Senior Manager, Inventory Control
Kinder's · Walnut Creek
BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE.
What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.
With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.
As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.
About The Role
Kinder's is seeking an experienced Senior Inventory Control Manager who is passionate about being part of a team of hard-working people focused on bringing the future of flavor to consumers everywhere.
We are a fast-growing company working hard to bring amazing flavor solutions that are as exciting and delicious as they are simple to use, whether our consumers are experienced cooks or first-timers in the kitchen. We are obsessed with quality and are 100% committed to being the most innovative company in any market we serve. Our mission is to bring awesome flavor to consumers whenever and wherever they are looking for it. We have experienced tremendous growth over the last five years, but we think we are just getting started. We love our consumers and are fired up to be part of their flavor journey. We need more great people to help us continue raising the bar for what they think is possible in their own kitchens.
Today, we have over 100 products sold nationwide at retailers including Costco, Walmart, Sam's Club, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Safeway, and many more. While we have been around for over 75 years, we have experienced explosive growth in the last five years and are now a top-five brand in the U.S. in multiple flavor categories, including seasoning blends, BBQ sauce, and wing sauce. To keep our momentum rolling, we need more passionate flavor advocates and builders to join our team and help us reach every kitchen across the U.S. and maybe even the world.
How you'll have an impact at Kinder's: a strategic and operational leader responsible for advancing inventory-control performance across a multi-site network. This role standardizes controls, owns the functional improvement roadmap, strengthens 3PL accountability, and translates inventory data into decisions that improve service, working capital, risk, and scalability.
Role Scope
- Primary Focus: Lead multi-site inventory-control strategy, operating performance, and continuous improvement.
- Scope: Network-wide leadership across internal, e-commerce, and 3PL locations; owner of the functional roadmap and operating rhythm.
- Decision Making: Make strategic functional decisions, prioritize resources, and recommend material risk, system, and financial actions.
- People Leadership: Lead managers and/or individual contributors, build capability, and strengthen succession readiness.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead inventory-control and deployment performance across multiple internal, e-commerce, and 3PL warehouse locations.
- Own and implement the inventory-control functional roadmap, translating business priorities into standards, projects, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
- Standardize network processes for cycle counts, physical inventories, reconciliation, inventory adjustments, transfers, returns, lot traceability, and variance resolution.
- Establish control routines and escalation thresholds for inventory accuracy, shrinkage, SLOB, aging, holds, damages, reserves, and material financial exposure.
- Lead root-cause analysis of systemic inventory issues and ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented across applicable locations.
- Optimize inventory deployment governance and priorities in partnership with Planning, Logistics, Operations, Customer Operations, and warehouse partners.
- Own inventory KPI dashboards, scorecards, business reviews, and trend analysis; translate findings into clear operational and financial actions.
- Manage the inventory-control operating budget and identify productivity, cost-reduction, and risk-mitigation opportunities with measurable ROI.
- Partner with Finance on inventory valuation integrity, SLOB reserves, write-offs, shrinkage, loss prevention, audit readiness, and working-capital improvement.
- Manage strategic operating relationships with 3PL partners, including inventory-control expectations, SLAs, audits, remediation plans, and performance accountability.
- Serve as a business subject-matter expert for ERP, WMS, reporting, data governance, and automation enhancements; sponsor adoption and process discipline.
- Lead cross-functional inventory initiatives, warehouse transitions, new-location launches, system implementations, and network changes.
- Develop scalable SOPs, policies, controls, and training programs that support growth and consistent execution across the network.
- Build team capability and leadership depth through coaching, performance management, talent development, role clarity, and succession planning.
What You Bring to the Table
- 7+ years of progressive experience in inventory control, supply chain, warehousing, distribution, or operations, preferably within CPG, food, or manufacturing.
- 3+ years of people-leadership experience with a track record of building accountable, high-performing teams.
- Demonstrated experience managing inventory control across multiple sites and 3PL partners.
- Strong expertise in inventory accuracy, cycle counting, physical inventories, reconciliation, SLOB, reserves, shrinkage, deployment, and working capital.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects, standardize processes, and deliver measurable operational and financial improvements.
- Strong analytical, financial, and executive-ready communication skills; comfortable turning complex data into priorities and decisions.
- Experience with ERP, WMS, business intelligence, automation, and data-governance initiatives; SAP experience is preferred.
- Strong vendor-management skills, including performance reviews, SLA accountability, audits, and corrective-action management.
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, operations, business, finance, or a related field is preferred but not required.
Measures of Success
- Network inventory accuracy, reconciliation timeliness, and control compliance improve against targets.
- Recurring variances, shrinkage, and preventable adjustments decline through sustainable root-cause resolution.
- SLOB and at-risk inventory exposure are visible, governed, and actively reduced.
- 3PL partners consistently meet inventory-control standards and corrective actions close on time.
- The inventory roadmap delivers measurable value and the team develops stronger leadership depth.
Location and Travel
The position will be based out of our Walnut Creek, CA office and will require periodic travel to warehouses, 3PL partners, co-manufacturers, and other company locations.
Pay Transparency
The expected starting salary range for this role is $160,000- $180,000 per year. The salary range posted for this role reflects the good-faith base pay range Kinder’s reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting and may vary based on the location of the role. Individual compensation within the posted range will be determined based on factors such as relevant education, experience, qualifications, skills, and business needs.
SEASONED FOR SUCCESS:
- No two days here are the same.
- We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
- We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
- We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
- We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
- We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.
BENEFITS THAT BRING MORE TO THE TABLE:
We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.
OUR RECIPE FOR BALANCE:
We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.
WHERE EVERY INGREDIENT MATTERS:
Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at careers@kinders.com
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