Inventory Control Manager

foodpanda, part of the Delivery Hero Group—a leading global local delivery platform operating in approximately 65 countries—is seeking an Inventory Control Manager to join its team in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. This role is critical in maintaining inventory integrity, governance, and loss prevention across the country’s QCommerce network. The successful candidate will ensure accurate reconciliation of physical stock, inventory systems, and financial records while implementing effective controls throughout all inventory movements. Collaborating closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Finance teams, the Inventory Control Manager will identify risks, investigate losses, and drive corrective actions to completion, ensuring consistent local execution of regional inventory control standards.

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 timely and accurate recording of inventory movements in warehouse management systems (WMS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and financial records. Lead sub-ledger to General Ledger reconciliations with Finance, resolving discrepancies to support month-end close. Validate stock adjustments with appropriate documentation and approvals, maintaining clear audit trails.

- Stock Accuracy & Transaction Controls: Manage the country-wide stocktake and cycle count programs, 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, collaborating with Operations to resolve exceptions. Oversee supplier returns from authorization through credit-note reconciliation. Conduct site audits and ensure corrective actions address control gaps.

- Shrinkage, Expiry & Inventory Risk: Analyze shrinkage, expiry, and damage by site and SKU, assigning corrective actions and tracking their effectiveness. Investigate unknown losses and challenge unsupported adjustments, write-offs, and loss claims. Verify expiry dates against system records and adherence to first-expiry-first-out (FEFO) processes. Identify near-expiry, high Days-on-Hand (DOH), zero-moving, and slow-moving stock, coordinating clearance, returns, and transfers with Planning, Commercial, and Operations teams. Pursue eligible supplier and 3PL claims before writing off losses. Escalate material inventory risks with clear assessments and recommended actions.

- 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 based on contractual terms and 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 user acceptance testing, pilot validation, and post-launch reviews. Govern inventory-critical master data such as units of measure, expiry parameters, and FEFO settings, coordinating cost-data validation with Finance. Collaborate with Technology and operational teams to resolve system issues impacting 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 the Country General Manager and regional Inventory Control team with actionable reports on losses, stock accuracy, financial exposure, and control compliance. 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 five years’ 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 track record of improving inventory accuracy, reducing unexplained losses, and resolving recurring process gaps.
- Excellent analytical, investigative, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to challenge discrepancies and drive accountability across teams.

This position offers the opportunity to contribute to a fast-growing, dynamic environment within a global delivery leader, driving operational excellence and inventory integrity across multiple locations.