Inventory Specialist

Walgreens•Westbrook, CT

33d•$19 - $24

About The Position

The Inventory Specialist executes, monitors, and trains inventory best practices and standard operating procedures throughout the store, including the front end and pharmacy. The role supports pharmacy inventory management and is responsible for receiving, counting, ordering, pricing, returns, in-store inventory processes, and planogram accuracy. It also reviews reports and system applications that affect inventory balances and pricing, maintains asset-protection practices, and files claims for inventory overages, shortages, order errors, and damaged goods. In designated stores, the Inventory Specialist may open or close the store when management is absent, completing required system start-ups, cash handling, cashier responsibilities, and store readiness activities. The role engages customers, models customer-service practices, and may resolve customer issues while serving as leader on duty. The position carries out front-end and pharmacy inventory operations, including deliveries and order processing, on-shelf availability, pricing, returns, inventory counts, regulated-product compliance, records retention, and physical inventory preparation. Pharmacy activities are performed under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge. The Inventory Specialist also supports package delivery and pickup activities, coaches team members on inventory systems, attends company training, and obtains and maintains a pharmacy license or certification when required by the state.

Requirements

For internal candidates, six months of prior Walgreens work experience; for external candidates, one year of prior retail work experience.
Fluency in reading, writing, and speaking English, except in Puerto Rico.
Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including evening and weekend hours.
Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to multitask and manage execution.
Experience identifying operational issues and recommending and implementing strategies to resolve problems.
A valid pharmacy license or certification where 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 store-wide inventory best practices and standard operating procedures for the 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 and ensure planogram accuracy.
Review and coordinate use of reports and system applications affecting on-hand balances and pricing.
Maintain front-end and pharmacy asset-protection techniques and file claims for overages, shortages, order errors, and damaged goods, including prescription drugs.
In designated stores, open or close the store in the absence of store management and complete required system start-ups, cash handling, cashier duties, and store-readiness tasks.
Engage 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, and receiving orders.
Scan deliveries while vendors are still in the store, take appropriate action on received or undelivered scheduled shipments, and open tickets to correct inaccurate orders.
Under pharmacist-in-charge supervision, verify pharmacy shipments and complete or verify postings for pharmacy orders, including necessary tote audits and reporting shortages or damaged products.
Complete the end-to-end On-Shelf Availability process for planogrammed departments, including disposals, call-ins, vendor returns, and scan-outs and scan-out returns.
Under pharmacist-in-charge supervision, complete pharmacy recalls, vendor returns, damaged-product returns, applicable excess inventory returns or transfers, and verification of pharmacy prescription claims.
Complete pricing activities, including price changes, markdowns, markdown deletes, accurate signage, and applicable regulatory pricing tasks.
Support front-end and pharmacy ordering by ordering expense items, monitoring pharmacy manual orders for excess, and maintaining and ordering consigned inventory as required.
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 in departments, stockrooms, overstock locations, and pharmacy; complete pharmacy smart counts under pharmacist-in-charge supervision.
Ensure inventory compliance with state and local laws for regulated products such as alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
Maintain inventory records, receive and post front-end products in inventory systems, and retain invoices, receipts, and return authorizations.
Prepare for physical inventory and support inventory-day activities, including preparing sales floor, stockroom, and pharmacy areas and auditing the third-party team.
Keep counters and shelves clean and well merchandised.
Learn and use store systems and equipment.
Assist and coach the store team on package delivery activities, including package scanning, daily inventory functions, package returns, and Pickup Program execution.
When leader on duty in designated stores, register sales in the POS system and handle scanning errors, price verifications, items not on file, price modifications, voids, returns, refunds, cash drops, and change requests.
Comply with company policies and procedures and maintain respectful relationships with coworkers.
Complete additional activities and tasks as assigned.
Attend company-based training and complete e-learning modules, including safety training.
Obtain and maintain a valid pharmacy license or certification as required by the state.
Liaise between management and non-management team members by coaching and developing inventory-system capabilities; when leader on duty, communicate assigned tasks and report disciplinary issues and customer complaints to management.