Inventory Manager

Job Title: Inventory ManagerDepartment: Operations / Supply ChainLocation: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (on-site)Reports To: Head of Operations / Chief Operating OfficerDirect Reports: 1–2 (Inventory Coordinator / Inventory Analyst)Experience Required: 5–7 yearsEmployment Type: Full-time, permanentAbout the BusinessWe are a fast-growing international fashion group operating a portfolio of luxury, premium and streetwear brands across EMEA and APAC, with the regional headquarters in Dubai and additional offices in Europe.The business runs a hybrid model — B2B wholesale to department stores, distributors and key accounts (approx. 85% of volume) alongside a direct B2C eCommerce and marketplace channel. Scale is in the region of 5–6 million units per year, 20,000+ active SKUs, sourced primarily from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey and China, and distributed through a network of outsourced 3PL distribution centres in Germany, the UK, the Middle East and Asia.The organisation is in an active build-out and transformation phase: new ERP landscape (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central), new warehouse partners, new systems and new processes. This is a role for someone who wants to build the function, not inherit a finished one.Job PurposeThe Inventory Manager is the single owner of inventory across the entire company — every brand, every warehouse, every channel. The role is accountable for the accuracy, integrity, quality and commercial availability of stock: what we physically hold, what the systems say we hold, what condition it is in, how old it is, and how much of it is genuinely sellable.This is a hands-on, data-heavy ownership role sitting between the 3PL warehouse network, the ERP, the commercial teams and Finance. Success is measured by inventory record accuracy, clean master data, working system interfaces, controlled returns and defect handling, and a reporting layer the business can actually make decisions on.Key Responsibilities1. Inventory Ownership & AccuracyAct as the single point of accountability for all company inventory across all brands, distribution centres and channels.Own daily and periodic reconciliation between the ERP and each warehouse WMS; investigate, root-cause and close every variance.Design and enforce the cycle count and stock take programme across all sites (cycle counts, wall-to-wall counts, high-value and high-risk SKU focus).Own the inventory adjustment governance — approval matrix, thresholds, documentation and full audit trail for every movement, write-off and reclassification.Drive Inventory Record Accuracy (IRA) and shrinkage KPIs to target; escalate and hold 3PL partners accountable where performance fails.Support internal and external audits and year-end stock valuation together with Finance.2. Master Data Quality & CleansingOwn the quality of item master data: SKU structure, barcodes/EANs, descriptions, dimensions, weights, HS codes, country of origin, cost and price fields.Run continuous data cleansing programmes — duplicate SKUs, orphan records, incomplete attributes, legacy and obsolete items.Define and enforce naming, coding and attribute standards across brands, systems and channels.Gate-keep new item creation from an inventory and warehouse-readiness perspective — no SKU goes live with incomplete data.3. System Interfaces & IntegrationOwn, from the inventory side, all interfaces between the ERP, warehouse management systems, eCommerce platform, marketplaces and carrier systems.Monitor daily interface traffic — ASN, goods receipt, stock files, order confirmations, shipment confirmations, returns files — detect failures early and drive them to closure with IT and the 3PL.Define requirements, write test cases and lead UAT for any change affecting inventory data flow.Maintain the reconciliation controls that prove the systems remain in sync, rather than assuming they are.4. Inbound, Goods Receipt & PutawayEnsure inbound shipments are received accurately and on time against ASN and packing list; own the dock-to-stock lead time SLA.Manage receipt discrepancies (short-ships, over-ships, wrong goods, mismatched cartons) through to supplier claim or correction.Ensure carton and pallet labelling standards (SSCC / GS1) are respected by suppliers and warehouses.Control stock availability timing — the gap between physical receipt and sellable status.5. Returns, Damages & GradingOwn the end-to-end returns process for both B2B and B2C — authorisation, transport, receipt, inspection, disposition and credit.Own and maintain the product grading standard (A / B / C / defective) and the disposition rules attached to each grade.Manage damaged, defective and non-conforming stock: quarantine, quality assessment, repair or refurbishment, re-injection into sellable stock, or write-off.Drive supplier