Inventory Manager (WMS & Systems Control)

Listing reference: 025868 Listing status: Online Apply by: 9 August 2026

Position summary

Industry: Wholesale & Retail Trade Job category: Distribution Location: Cape Town Contract: Permanent Remuneration: Market Related EE position: Yes

About our company

Clicks Group

Introduction

We are seeking to appoint an Inventory Manager (WMS & Systems Control) to support the Clicks Logistics Operations division. This role will be based at Montague Gardens Distribution and report to the DC General Manager.

Job description

Job Purpose To ensure accurate, resilient, and IFRS-compliant inventory management across distribution centres by embedding strong WMS governance, master data integrity, stock reconciliation, and inventory control processes, while mitigating system-related risks experienced during the WMS rollout and stabilising end‑to‑end inventory performance.

Job Objectives

4**.1 Inventory Integrity & Financial Control**

• Own end‑to‑end inventory accuracy within WMS and integrated systems, ensuring alignment between physical stock, WMS balances, and MMS financial records.
• Lead cycle counts, perpetual counts, and wall‑to‑wall stocktakes, including variance investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Ensure accurate valuation of stock, shrinkage, and adjustments in line with IFRS and audit requirements.
• Govern duplicate SKU, PO, and pricing anomalies arising from system integration failures.

4.2 WMS Governance & Risk Mitigation

• Act as the business owner for inventory‑related WMS functionality, configuration, and controls.
• Define and enforce inventory SOPs aligned to the WMS operating model and lessons learnt from rollout issues.
• Monitor and resolve inventory task failures (putaway, letdowns, refills, adjustments, penalty stock) that compromise availability or financial accuracy .
• Partner with IT and vendors to prioritise and test fixes for critical and high‑severity inventory defects.

4.3 Master Data & Slotting Control

• Govern item master data quality (dimensions, cube, slot types, UOMs) to prevent slotting failures, penalty stock build‑up, and task non‑generation.
• Oversee cube‑scanning completeness and accuracy to stabilise putaway and replenishment logic.

4.4 Availability & Service Level Enablement

• Protect store availability (>96%) by ensuring pick‑face integrity, reserve alignment, and timely completion of inventory tasks.
• Identify and escalate inventory constraints that risk DC throughput, picking continuity, or store service.

4.5 Reporting, Analytics & Decision Support

• Own daily, weekly, and period‑end inventory reporting, including imbalances, adjustments, ageing, and exception dashboards.
• Provide actionable insights to DC leadership, Finance, and IT on inventory health, risk exposure, and improvement opportunities.

4.6 Continuous Improvement & Change Enablement

• Embed learnings from WMS incidents into redesigned processes, controls, and training.
• Support future WMS rollouts and enhancements through UAT, business readiness, and post‑go‑live stabilisation.

Minimum requirements

Job related knowledge Essential

• Advanced understanding of DC inventory management within WMS environments
• Strong knowledge of inventory accounting, reconciliations, and IFRS principles
• Deep understanding of warehouse processes (receiving, putaway, slotting, replenishment, picking, adjustments)

Desirable

• Knowledge of WMS/WCS/MMS integrations and system controls
• Exposure to large‑scale system rollouts or stabilisation programmes

Job related skills

• Advanced analytical and problem‑solving capability
• Strong system and data literacy (Excel, BI tools, WMS reporting)
• Risk identification and control design
• Stakeholder management across operations, IT, and finance
• Clear written and verbal communication, including executive‑level reporting

Experience Essential

• 5–8 years inventory or DC operations management experience in FMCG or retail
• Proven experience managing inventory accuracy in system‑driven environments

Desirable

• Direct involvement in WMS implementation or recovery
• Project or change management experience within logistics

Education BCom, Supply Chain, or similar degree Essential Competencies* Analysing & Interpreting

• Applying Expertise & Technology
• Planning & Organising
• Delivering Results & Meeting Customer Expectations
• Leading & Supervising
• Coping with Pressure & Change