Inventory Control Manager - Retail and Supply Chain

GMG Gulf; Dubai; On-site; AED 420,000 - 780,000; Full time

Job summary

GMG is seeking an experienced Inventory Control Manager to lead stock assurance across its supermarket, pharmacy and furniture businesses in Dubai. You will manage physical counts, variance investigations and financial reconciliation using SAP S/4HANA, SAP EWM, Dynamics 365 and Power BI.

The role requires 12–15 years in inventory and supply chain with at least 5 years in leadership, and offers on-site work in the UAE with cross-functional collaboration across retail, warehousing and

Qualifications

• 12–15 years in inventory and supply chain roles.
• At least 5 years in a leadership position.
• Hands-on knowledge of SAP S/4HANA and SAP EWM.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Power BI reporting and dashboards across multiple business units.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic inventory planning and control across GMG units.
• Coordinate annual physical stock counts and cycle counts.
• Investigate discrepancies and reconcile with finance.
• Standardise inventory governance and SAP-based processes.
• Oversee SAP S/4HANA, SAP EWM and Dynamics 365 reconciliations.

Skills

Leadership

Retail experience

Warehousing experience

SAP S/4HANA

SAP EWM

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Power BI

Inventory analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business or related

MBA (advantage)

APICS CPIM or CSCP (advantage)

Tools

SAP S/4HANA

SAP EWM

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Job description

Inventory Control Manager - Retail and Supply Chain Job Snapshot

Role: Inventory Control Manager - Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Industry: Inventory - Function: Inventory Management - Experience: 12-15 years in inventory and supply chain, including at least 5 years in a leadership role - Job Type: Full Time - Work Arrangement: On-site

GMG is seeking an experienced Inventory Control Manager to lead stock assurance, inventory accuracy and inventory governance across its supermarket, pharmacy and furniture businesses. The position covers retail stores, warehouses, distribution centres, factories and third‑party storage locations. The Manager will oversee the complete inventory counting and reconciliation process, from strategic planning and physical stock verification to variance investigation, system posting and financial reconciliation. The role requires advanced hands‑on knowledge of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), together with working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and inventory reporting through Power BI. The successful candidate will establish consistent inventory control standards across multiple business units while adapting procedures to the specific requirements of supermarkets, pharmacies, furniture operations, manufacturing facilities and distribution centres. The position also involves managing inventory control teams, strengthening audit readiness, reducing stock discrepancies, improving system integration and presenting inventory performance reports to senior management.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates - City: Dubai - Industry: Inventory - Function: Inventory Management - Salary: Not disclosed - Gender: No Preference - Candidate Nationality: Not specified - Job Type: Full Time - Work Arrangement: On-site

Business Units and Operational Scope

The Inventory Control Manager will oversee inventory assurance activities across GMG 's supermarket, pharmacy and furniture businesses. Operational locations include:

• Supermarket stores, pharmacies and furniture showrooms.
• Warehouses and distribution centres.
• Ambient, chilled and frozen storage facilities.
• Manufacturing facilities handling raw materials, packaging, work‑in‑progress and finished goods.
• Third‑party warehouses and outsourced storage locations.

Core Inventory Systems

• SAP S/4HANA.
• SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM).
• Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Microsoft Power BI.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Inventory Planning and Control

• Design and implement inventory control strategies suited to the operational requirements of each business unit.
• Establish and manage annual physical stock count and cycle count calendars.
• Coordinate stock count schedules with retail operations, warehouses, factories, Finance, Internal Audit and Loss Prevention teams.
• Ensure inventory counting procedures follow established standard operating procedures.
• Confirm operational readiness before each stock count, including staffing, system configuration and preliminary checks.
• Review count documents, inventory blocks, stock freezes and warehouse location master data.
• Align inventory control activities with internal audit requirements, external audit expectations and financial reporting deadlines.
• Standardise inventory control practices across the three businesses while accommodating category‑specific requirements.
• Maintain appropriate inventory controls across stores, warehouses, factories and third‑party storage locations.

