Inventory Specialist

About the Role

Responsible for executing, monitoring, and training inventory best practices and standard operating procedures for the entire store, including both front end and pharmacy. Supports pharmacy inventory management activities, including receiving, counting, ordering, and facilitating returns. Champions On-Shelf Availability and is responsible for receiving, counting, pricing, returns, and all in-store inventory processes. Validates and ensures accuracy of planograms.

Key Responsibilities

• Reviewing and coordinating the proper use of reports and system applications that impact front-end and pharmacy on-hand balances and pricing accuracy.
• Executing and maintaining front-end and pharmacy asset protection techniques.
• Filing claims for warehouse and vendor overages, shortages, order errors, or damaged goods, including prescription drugs.
• In designated stores, opening and closing the store in the absence of store management, including system start-ups, cash handling, cashier responsibilities, and ensuring the store is ready for the business day.
• Engaging customers by greeting them and offering assistance with products and services.
• Resolving customer issues and answering questions to ensure a positive customer experience when serving as the leader on duty in designated stores.
• Modeling and sharing customer service best practices with team members.
• Executing and coaching team members on warehouse and vendor inventory management processes, including creating, reviewing, and receiving orders.
• Scanning in all deliveries while the vendor is still in the store, including common carrier deliveries.
• Focusing on One Box receiving, marking deliveries as received, contacting vendors for past undelivered scheduled receipts, and opening tickets as needed.
• Verifying all pharmacy shipments are posted for products physically received at the store, under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge.
• Completing or verifying postings of pharmacy warehouse orders, prescription and OTC orders, secondary vendor orders, flu and dropship orders, performing tote audits, and reporting shortages or damaged products.
• Completing the On-Shelf Availability (OSA) end-to-end process for planogrammed departments, executing disposals, call-ins, vendor returns, and completing scan outs/scan outs returns.
• Completing pharmacy inventory activities, including recalls, vendor returns, non-controlled and damaged salvage returns, under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge.
• Facilitating excess inventory returns or interstore pharmacy transfers for non-returnable overstock.
• Verifying posting of all pharmacy/prescription claims.
• Executing all pricing activities, including price changes, markdowns, and markdown deletes.
• Responsible for basic department pricing, including daily price changes, accurate pricing with correct signage, and completing regulatory pricing tasks.
• Supporting front-end and pharmacy ordering by ordering expense items.
• Monitoring pharmacy manual orders to identify excess orders.
• Maintaining consigned inventory and ordering as required.
• Ensuring designated pull & quarantine item on-hands are updated and placed in the designated holding area.
• Maintaining accurate inventory counts and on-hand quantities in basic departments, stockroom, and overstock locations.
• Maintaining accurate inventory counts and on-hand quantities in pharmacy and completing pharmacy smart counts, under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge.
• Ensuring the store maintains inventory compliance with state and local laws regarding regulated products.
• Assisting in the maintenance of inventory records, including receiving and posting of all products received at the store in all inventory systems.
• Organizing files and retaining invoices/receipts/return authorizations necessary for all inventory activities.
• Preparing for and supporting physical inventory day activities.
• Supporting the cleanliness and merchandising of counters and shelves.
• Assisting and coaching the store team on all package delivery activities, including scanning in and out of packages, daily inventory functions, and package returns.
• Supporting the execution of the Pickup Program.
• Being responsible and accountable for registering all related sales on the assigned point-of-sale system (POS) when serving as the leader on duty, including records of scanning errors, price verifications, items not on file, price modifications, and voids.
• Completing product returns, order voids, customer refunds, cash drops to safe, and providing change as requested for point of sale.
• Complying with all company policies and procedures; maintaining respectful relationships with coworkers.
• Completing any additional activities and other tasks as assigned.

Training & Personal Development

• Attending company-based trainings for continuous development.
• Completing all e-learning modules, including safety training requirements.
• Obtaining and maintaining a valid pharmacy license/certification as required by the state.

Communications

• Serving as a liaison between management and non-management team members by coaching and developing other capabilities with inventory systems.
• Communicating assigned tasks to team members and reporting disciplinary issues and customer complaints to management when serving as the leader on duty.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Demonstrated attention to detail.
• Ability to multi-task and manage execution.
• Experience in identifying operational issues and recommending and implementing strategies to resolve problems.
• Knowledgeable of all store systems and equipment.

Qualifications

• Six months of prior work experience with Walgreens (internal candidates) or one year of prior retail work experience (external candidates).
• Fluent in reading, writing, and speaking English (except in Puerto Rico).
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including evening and weekend hours.
• Prefer previous experience as a shift lead, pharmacy technician, designated hitter, or customer service associate.
• Prefer to have prior work experience with Walgreens, with an evaluation on file.
• Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered.