Inventory Control Manager

foodpanda, part of the Delivery Hero Group headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is a leading local delivery platform operating in around 65 countries worldwide. As a publicly listed company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2017 and a member of the MDAX index, foodpanda is committed to delivering a fast, easy, and exceptional customer experience. The Inventory Control Manager role is based in Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad and is responsible for maintaining inventory integrity, governance, and loss prevention across the country’s QCommerce network. This position ensures accurate physical stock, inventory systems, and financial records through effective controls at every stage of inventory movement. The manager collaborates closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Finance teams to identify risks, investigate losses, and implement corrective actions, ensuring consistent execution of regional inventory control standards locally.

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Governance & Financial Reconciliation:
Develop and enforce inventory policies, standard operating procedures, and approval controls across all company-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 in partnership with Finance, resolving discrepancies to support month-end close. Validate stock adjustments with physical verification, appropriate reason codes, supporting evidence, and approvals. Maintain clear accountability and audit trails for all 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 approval of adjustments. Reconcile dispatch and receipt quantities for stock transfers, resolving discrepancies and overdue transfers. Monitor reserved stock and sales buffers, collaborating with Operations to address exceptions and release eligible stock. Oversee supplier returns from authorization through physical movement and credit-note reconciliation. Conduct site audits and ensure corrective actions effectively address control gaps.

Shrinkage, Expiry & Inventory Risk:
Analyze shrinkage, expiry, and damage by site, SKU, and root cause; assign corrective actions and monitor their effectiveness. Investigate unknown losses and challenge unsupported adjustments, write-offs, and loss claims. Verify expiry dates against system records and ensure compliance with 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 writing off losses. Escalate significant 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 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 operations 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 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 field.
- Minimum of five years’ experience in inventory control, warehouse operations, or supply chain auditing within retail, FMCG, e-commerce, or darkstore environments.
- Strong expertise in 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 enforce accountability across teams.

No preferred qualifications or benefits were specified for this role.