Physical Stock Counts and Reconciliation

• Lead full physical inventory counts, cycle counts and ad hoc stock verification activities.
• Ensure stock counting procedures are performed accurately and consistently.
• Coordinate stock counts across retail outlets, distribution centres and manufacturing facilities.
• Investigate differences between physical inventory and system‑recorded stock balances.
• Manage recounts and resolve discrepancies with relevant operational and finance teams.
• Analyse inventory variances by location, product category and operational process.
• Identify recurring stock discrepancies and implement corrective measures.
• Ensure reconciled inventory results are accurately posted within established service‑level agreements and financial period‑end deadlines.
• Maintain reliable supporting documentation for inventory adjustments and reconciliations.

Inventory Variance and Shrinkage Management

• Lead investigations into stock shortages, overages and shrinkage.
• Identify underlying causes of inventory losses and discrepancies.
• Establish accountability and corrective actions for identified stock control failures.
• Monitor recurring inventory issues across business units and operational locations.
• Ensure inventory investigations are properly documented.
• Validate that stock adjustments, write‑offs and write‑downs have appropriate justification and approval.
• Apply established delegation‑of‑authority requirements to inventory adjustments.
• Track preventive actions intended to reduce future inventory discrepancies.

Inventory Process Management and Improvement

• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of inventory processes across retail, warehousing and manufacturing operations.
• Develop and maintain inventory standard operating procedures, work instructions and control matrices.
• Establish consistent inventory governance standards across the business.
• Define preventive controls covering stock movement cut‑offs, transaction accuracy and negative‑stock monitoring.
• Develop exception reporting procedures to identify inventory irregularities.
• Improve operational visibility through automation and digitisation.
• Reduce manual inventory processing errors through stronger system controls.
• Support real‑time inventory tracking and reliable stock information across business units.

SAP S/4HANA and SAP EWM Inventory Management

• Govern inventory transactions and stock movements within SAP systems.
• Monitor inventory records and transactions across SAP S/4HANA and SAP EWM.
• Maintain oversight of inventory processes involving SAP Materials Management, Inventory Management and Extended Warehouse Management.
• Investigate and resolve transaction mismatches involving goods receipt notes, stock transport orders, returns and transfers.
• Ensure inventory count results are approved and posted within established deadlines.
• Reconcile warehouse inventory records with ERP stock balances.
• Work with Finance to ensure inventory valuation reconcilates with the general ledger.
• Identify system‑related inventory discrepancies and coordinate corrective action.
• Support reliable integration between warehouse management and enterprise resource planning systems.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Cross‑System Reconciliation

• Manage inventory reconciliation requirements involving Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Ensure consistent stock information between SAP S/4HANA, SAP EWM and Dynamics 365.
• Investigate inventory differences arising from system interfaces and stock transactions.
• Oversee reconciliation between warehouse systems and the Suncoast ERP environment.
• Support accurate recording of inventory movements, adjustments and stock balances.
• Collaborate with IT and Finance to resolve system integration and reconciliation issues.
• Maintain effective controls over inventory transactions across connected systems.

System Enhancements and Access Controls

• Lead user acceptance testing for inventory‑related system enhancements and releases.
• Assess changes affecting inventory transactions, system interfaces and master data.
• Validate system readiness before implementation of approved changes.
• Provide inventory‑related sign‑off for go‑live readiness.
• Work with IT, Finance and master data teams to improve system integrity and automation.
• Define inventory‑related user roles and responsibilities.
• Maintain appropriate segregation of duties for inventory transactions.
• Periodically review system posting rights and inventory adjustment authorities.
• Strengthen system controls to reduce transaction errors and unauthorised adjustments.

Inventory Analytics and Performance Reporting

• Develop and monitor inventory performance indicators across business units.
• Measure stock accuracy and physical count accuracy.
• Track inventory shrinkage and stock discrepancies.
• Monitor inventory ageing and slow‑moving stock.
• Assess expired and near‑expiry inventory exposure.
• Measure inventory count coverage and completion.
• Prepare inventory dashboards and control reports using relevant system data.
• Analyse performance trends and recommend corrective actions.
• Present inventory performance reports to senior management and executive leadership.
• Support inventory‑related decision‑making through accurate and timely reporting.