and carrier claims and chargebacks for goods damaged or lost in transit or in the warehouse.Route graded and non-first-quality stock to the right commercial outlet (outlet, off-price, liquidation, donation, destruction) in line with brand policy.Analyse return reasons and defect patterns and feed them back to sourcing, QC and commercial teams.6. Inventory Reporting & AnalyticsOwn the inventory reporting suite and make it the single source of truth for the business, including:Daily stock snapshot by brand, DC, channel and status (available, allocated, blocked, in transit, in quarantine).Stock aging and ageing-bucket reporting, with obsolescence and provision exposure for Finance.Slow-mover, no-mover, over-stock and stock cover analysis.Availability / ATP reporting to the sales and eCommerce teams.Accuracy, variance, shrinkage and adjustment reporting with commentary and corrective actions.Returns and grading dashboards — volumes, reasons, recovery rate, value of regraded stock.7. Stock Deployment & Allocation SupportManage inter-warehouse transfers and stock rebalancing between distribution centres and channels.Support seasonal launches and release readiness — ensure the right stock is in the right place, in the right status, at the right time.Support allocation decisions with clean availability data and set-completeness / releasable-quantity logic.8. 3PL & Stakeholder ManagementAct as the day-to-day inventory counterpart to all outsourced warehouse partners; run regular performance reviews on inventory-related SLAs and KPIs.Challenge 3PL partners on accuracy, discrepancies, damages and process compliance, and drive corrective action plans.Partner with Finance on stock valuation, provisions and audit; with Commercial on availability; with Customer Service on order and returns issues; with IT on systems.9. Team, Process & Continuous ImprovementLead, coach and develop a small team of 1–2 inventory staff; set priorities, review output and build capability.Write, maintain and enforce inventory SOPs and control procedures across all sites.Continuously simplify and automate manual inventory processes and reporting.Qualifications & Experience5–7 years of experience in inventory management, stock control or supply chain operations, including at least 2 years with direct people or process ownership.Multi-site, high-SKU-volume environment: proven experience managing inventory across several warehouses and multiple brands or product divisions.3PL / outsourced warehousing: demonstrated experience working with external logistics providers and their WMS platforms, not only in-house warehouses.ERP fluency: strong hands-on experience with a tier-1 ERP in an inventory role. Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a distinct advantage.Data skills: advanced Excel (large data sets, pivots, lookups, reconciliation models) is mandatory. SQL, Power BI or equivalent BI tooling is a strong advantage.Channel understanding: exposure to both B2B wholesale and B2C eCommerce / marketplace inventory dynamics.Returns and quality: practical experience with returns processing, grading standards and defective stock disposition.Industry: fashion, apparel, footwear, accessories, luxury or fast-moving retail strongly preferred.Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration or a related discipline.Languages: fluent professional English (written and spoken) is mandatory. Arabic or additional European languages are an advantage.Location: based in the UAE or willing to relocate to Dubai. Valid work eligibility or willingness to be sponsored.Key CompetenciesOwnership mentality — treats inventory accuracy as a personal accountability, not a shared one.Analytical rigour — comfortable living in detail and in large data sets, and able to find the one number that is wrong.Control mindset — builds process, documentation and audit trails as a reflex.Assertiveness — able to challenge warehouses, suppliers and internal stakeholders with evidence, professionally and persistently.Builder mindset — thrives in a business that is still defining its systems and processes; comfortable with ambiguity and change.Structured communication — translates data into a clear position and a clear recommendation.Bias for automation — instinctively removes manual steps rather than absorbing them.What Success Looks Like in the First 12 MonthsInventory record accuracy measured, baselined and driven to target across all sites.A clean, governed item master with documented standards and a gate on new SKU creation.All inventory-related system interfaces monitored daily with a working exception and escalation process.A functioning returns and grading process with defined disposition rules and measurable value recovery.A standard, automated inventory reporting pack — snapshot, aging, cover, slow movers, availability — trusted and used by the business.