Inventory Control Specialist

About the Role

Fresh Catch is seeking a detail-driven Inventory Control Specialist to manage full life-cycle inventory for all raw seafood (salmon, tuna, and other species) and packaging materials, from receipt through release into production. This role is central to keeping our production lines supplied with accurate, traceable, and properly rotated inventory while supporting our food safety and audit-readiness standards. The Inventory Coordinator will work closely with the Plant Manager, receiving, and production teams to ensure inventory data in our Canopy ERP system reflects real-time, on-the-floor conditions at all times.

This is an individual-contributor role with no direct reports, ideal for someone with hands-on inventory or warehouse experience who wants ownership over a complete, high-visibility inventory function in a fast-paced seafood processing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Raw Material & Packaging Inventory Management

• Manage full life-cycle inventory of raw seafood (salmon, tuna, and other species) from receiving through issuance to production.
• Maintain accurate, real-time inventory records for packaging materials alongside raw seafood stock.
• Receive incoming raw material and packaging shipments, verifying quantities, lot numbers, and condition against purchase orders and supplier documentation.
• Enter, update, and reconcile all inventory transactions (receipts, transfers, production issues, adjustments) in the Canopy ERP system.

FEFO & Rotation Control

• Maintain strict FEFO (First-Expired, First-Out) rotation across all raw seafood and packaging inventory to minimize spoilage and waste.
• Monitor product age, shelf life, and expiration dates daily, flagging aging or at-risk inventory to the Plant Manager before it becomes a loss or quality issue.
• Ensure staging and storage areas are organized to support correct rotation and easy lot identification.

Traceability & Lot Control

• Assign and track lot numbers for all incoming raw materials and link them through production consumption in Canopy ERP.
• Maintain documentation needed for forward and backward lot traceability (supplier, receipt date, lot number, quantity) to support recall readiness and audit requests.
• Support internal and third-party audits by producing accurate inventory and lot traceability records on request.

Cycle Counts & Reconciliation

• Perform scheduled and ad hoc cycle counts of raw seafood and packaging inventory.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between physical counts and Canopy ERP records.
• Report variances, shrink, and waste trends to the Plant Manager with root-cause context.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Communicate daily with production and receiving staff to align inventory availability with production schedules.
• Flag low-stock or supply risk conditions for raw materials and packaging in time for the Plant Manager to act.
• Partner with QA/food safety staff as needed on inventory holds, non-conforming material, or lot-related questions.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

1. Inventory Accuracy Rate — Maintain a physical-to-system inventory accuracy of ≥ 98% across raw seafood and packaging materials, measured via scheduled cycle counts.
2. FEFO Compliance / Spoilage Rate — Keep raw material spoilage and expiration-related waste below an agreed monthly threshold (e.g., ≤ 1–2% of raw material volume), verified through rotation audits and waste logs.

Qualifications

Required

• 1–3+ years of hands-on experience in inventory control, warehouse, receiving, or materials management — food, perishable goods, or seafood/protein environment strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of lot tracking, rotation methods (FIFO/FEFO), and basic inventory reconciliation.
• Comfortable working with ERP or WMS systems; prior ERP experience required, Canopy ERP experience a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and physical counting.
• Ability to read and interpret purchase orders, receiving documents, and supplier paperwork.
• Effective verbal and written communication with production, receiving, and management staff.
• Basic math proficiency (weights, units of measure, conversions common in seafood handling).

Preferred

• Seafood HACCP certification (Fresh Catch will provide Seafood HACCP training for candidates not yet certified).
• Familiarity with catchweight or variable-weight inventory concepts common in seafood processing.
• Experience supporting internal or third-party food safety/quality audits.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in a food production plant environment, including cold and wet storage/processing areas.
• Ability to lift, carry, or move up to [confirm weight, e.g., 50 lbs.] regularly.
• Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the production floor and warehouse for extended periods.
• Comfortable use of handheld scanners, computers, and standard warehouse equipment.

What Fresh Catch Offers

• Competitive hourly pay: $24.00/hour
• Consistent Monday–Friday daytime schedule (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM) with OT available. 
• Employer-sponsored Seafood HACCP training for candidates without current certification
• Hands-on ownership of a critical, highly visible operations function

Founded in 2011, Fresh Catch Inc. is a business with a passionate commitment towards quality and authenticity in seafood dedicated to upholding the “Best in Class”.