Inventory Control Manager

foodpanda, part of the Delivery Hero Group—a global leader in local delivery platforms operating in around 65 countries—is seeking an Inventory Control Manager based in Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad. This role is critical in maintaining inventory integrity, governance, and loss prevention across the country’s QCommerce network. The Inventory Control Manager ensures that physical stock, inventory systems, and financial records are accurate and reconciled, implementing effective controls at every stage of inventory movement. Collaborating closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Finance teams, the manager identifies inventory risks, investigates losses, and drives corrective actions to completion. The role also involves translating regional inventory control standards into consistent local execution, with clear ownership and measurable improvements in stock accuracy, shrinkage, and expiry management.

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 close.
- 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
- Own the country-wide stocktake and cycle count program, including risk-based schedules, 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, working 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 assessment of exposure, 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.
- Serve as the primary escalation point for inventory disputes across 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, coordinating cost-data validation with Finance.
- Collaborate with Technology and operational teams to resolve system issues affecting stock integrity.
- Improve reporting and automate exception detection, reconciliation, and control monitoring where practical.

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

Operating Cadence
- Daily: Review stock adjustments, unexplained losses, transfer discrepancies, supplier returns, reserved stock, sales buffers, and expiry exceptions; assign owners and escalate overdue actions.
- Weekly: Review cycle count compliance, shrinkage drivers, ageing inventory, site audit findings, and progress against corrective actions.
- Monthly: Complete inventory reconciliations with Finance, validate write-offs and outstanding claims, review 3PL performance, and report inventory risks and improvement results to leadership.

Success Measures
- Inventory accuracy and cycle count compliance.
- Reduction in unknown shrinkage, expiry, and damage.
- Timely reconciliation and resolution of discrepancies.
- Adjustment compliance and corrective-action closure.
- Recovery of eligible supplier and 3PL claims.

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.
- Strong 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 fast-paced, technology-driven environment, contributing directly to operational efficiency and financial integrity.