Financial Reconciliation and Audit Support

• Collaborate with Finance on inventory valuation, provisions and reconciliation.
• Support inventory reporting requirements during month‑end closing and financial reporting.
• Provide inventory records and reconciliation evidence for internal and external audits.
• Coordinate responses to inventory‑related audit observations.
• Track corrective actions and closure of audit findings.
• Maintain supporting evidence for inventory controls and stock adjustments.
• Ensure inventory processes meet applicable financial control and audit requirements.
• Present inventory control findings and improvement recommendations to Finance and Internal Audit.

Supermarket Inventory Controls

• Manage inventory assurance requirements for GMG 's supermarket operations, including EDG.
• Maintain controls over composite products, bundles and parent‑child inventory structures.
• Verify assembly and disassembly postings and component‑level inventory counts.
• Monitor stock consumption, production yield, conversion and wastage for fresh products and in‑store production.
• Apply appropriate first‑in, first‑out and first‑expiry, first‑out inventory controls.
• Monitor expiry dates, catch‑weight products and unit‑of‑measure accuracy.
• Ensure inventory markdowns and destruction transactions receive appropriate approval.
• Maintain stock integrity across chilled and frozen storage environments.
• Investigate inventory risks associated with temperature excursions.
• Reconcile point‑of‑sale transactions with ERP inventory records.
• Maintain controls over consignment, concession and direct‑store‑delivery inventory.

Pharmacy Inventory Controls

• Oversee inventory assurance requirements for GMG 's pharmacy and health and beauty operations.
• Maintain inventory controls supporting UAE pharmaceutical regulatory requirements.
• Ensure compliance with applicable Tatmeen requirements.
• Monitor serial‑level inventory tracking and transaction reporting.
• Reconcile serialised pharmacy stock with SAP ERP and warehouse management records.
• Support accurate physical counts of serialised pharmaceutical products.
• Maintain batch‑level and expiry‑date traceability.
• Ensure appropriate inventory controls for product recalls and quarantine procedures.
• Monitor approved destruction processes for relevant pharmaceutical inventory.
• Maintain accurate inventory records to support regulatory compliance and audit readiness.

Furniture Inventory Controls

• Suncoast - Manage inventory control requirements for GMG 's Suncoast furniture operations.
• Maintain accurate bills of materials for furniture sets and assembled products.
• Review assembly and disassembly postings within Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Investigate differences between bill‑of‑material quantities and actual stock.
• Maintain appropriate tracking of multi‑carton furniture items.
• Monitor incomplete sets and partial‑carton inventory.
• Support serial number, lot and product variant tracking.
• Maintain inventory controls over customer orders, reservations and deposits.
• Monitor showroom, ex‑display and damaged furniture stock.
• Review delivered‑but‑not‑invoiced inventory and pending installation transactions.
• Track imported inventory in transit and associated landed costs.
• Monitor ageing inventory and provisioning requirements for low‑turnover products.

Factory and Manufacturing Inventory Controls

• Oversee stock assurance for raw materials, packaging materials, work‑in‑progress and finished goods.
• Coordinate physical inventory counts across manufacturing facilities.
• Validate inventory consumption against bills of materials and production recipes.
• Review manufacturing yield, scrap and rework transactions.
• Monitor inventory movements associated with production orders.
• Ensure appropriate inventory reconciliation during production order closure.
• Maintain batch traceability and reliable manufacturing stock records.
• Monitor inventory held by subcontractors and external vendors.
• Investigate manufacturing‑related inventory discrepancies and implement corrective actions.

Warehouse and Distribution Centre Inventory Controls

• Maintain bin‑level inventory accuracy across warehouses and distribution centres.
• Establish appropriate ABC cycle counting procedures.
• Monitor inventory transaction cut‑offs and warehouse stock movements.
• Maintain handling unit integrity within warehouse management processes.
• Reconcile stock in transit and inventory held at third‑party facilities.
• Monitor inventory discrepancies between physical warehouse stock and system records.
• Maintain controls over blocked, quarantined, damaged and expired goods.
• Ensure appropriate segregation and disposal procedures for restricted or unsuitable stock.
• Support accurate warehouse inventory reporting and reconciliation.

