chain. The manager is the central point of investigation for discrepancies, shelf‑life risk, and accuracy issues, partnering closely with Finance, QA, Operations, warehouses, and Sales to detect issues early and drive corrective actions.

• Act as the escalation point for inventory discrepancies reported from different functions.
• Lead cycle count analysis and reconciliation; determine corrective actions.
• Conduct thorough review of inventory in all status for accuracy, identify discrepancies and potential risks.
• Investigate root causes of variances (transaction errors, mis‑picks, lot issues, timing gaps, system errors).
• Partner with Operations and DC teams to prevent repeat issues and improve inventory discipline.
• Reconcile outside storage and third‑party inventory; lead investigations and resolutions.
• Own and determine final inventory reserve calculation for financial report, prepare valuation, accrual, reserve, and write‑off analysis in collaboration with Finance.
• Analyze inventory trends, aging, and usage to support forecasting and cost management.
• Deliver site‑level valuation and capacity insights.
• Provide early detection of abnormal inventory movements or excess buildup.
• Lead and administer monthly product disposal and donation routines, including systemic execution and financial reporting.
• Collaborate with QA to review shelf life, stability data, and expiration trends.
• Review shelf‑life reports to identify high‑risk or aging inventory.
• Investigate bad lots, FEFO deviations, mis‑rotations, and lot master errors; maintain records of inventory subject to claims.
• Track root causes of QA‑identified issues and recommend preventive actions.
• Support shelf‑life extensions, validations, and inventory reserve decisions.
• Conduct risk assessments for inventory projected to expire prior to sale; quantify financial exposure.
• Use forecast models to simulate sell‑off scenarios and identify inventory not supported by demand.
• Identify excess inventory and trigger next steps with Finance, Supply Chain, or Commercial teams.
• Support decisions on rework, repack, transfer, disposal, or inventory redeployment.
• Utilize WMS and ERP systems to track inventory accuracy, lot history, transactions, and cycle count results.
• Build and maintain Excel‑based analytics, trackers, and simulation models.
• Develop dashboards highlighting aging inventory, high‑risk lots, and discrepancies.
• Support enhancements to WMS/ERP processes to improve data integrity, controls, and reporting speed.
• Early detection mindset—identify issues before they become financial or quality risks.
• Strong root‑cause analysis and problem‑solving skills.
• High attention to detail with the ability to audit complex data sets.
• Confidence to “raise a hand,” ask tough questions, and engage the right stakeholders to resolve issues.
• Clear, professional communication with cross‑functional teams and leadership.

• 3–5 years of experience in inventory management, supply chain analytics, or data analysis; food manufacturing or distribution strongly preferred.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, complex formulas, trend analysis; Power Query/Power Pivot a plus).
• Experience working with WMS and ERP systems.
• Proven ability to deliver inventory and cost analysis to Finance and Operations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business Analytics, Finance, or related field (preferred).
• Knowledge of FEFO, shelf‑life management, and food regulatory standards.
• Experience investigating lot variances or QA deviations.
• Dashboard and automation experience (Excel, Power BI, or similar).
• Continuous improvement mindset with strong ownership mentality.