Inventory Control Manager

Foodpanda, a part of the Delivery Hero Group—one of the world’s leading local delivery platforms—operates in approximately 65 countries with its headquarters in Berlin, Germany. Listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2017 and included in the MDAX index, the company is committed to delivering a fast, easy, and exceptional customer experience. We are currently seeking an Inventory Control Manager to oversee inventory integrity, governance, and loss prevention across our QCommerce network in Pakistan, covering Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. This role is critical in ensuring that physical stock, inventory systems, and financial records are accurate and reconciled, with robust controls at every stage of inventory movement. The Inventory Control Manager will collaborate closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Finance teams to identify risks, investigate losses, and implement corrective actions, while translating regional standards into consistent local execution.

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Governance & Financial Reconciliation
- Establish and enforce inventory policies, standard operating procedures, and approval controls across all owned and third-party logistics (3PL) facilities.
- Ensure accurate and timely recording of inventory movements in warehouse management systems (WMS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and financial records.
- Lead inventory sub-ledger to General Ledger reconciliations in partnership with Finance, resolving discrepancies to support timely month-end closing.
- Validate stock adjustments through physical verification, appropriate reason codes, supporting evidence, and required approvals.
- Maintain clear accountability and audit trails for inventory movements, adjustments, and write-offs.

Stock Accuracy & Transaction Controls
- Manage the country-wide stocktake and cycle count program, including risk-based scheduling, count integrity, variance investigation, and approved adjustments.
- Reconcile dispatch and receipt quantities for stock transfers, resolving discrepancies and overdue transfers.
- Monitor reserved stock and sales buffers against agreed rules, collaborating with Operations to resolve exceptions and release eligible stock.
- Oversee supplier returns from authorization through physical stock movement to collection and credit-note reconciliation.
- Conduct site audits and verify that corrective actions address underlying control gaps.

Shrinkage, Expiry & Inventory Risk
- Analyze shrinkage, expiry, and damage by site, SKU, and root cause; assign corrective actions and track their effectiveness.
- Investigate unknown losses and challenge unsupported adjustments, write-offs, and loss claims.
- Verify physical expiry dates against system records and ensure adherence to first-expiry-first-out (FEFO) processes.
- Identify near-expiry, high Days-on-Hand (DOH), zero-moving, and slow-moving stock; coordinate clearance, returns, and transfers with Planning, Commercial, and Operations teams.
- Pursue eligible supplier and 3PL claims before losses are written off.
- Escalate material inventory risks with clear exposure assessments, recommended actions, accountable owners, and resolution timelines.

Warehouse & 3PL Assurance
- Monitor compliance with inventory service level agreements (SLAs), including stock accuracy, reconciliation timelines, adjustment turnaround, and shrinkage targets.
- Validate 3PL stock records, investigate discrepancies, and challenge loss claims using contractual terms and supporting evidence.
- Act as the primary escalation point for inventory disputes involving Operations, Finance, and 3PL partners.
- Drive consistent controls across receiving, storage, picking, dispatch, returns, and disposal processes.

Systems & Process Improvement
- Define inventory control requirements for system enhancements and lead functional user acceptance testing, pilot validation, and post-launch reviews.
- Govern inventory-critical master data, including units of measure, expiry parameters, and FEFO settings; coordinate cost-data validation with Finance.
- Collaborate with Technology and operational teams to resolve system issues affecting stock integrity.
- Enhance reporting and automate exception detection, reconciliation, and control monitoring where feasible.

Leadership & Performance Management
- Lead cross-functional inventory reviews, ensuring clear ownership, deadlines, and evidence of action closure.
- Provide actionable reporting on losses, stock accuracy, financial exposure, and control compliance to the Country GM and regional Inventory Control team.
- Build inventory control capability through training, coaching, and consistent application of standards.

Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Finance, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience in inventory control, warehouse operations, or supply chain auditing within retail, FMCG, e-commerce, or darkstore environments.
- Strong knowledge of stock reconciliation, financial inventory controls, stocktakes, and 3PL governance.
- Hands-on experience with WMS/ERP platforms such as SAP and analytical tools like Looker, BigQuery, or equivalents.
- Proven ability to improve inventory accuracy, reduce unexplained losses, and resolve recurring process gaps.
- Excellent analytical, investigative, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to challenge discrepancies and drive accountability across teams.

This role offers the opportunity to lead inventory control excellence in a dynamic and fast-growing environment, contributing directly to operational efficiency and financial integrity.