Inventory Specialist

Walgreens•Columbus, OH

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Inventory Specialist executes, monitors, and trains storewide inventory best practices and standard operating procedures across the front end and pharmacy. The role supports pharmacy inventory management and champions On-Shelf Availability, handling receiving, counting, ordering, pricing, returns, planogram accuracy, inventory records, and related systems and reports. The specialist also maintains asset-protection practices, files claims for inventory discrepancies or damaged goods, and, in designated stores, may open or close the store and serve as leader on duty in the absence of store management. The role supports a positive customer experience by assisting customers, modeling service practices, and, when serving as leader on duty, addressing customer questions and issues. It executes and coaches others on warehouse, vendor, front-end, and pharmacy inventory processes; maintains accurate on-hand quantities; supports pricing, ordering, returns, recalls, physical inventory, package delivery activities, and pickup operations; and follows applicable policies and regulatory requirements. Under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge, the specialist performs designated pharmacy inventory activities and maintains required pharmacy inventory accuracy. The specialist attends company training and e-learning, maintains a valid pharmacy license or certification when required by the state, and serves as a liaison between management and team members by coaching others on inventory systems. When acting as leader on duty, the specialist communicates assignments and reports disciplinary issues and customer complaints to management.

Requirements

Six months of prior Walgreens work experience for internal candidates, or one year of prior retail work experience for external candidates.
Fluency in reading, writing, and speaking English, except in Puerto Rico.
Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends.
Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to multitask and manage execution.
Experience identifying operational issues and recommending and implementing strategies to resolve problems.
Obtain and maintain a valid pharmacy license or certification when required by the state.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience as a shift lead, pharmacy technician, designated hitter, or customer service associate.
Prior Walgreens work experience, with an evaluation on file.

Responsibilities

Execute, monitor, and train storewide inventory best practices and standard operating procedures for front end and pharmacy.
Support pharmacy inventory management, including receiving, counting, ordering, and facilitating returns.
Champion On-Shelf Availability and perform receiving, counting, pricing, returns, and other in-store inventory processes.
Validate planograms and review and coordinate proper use of reports and system applications affecting on-hand balances and pricing.
Execute and maintain front-end and pharmacy asset-protection techniques; file claims for overages, shortages, order errors, and damaged goods.
In designated stores, open or close the store in the absence of management, complete required system start-ups and cash-handling duties, and prepare the sales floor and stockroom for the business day.
Greet customers, offer assistance, model customer-service best practices, and, when leader on duty, resolve customer issues and answer questions.
Execute and coach team members on warehouse and vendor inventory processes, including creating, reviewing, receiving, and scanning orders and deliveries.
Verify pharmacy shipments and complete or verify posting of pharmacy warehouse, prescription, OTC, secondary vendor, flu, and dropship orders; audit totes and report shortages or damaged products as needed.
Complete the On-Shelf Availability process for planogrammed departments, including disposals, call-ins, vendor returns, and scan-outs and scan-out returns.
Under the pharmacist-in-charge's supervision, complete pharmacy recalls, vendor returns, damaged salvage returns, and other pharmacy inventory activities; facilitate excess inventory returns or interstore transfers where applicable.
Verify posting of pharmacy and prescription claims.
Execute price changes, markdowns, markdown deletions, and other pricing activities; maintain accurate prices, signage, and completion of regulatory pricing tasks.
Support front-end and pharmacy ordering by ordering expense items, monitoring pharmacy manual orders for excess, and maintaining consigned inventory.
Update on-hands for designated pull-and-quarantine items and place them in the designated holding area.
Maintain accurate inventory counts and on-hand quantities across basic departments, stockroom, overstock locations, and pharmacy; complete pharmacy smart counts under the pharmacist-in-charge's supervision.
Ensure compliance with state and local inventory laws for regulated products, such as alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
Maintain inventory records and receive and post front-end products in inventory systems; organize and retain invoices, receipts, and return authorizations.
Prepare for physical inventory and support inventory-day activities, including preparing the sales floor, stockroom, and pharmacy and auditing the third-party inventory team.
Keep counters and shelves clean and well merchandised; maintain knowledge of store systems and equipment.
Assist and coach the store team on package delivery activities, including package scanning, daily inventory functions, and returns; support the Pickup Program.
When serving as leader on duty in designated stores, register sales on the POS system and record scanning errors, price verifications, items not on file, price modifications, and voids; complete returns, order voids, refunds, cash drops, and change requests.
Follow company policies and procedures and maintain respectful relationships with coworkers.
Attend company training, complete e-learning modules including safety training, and maintain state-required pharmacy license or certification.
Coach and develop team members' inventory-system capabilities; when leader on duty, communicate assigned tasks and report disciplinary issues and customer complaints to management.
Complete additional assigned activities and tasks.