Inventory Specialist

Ai Bio; Greater London; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave + public holidays

Pension with 10% employer contribution

Private health cover (Bupa)

Job summary

Ai Bio in London is seeking an hands-on, early-career Inventory and Purchasing Assistant to manage day-to-day consumables purchasing, receive deliveries and keep stock records accurate under guidance from your manager and lab colleagues.

You'll work with lab teams to understand demand, place orders within budgets, track expiry, and support AI-assisted workflows for inventory data. On-site in King’s Cross, with training and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience in inventory, purchasing, goods receipt, logistics or lab operations.
• Careful record keeping and organised approach to checking deliveries.
• Confidence with digital tools and willingness to learn AI-assisted workflows.
• Clear communication with suppliers and colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day consumables purchasing and deliveries.
• Receive goods, check quantities, batch, expiry and temperature specs.
• Maintain stock records and organise storage with bin locations.
• Track stock movements and investigate discrepancies.
• Collaborate with software engineers to shape inventory tools and workflows.

Skills

Inventory management

Purchasing

Logistics

Record-keeping

Digital tools

AI readiness

Tools

Barcode systems

ERP systems

Inventory software

Job description

About us

AI for biology has a data problem. The data that matters most doesn't exist yet, so we're building the infrastructure to produce it, with quality and traceability built in from day one.

We're in stealth and heads-down on execution. We'll share more about what we're building once you've spoken with the team.

The role

This is a hands-on, early-career role within our Infrastructure team. Youʼll manage day-to-day consumables purchasing, receive deliveries and keep stock records accurate, with training and guidance from your manager and laboratory colleagues. As you learn the work, youʼll organise your day independently and follow issues through to resolution.

Youʼll work with laboratory teams to understand demand, place orders within agreed budgets and approvals, and chase delays before they disrupt work. Youʼll maintain supplier prices and lead times, flag supply risks and get laboratory approval for any proposed substitutions.

At goods receipt, youʼll check orders against deliveries, including quantities, condition and relevant batch, expiry and temperature requirements. Youʼll record receipts promptly, route goods to the right storage and resolve discrepancies. Youʼll help physically set up storage areas, organise stock into defined bin locations and label and barcode those locations so they match the inventory records. Youʼll record stock movements and investigate differences found during stock counts.

With guidance, youʼll propose reorder points and buffer stock using consumption, lead times and planned activity. Youʼll track expiry dates, prioritise the earliest-expiring stock where appropriate and maintain consistent item codes, units and pack conversions. Youʼll document procedures, follow safety and quality requirements, and segregate items awaiting review. Regular updates on supply risks and stock accuracy, together with reliable receipt records, will help colleagues in the lab and finance.

Youʼll work directly with software engineers to shape the inventory tools you use every day.

Youʼll bring ideas from the lab, explain what needs to work differently and test new features against real tasks. Your input will help decide what gets improved, with your manager and the software team leading priorities, design and development. Youʼll also learn to use AI‑assisted workflows for tasks such as reviewing inventory data and preparing routine updates, then help refine those workflows as you find better ways to work. Training and support will be part of the role.

Your first 90 days

FIRST 30 DAYS

Learn the consumables, storage requirements and approval processes with laboratory colleagues. Take on routine ordering and goods receipt with support.

Check stock records against physical inventory and map the journey from purchase request to use. Agree a practical storage layout and bin-location scheme with laboratory colleagues, taking account of access and storage requirements.

DAYS 30 TO 60

Run routine ordering, receipts and stock counts independently within agreed processes.

Keep colleagues informed of shortages, overdue orders and expiring stock.

Physically set up and organise the agreed storage areas, label and barcode bin locations, and link them to inventory records. Propose replenishment settings with your manager and laboratory colleagues, and document how stock is stored and moved. Turn recurring problems into examples for the software team.

DAYS 60 TO 90

Check that colleagues can find, receive and return stock using the labelled and barcoded locations. Resolve gaps in the layout or records, and refine replenishment to reduce avoidable shortages and waste.

Test available inventory features against everyday tasks and help colleagues adopt improvements. With support, try an AI‑assisted workflow for a routine task, check its outputs and suggest how to improve it.

Who you are

Youʼre proactive, organised and attentive to detail, and you enjoy practical work where accurate records have visible consequences. When a problem arises, you flag it promptly and investigate practical solutions while keeping colleagues informed. You act within agreed processes, bring options when a decision needs support and follow the issue through to resolution.

Your experience may come from inventory, purchasing, logistics or laboratory operations, including an apprenticeship or placement. A scientific degree and coding experience are not required. We welcome transferable experience with physical stock and time-sensitive supplies.

Youʼre willing to help beyond a fixed task list as the team grows, while using judgement about when to escalation. Nobody arrives with every part of this role. If you are strong in most of it and quick to learn the rest, we want to hear from you.

MUST HAVE

• Practical experience of inventory, purchasing, goods receipt, logistics or laboratory operations.
• Careful record-keeping and an organised approach to checking deliveries, prioritising work and following actions through.
• Confidence with digital tools and a willingness to learn to use AI, check its outputs and improve recurring workflows over time. Prior AI expertise is not required.
• Clear communication with suppliers and colleagues, including explaining an operational problem to a software developer.

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience with laboratory consumables or expiry-sensitive and temperature-controlled stock.
• Familiarity with inventory or ERP systems, barcode-based stock control, or testing new software.

Why this is unusual

Alongside keeping supplies moving, youʼll help shape the software and AI‑assisted workflows that make the job easier. Youʼll work with engineers to turn a stock discrepancy or awkward receiving step into a better tool, then see whether it works in practice. Youʼll build experience in improving systems as well as running the day‑to‑day operation.

Youʼll have support as you learn, and room to contribute ideas from the start. Some people find that mix energising; others prefer a more settled routine. It is worth knowing which suits you.

How we work

This role is primarily on‑site in Kingʼs Cross, London, typically four to five days a week, because deliveries and physical inventory need someone there. The wider team is distributed, so we write things down and keep colleagues informed.

We start the week with an all‑hands and share written updates. We give feedback directly and expect good ideas to be challenged on their merits, whoever proposes them.

UK benefits include 30 days of annual leave plus public holidays, a pension with a 10% employer contribution after a three-month deferment, and Bupa private health cover.

The team you will join

Youʼll join the Infrastructure team and work closely with laboratory colleagues, software engineers and finance. Your manager will help set priorities and support decisions on inventory planning and wider process changes. Youʼll bring the day‑to‑day operational view into those discussions.

Our process

We start with a short screening conversation, followed by a behavioural interview. We’ll ask for examples of how you’ve spotted a problem, kept others informed and taken practical steps to solve it, including when you sought support. Next comes a role‑specific work sample and a discussion of how you approached it, followed by references. We’ll explain the assessment format in advance, and you’ll meet us in person before any offer.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We make hiring decisions on merit, scope‑fit, and the strength of the working relationship we expect to build with each hire. Applications welcome from candidates of any background.