Team Leadership and Performance Management

• Lead inventory controllers, warehouse inventory supervisors, store inventory supervisors and audit support personnel.
• Coordinate inventory control activities across supermarket, pharmacy and furniture operations.
• Establish team performance indicators and operational improvement targets.
• Guide inventory teams in applying consistent stock assurance procedures.
• Support effective collaboration between inventory personnel and operational management.
• Monitor team performance against inventory accuracy and control objectives.
• Promote accountability for inventory discrepancies and corrective actions.
• Support continuous improvement across business units and operational locations.

Stakeholder and Service Provider Management

• Act as the primary inventory control contact for business heads and operational management.
• Coordinate with Finance, Internal Audit, External Audit, Compliance, IT and master data teams.
• Support inventory governance and reconciliation across multiple business units.
• Manage external stock count partners and inventory service providers.
• Define external service requirements and monitor provider performance.
• Oversee service provider costs within assigned responsibilities.
• Coordinate inventory control initiatives with relevant business stakeholders.
• Present inventory dashboards and control reports to executive leadership and steering committees.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor 's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business or a related discipline.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) is considered a strong advantage.
• APICS Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) or Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) certification is considered a strong advantage.

Professional Experience

• 12-15 years of experience in inventory management and supply chain roles.
• At least 5 years of experience in a leadership position.
• Hands‑on experience with SAP S/4HANA and SAP EWM.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365 inventory management, or the ability to acquire the required expertise quickly.
• Strong retail and warehousing experience across supermarkets, pharmacy or healthcare, and furniture operations.
• Experience managing physical stock counts and inventory reconciliations across retail stores, warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
• Experience coordinating with internal and external auditors on inventory findings.
• Experience managing complex inventory processes across multiple operational locations.

Required Technical Skills

• SAP S/4HANA inventory management.
• SAP Extended Warehouse Management.
• SAP Materials Management and Inventory Management.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 inventory processes.
• Microsoft Power BI reporting and dashboards.
• Inventory transaction reconciliation across ERP and warehouse management systems.
• Physical inventory count planning and execution.
• Cycle counting and stock accuracy management.
• Inventory variance and shrinkage analysis.
• Inventory valuation and general ledger reconciliation.
• Inventory master data and transaction controls.
• Inventory process automation and system testing.
• User acceptance testing and system implementation readiness.
• Inventory access controls and segregation of duties.
• Stock ageing, expiry and provisioning analysis.
• Audit documentation and inventory compliance reporting.

Professional Competencies

• Strong leadership and inventory governance capabilities.
• Ability to manage inventory controls across multiple business units.
• Advanced analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Effective coordination with Finance, Operations, IT and Audit teams.
• Strong understanding of retail, warehouse and manufacturing inventory processes.
• Ability to investigate complex stock discrepancies and system reconciliation issues.
• Experience developing standard operating procedures and control frameworks.
• Strong reporting and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate inventory findings to senior management.
• Ability to lead cross‑functional improvement initiatives.
• Attention to financial accuracy, stock integrity and regulatory compliance.
• Commitment to operational efficiency, accountability and continuous improvement.

About GMG

GMG is a global well‑being company involved in the retail, distribution and manufacturing of international and home‑grown brands across sports, everyday goods, health and beauty, properties and logistics. Under the ownership and management of the Baker family for more than 45 years, GMG has developed partnerships with established international brands and expanded its operations across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. The company has introduced more than 120 brands across 12 countries, including Sun and Sand Sports, Dropkick, Supercare Pharmacy, Farm Fresh, Klassic, Nike, Columbia, Converse, Timberland, Vans, Mama Sita 's and McCain. Through its diversified business activities, GMG supports retail, distribution, manufacturing and supply chain operations across its portfolio of international and regional brands.