Inventory Specialist

Walgreens•Fayetteville, NC

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, including receiving, counting, ordering, and returns, and champions On-Shelf Availability. It is responsible for in-store inventory processes, planogram accuracy, inventory and pricing reports and applications, asset protection, and filing claims for overages, shortages, order errors, and damaged merchandise, including prescription drugs. In designated stores, the Inventory Specialist may open or close the store in the absence of store management and serve as leader on duty. The role engages customers and supports a positive customer experience while carrying out inventory, pricing, package delivery, pickup, and point-of-sale activities. Pharmacy responsibilities are performed under the supervision of the pharmacist-in-charge where specified. The position also supports inventory records and physical inventory, maintains organized inventory documentation, helps keep counters and shelves clean and well merchandised, and coaches team members on inventory systems and processes. The specialist attends required company training and maintains any state-required pharmacy license or certification.

Requirements

Internal candidates: six months of prior work experience with Walgreens. 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.
Internal candidates must have an “Achieving expectations” rating on their last performance review and no written disciplinary actions in the previous 12 months.
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 if 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 team members on storewide inventory best practices and standard operating procedures.
Support pharmacy inventory activities, including receiving, counting, ordering, and returns.
Champion On-Shelf Availability and perform receiving, counting, pricing, returns, and other in-store inventory processes.
Validate planograms and review or coordinate the proper use of reports and system applications that affect inventory balances and pricing.
Execute and maintain front-end and pharmacy asset protection practices and file claims for overages, shortages, order errors, and damaged goods.
When designated and in the absence of store management, open or close the store, complete required system start-ups and cash handling, perform cashier responsibilities, and prepare the floor and stockroom for the business day.
Greet customers, offer assistance, model customer-service best practices, and, when serving as 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 present; verify receipt, follow up on undelivered scheduled receipts, and open tickets to correct inaccurate orders.
Under the pharmacist-in-charge's supervision, verify pharmacy shipments and complete or verify daily postings for pharmacy warehouse, prescription, OTC, secondary vendor, flu, and dropship orders; audit totes and report shortages or damage.
Complete the On-Shelf Availability process for planogrammed departments, including disposals, call-ins, vendor returns before expiration, and scan-outs and scan-out returns for subscribed departments, vendor/DSD departments, and pharmacy.
Under the pharmacist-in-charge's supervision, complete pharmacy recalls, vendor returns, non-controlled and damaged salvage returns, and applicable excess inventory returns or interstore transfers.
Verify posting of pharmacy and prescription claims.
Complete pricing activities, including price changes, markdowns, markdown deletes, accurate signage, and other required regulatory pricing tasks.
Support front-end and pharmacy ordering by ordering expense items, monitor pharmacy manual orders for excess, and maintain consigned inventory.
Update on-hands for designated pull-and-quarantine items and place them in the designated holding area.
Maintain accurate on-hand quantities in basic departments, stockroom, overstock locations, and, under the pharmacist-in-charge's supervision, pharmacy; complete pharmacy smart counts.
Ensure inventory compliance with state and local laws concerning regulated products such as alcoholic beverages and tobacco.
Maintain inventory records by receiving and posting front-end products in inventory systems; organize and retain invoices, receipts, and return authorizations.
Help prepare for physical inventory and support inventory-day activities, including preparing the sales floor, stockroom, and pharmacy and auditing the third-party team.
Help keep counters and shelves clean and well merchandised, and remain knowledgeable about store systems and equipment.
Assist and coach the store team on package delivery activities, including package scanning, daily inventory functions, and package returns; support the Pickup Program.
When designated as leader on duty, register sales on the assigned POS system and document scanning errors, price verifications, items not on file, price modifications, and voids.
When performing leader-on-duty POS duties, complete product returns, order voids, customer refunds, cash drops to the safe, and change requests.
Comply with company policies and procedures and maintain respectful coworker relationships.
Attend company training, complete e-learning modules including safety training, and obtain and maintain any state-required pharmacy license or certification.
Coach and develop team members' capabilities with inventory systems; when leader on duty, communicate assigned tasks and report disciplinary issues and customer complaints to management.
Complete additional activities and other assigned tasks.