Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) Manager

Lonestar Electric Supply Partners•Houston, TX

About The Position

Lonestar Electric Supply is seeking a highly organized, customer-focused VMI Manager to lead customer inventory programs, including Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI), customer-owned inventory, consignment, and other managed inventory solutions. The role is accountable for inventory held, tracked, replenished, and released on behalf of customers, ensuring inventory accuracy, process compliance, strong service levels, and customer relationships. The manager partners with customers, suppliers, procurement, sales, warehouse, operations, shipping, and accounting teams to optimize inventory performance, improve service, and support business growth. The position oversees inventory planning, reconciliation, replenishment, supplier oversight, reporting, and continuous process improvement across managed inventory programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Logistics, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
At least 5 years of experience in inventory management, supply chain, industrial distribution, or customer inventory programs.
Experience managing VMI, consignment, customer-owned inventory, or similar inventory solutions.
Strong knowledge of inventory control, replenishment planning, and inventory reconciliation.
Proficiency with ERP and inventory management systems.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.
Excellent communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to collaborate across customers, suppliers, and internal teams.

Nice To Haves

Epicor Eclipse experience.
Knowledge of the electrical distribution, wire and cable, or industrial supply industry.

Responsibilities

Manage and oversee customer inventory programs, including customer-owned inventory, VMI, consignment, and other inventory arrangements.
Own and improve customer inventory processes, agreements, and controls; document procedures and train internal teams.
Maintain accurate inventory records and reconcile physical counts, system balances, and customer commitments.
Monitor demand, forecasts, usage trends, and release schedules, partnering with Procurement to maintain appropriate inventory levels and prevent stockouts or excess inventory.
Serve as the primary customer contact for inventory status, replenishment, reporting, issue resolution, and program performance.
Coordinate with Sales, Procurement, Warehouse, Shipping, Operations, and Accounting to ensure inventory transactions, shipments, receipts, and billing are processed accurately and on time.
Ensure customer-owned and consigned inventory is properly identified, segregated, and controlled at company facilities.
Conduct inventory and quality audits, verifying product specifications and compliance with customer, supplier, and company standards.
Administer Return Material Authorizations (RMAs), inventory discrepancies, nonconformance issues, and corrective actions.
Monitor supplier performance and identify opportunities to improve inventory accuracy, service levels, quality, and operational efficiency.
Identify and address aging, slow-moving, excess, or obsolete inventory to minimize risk and maximize utilization.
Produce and analyze inventory, service, and operational performance metrics, providing actionable insights and recommendations to customers and company leadership.
Perform other duties as assigned by management.