Inventory Control Manager

About Sara Lee Frozen Bakery:

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery became a stand- alone company in 2018 when it was purchased by Kohlberg and Company (private equity) from Tyson Foods. Our desserts have always stood for incredible flavor and superior value in the frozen food aisle and away from home markets. The Sara Lee Frozen Bakery collection of top brands includes Sara Lee®, Chef Pierre®, Bistro Collection®, Superior on Main® and Cyrus O’Leary’s®.

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is proud to take these iconic brands into a new era and to continue the evolution that transformed one small Chicago bakery into an American institution. Using carefully sourced ingredients and time-honored recipes, the company is committed to making life’s moments a little sweeter, putting its customers first and discovering new ways to make everyone’s favorite foods even better.

Working for Sara Lee:

Our vision is to be the world’s most beloved bakery by creating irresistible foods, growing with our customers, and delivering value for all. We will achieve success through collaboration and innovation in an environment where employees feel empowered to execute with speed. We believe that each of us has unique points of difference and experience to offer. We believe that there is always a better way, and we will never be satisfied with status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, continually seek process improvements and a strong sense of customer service, then this is the right type of environment for you.

Summary:

The Corporate Inventory Control Manager will be responsible for overseeing corporate inventory control processes related to product holds, releases, disposition, reconciliation, and inventory accountability across the company’s bakeries and third-party logistics (3PL) network. This role will play a critical part in ensuring accurate inventory records, timely product disposition, efficient order fulfillment, and the safe and compliant flow of product into commerce.

The Manager will serve as a key cross-functional partner to FSQA, Supply Chain, Operations, Sales, Finance, Customer Service, Production Planning, and 3PL partners. This position will provide leadership and direction for the management of product holds and releases, inventory reconciliation, disposition activities, recall support, and related systems and processes.

The Corporate Inventory Control Manager will identify opportunities to improve inventory accuracy, streamline processes, strengthen controls, and minimize financial and operational risk associated with held, aged, distressed, expired, or otherwise restricted inventory.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Inventory Control & Product Hold Management

• Lead and oversee the corporate process for managing product holds, releases, dispositions, and inventory reconciliation across bakeries and 3PL locations.
• Establish and maintain consistent processes, controls, and routines to ensure accurate and timely accountability of held and released inventory.
• Oversee daily reconciliation of hold statuses and inventory data across NetSuite, bakery hold reports, 3PL systems, and other applicable systems.
• Ensure accurate tracking of product lots, quantities, locations, status, and disposition throughout the inventory lifecycle.
• Provide direction and support to bakery hold coordinators and management teams regarding inventory holds, releases, and disposition requirements.
• Serve as the primary corporate point of contact for routine product hold and release activities between FSQA, bakeries, Supply Chain, Sales, and 3PL partners.
• Ensure timely and accurate communication with 3PL partners regarding product holds, releases, inventory status, and disposition requirements.
• Identify and escalate inventory discrepancies, process gaps, and risks and drive resolution with the appropriate stakeholders.

Inventory Reconciliation & Systems

• Oversee the reconciliation of inventory between NetSuite, 3PL records, bakery inventory reports, and other inventory management tools.
• Ensure accurate maintenance of manual 3PL inventory within NetSuite and appropriate inventory adjustments.
• Oversee daily EDI error resolution, including transaction failures involving sales orders, transfers, purchase orders, and other inventory-related transactions.
• Partner with Finance, Supply Chain, IT, and 3PL providers to resolve system and transactional issues impacting inventory accuracy or product flow.
• Identify recurring system and process issues and lead corrective actions to prevent future discrepancies.

Product Disposition & Inventory Risk Management

• Lead the corporate disposition process for aged, thrift, distressed, expired, damaged, or otherwise restricted inventory.
• Maintain and analyze inventory aging and disposition reports and provide regular reporting to Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, FSQA, and 3PL partners.
• Ensure stakeholders have timely visibility to inventory status, disposition, location, and financial or operational impact.
• Partner with FSQA to determine appropriate disposition of held inventory and ensure established food safety and quality requirements are followed.
• Coordinate destruction activities with 3PLs and ensure required documentation, including certificates of destruction and supporting photographs, is obtained and maintained.
• Partner with Finance to ensure appropriate inventory adjustments are completed accurately and timely in NetSuite.
• Identify opportunities to minimize inventory loss, product aging, unnecessary holds, and avoidable write-offs.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the corporate subject matter expert and primary contact for inventory holds and disposition-related matters.
• Provide leadership with timely and accurate reporting on hold status, inventory location, disposition, aging, and potential business impact.
• Partner with FSQA, Production Scheduling, Supply Chain, Sales, Finance, Customer Service, and Operations to coordinate planned and unplanned product holds and releases.
• Coordinate with FSQA and Production Scheduling regarding pre-planned holds and releases associated with construction, R&D activities, production changes, or other operational events.
• Provide leadership and support during unplanned product holds, releases, and inventory-related disruptions.
• Provide guidance to 3PL partners regarding product disposition, handling, segregation, release, and destruction expectations.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and influence effective decision-making across functions.

Recall & Food Safety Support

KPI Management & Continuous Improvement

• Establish, monitor, and report key performance indicators related to inventory accuracy, product holds, releases, aging, disposition, reconciliation, and 3PL performance.
• Develop and maintain regular reporting and dashboards to provide visibility to inventory performance and emerging risks.
• Identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for improvement and lead corrective and preventive actions.
• Develop and implement standardized processes, tools, controls, and best practices to improve inventory accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that reduce manual processes, improve data integrity, accelerate product disposition, and minimize inventory loss.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability for internal stakeholders and 3PL partners related to inventory control processes and performance.
• Ensure KPI expectations and established performance standards are consistently met and communicate results and action plans to leadership.

The position responsibilities outlined above are not to be construed as all encompassing. Other duties and responsibilities may be required and/or assigned as necessary.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.