Operations and Inventory Coordinator

UPI Global Ingredients (UPI) is a supplier of natural ingredients and chemicals to the Personal Care, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, Health & Nutrition, Flavor & Fragrance, HI&I, Ag & Feed, and Industrial trades.

Position Summary

The Operations & Inventory Coordinator supports the administration of UPI's warehouse, inventory, repackaging, bulk, and shipping operations. This position coordinates operational priorities, validates order and inventory information, resolves discrepancies, and supports ERP and inventory-control processes so that customer orders are completed accurately, safely, compliantly, and on schedule. The role uses independent judgment within established authority, makes recommendations to Operations Management, and serves as a key liaison between Operations, Customer Service, Quality, Purchasing, Logistics, and other departments.

Duties & Responsibilities

Order & Operations Coordination

• Coordinates daily order, warehouse, repackaging, inventory, and shipping activities based on customer requirements, inventory availability, quality status, carrier schedules, and operational priorities.
• Reviews customer orders to identify potential inventory, documentation, labeling, scheduling, quality, or shipping issues before they affect order completion.
• Recommends adjustments to workflow, scheduling, inventory allocation, or shipment sequencing to meet customer commitments.
• Provides Operations Management with regular updates on open orders, exceptions, inventory concerns, and risks, and escalates significant issues with recommendations for resolution.

Documentation & Inventory Control

• Reviews and validates operational documentation, including pick sheets, labels, bills of lading, inventory transactions, transfer documents, and production records, and ensures discrepancies are corrected before processing or shipment.
• Investigates inventory discrepancies using ERP transactions, physical counts, receiving, production, and shipping records, and recommends adjustments or corrective actions.
• Coordinates cycle counts and inventory reconciliations, and monitors inventory accuracy for recurring issues or process weaknesses.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Serves as an operational resource for UPI's ERP, WMS, order-management, and shipping systems, and identifies system, process, or user issues.
• Participates in system implementations, upgrades, testing, troubleshooting, and user training, and recommends improvements to configurations, reports, and workflows.
• Analyzes recurring errors, discrepancies, and inefficiencies to identify root causes and recommend corrective and preventive actions.
• Develops and maintains SOPs, work instructions, forms, checklists, and training materials, and supports continuous-improvement initiatives.

Quality & Compliance

• Supports compliance with SOPs, company policies, FSSC 22000 and quality-system requirements, safety and PPE procedures, hazardous-material requirements, and white-room/clean-room procedures.
• Coordinates with Quality on labeling, traceability, lot-control, and product-status concerns, and supports readiness for internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.

Other

• Provides cross-functional support when needed to maintain workflow; however, the position's primary responsibility is the coordination, administration, and analysis of operations rather than routine manual warehouse or production work.
• All other duties as assigned.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong attention to detail, with the analytical skills to investigate discrepancies and find root causes.
• Sound judgment and the ability to prioritize in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Proficiency with ERP or inventory systems and Microsoft Office.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to work effectively across departments.
• Commitment to safety, quality, and compliance.

Education & Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience in operations, inventory control, warehouse administration, or logistics required.
• Experience with ERP or inventory-management systems required.
• Experience in a cGMP-regulated food, pharmaceutical, or chemical facility preferred.