Customer Service Specialist

Alpha Softgels; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Alpha Softgels is seeking a Customer Service Specialist to own the day-to-day operational relationship for nutraceutical accounts, managing the order lifecycle from PO receipt to shipment and invoicing. The role sits at the intersection of Commercial, Planning, Quality, and Warehouse, translating client demand into executable orders.

You will coordinate with Planning, Scheduling, and Quality to ensure accurate specs, on-time shipments, and proper documentation, including CoA/CoC.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Associate's degree in business administration, supply chain management, life sciences, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 2–4 years in customer service, order management, inside sales support, or account coordination, preferably within a CDMO, contract packager, or GMP-regulated manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with Nutraceutical manufacturing variables and their commercial consequences; working understanding of cGMP concepts including batch record review, lot release and quarantine, deviations, change control, and quality agreements.
• Proficiency in ERP/MRP order entry (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar) and strong Excel skills for order, forecast, and inventory reporting. Experience with a CRM (Salesforce) or eQMS (Odoo, MasterControl, Veeva, TrackWise) is a plus.
• Soft written communication, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to handle high email volume; ownership across departments.
• Certifications: CPIM, CSCP, CCXP desirable.

Responsibilities

• Receive, review, and enter client purchase orders in the ERP system, verifying pricing, item numbers, fill weight, capsule size and shape, shell specification, packaging configuration, and dates against the quote or supply agreement; issue ship dates and resolve discrepancies.
• Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned accounts on order status, lead times, documentation, and logistics; communicate schedule changes and prepare reporting.
• Coordinate with Planning and Scheduling on lead times, campaign sequencing, line capacity, and expedite requests; assess implications of accommodations before committing.
• Collect and maintain rolling client forecasts and feed them to Planning and Procurement to support purchasing of long-lead materials; track forecast accuracy.
• Track receipt and reconciliation of client-supplied materials and inventory; oversee expiry dating and disposition decisions for client-owned material.
• Coordinate delivery of CoA, CoC, specification sheets, and attestations with Quality; route changes into change control and track to closure.
• Log client complaints and adverse events; escalate to Quality and communicate CAPA outcomes within timelines.
• Support new product introductions, tech transfer, and first commercial batch; coordinate outbound shipments and invoicing accuracy.

Skills

Customer service

Order management

Cross-functional

Communication

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's or Associate's degree in business administration, supply chain management, life sciences, or related field; equivalent experience considered.

Tools

ERP/MRP systems (SAP/Oracle/NetSuite/MS Dynamics)

CRM (Salesforce)

eQMS familiarity (Odoo/MasterControl/Veeva/TrackWise)

Job description

Location: Ontario, California

Type: Regular Full-Time

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM (Overtime may be required)

Compensation: $18.00-22.00 per hour

Position Summary

The Customer Service Specialist owns the day-to-day operational relationship for an assigned portfolio of nutraceutical manufacturing accounts, managing the order lifecycle from purchase order receipt through shipment, documentation, and invoicing. The role sits at the intersection of Commercial, Planning, Quality, and Warehouse operations, translating client demand into executable orders and translating manufacturing reality back into commitments the client can plan against. So the role balances responsiveness to the client against what the schedule and the process can actually deliver.

Key Responsibilities

• Order Management & Execution: Receive, review, and enter client purchase orders in the ERP system, verifying pricing, item numbers, fill weight, capsule size and shape, shell specification (gelatin or HPMC), packaging configuration, and requested dates against the governing quote or supply agreement. Issue order acknowledgments with committed ship dates, and resolve PO-to-agreement discrepancies before order release.
• Client Communication & Account Ownership: Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned accounts on order status, lead times, documentation, and logistics. Communicate schedule changes, partial shipments, and quantity variances early and with the reasoning behind them, and prepare recurring open order, inventory, and account status reporting.
• Schedule & Capacity Coordination: Partner with Planning and Scheduling on lead time quoting, campaign sequencing, encapsulation and packaging line capacity, and expedite requests. Assess the cost and precedent implications of accommodations before committing to them, and elevate conflicts between competing accounts rather than resolving them unilaterally.
• Demand & Forecast Management: Collect and maintain rolling client forecasts and feed them to Planning and Procurement to support purchasing of long-lead materials, including gelatin, actives, oils, and printed packaging components. Track forecast accuracy and surface material commitment exposure when clients revise demand downward.
• Client-Supplied Materials & Inventory: Track receipt, quantity reconciliation, retest and expiry dating, and consumption reporting for client-supplied actives, proprietary oils, and artwork-bearing components. Monitor bulk and finished goods inventory against client release instructions, and drive disposition decisions on short-dated, slow-moving, or obsolete client-owned material.
• Documentation & Quality Interface: Coordinate delivery of CoA, CoC, specification sheets, and client-required attestations (Kosher, Halal, non-GMO, allergen, TSE/BSE) with Quality. Route client-initiated specification, artwork, and packaging changes into change control and track them to closure, ensuring the item master and approved specifications stay aligned to what the client has actually approved.
• Complaints & Issue Resolution: Intake and log client complaints and adverse event notifications per SOP, route to Quality for investigation, and communicate findings, disposition, and CAPA outcomes back to the client within committed timelines. Support root cause discussions where the issue originated in order entry, documentation, or fulfillment.
• New Program & Fulfillment Support: Support Business Development and Project Management through new product introductions, tech transfer, and first commercial batch, taking over routine order management at handoff. Coordinate outbound shipments and export documentation with Warehouse and carriers, resolve shipping discrepancies and damage claims, and support Finance on invoicing accuracy, credit and debit memos, and past-due follow-up.

Qualifications and Skills

• Education: Bachelor's or Associate's degree in business administration, supply chain management, life sciences, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Experience: 2–4 years in customer service, order management, inside sales support, or account coordination, preferably within a CDMO, contract packager, or GMP-regulated manufacturing environment. Exposure to a campaign- or batch-based production model is an advantage.
• Technical Knowledge: Familiarity with Nutraceutical manufacturing variables and their commercial consequences Working understanding of cGMP concepts including batch record review, lot release and quarantine, deviations, change control, and quality agreements. Awareness of 21 CFR 111 and, where applicable, 21 CFR 210/211.
• Systems: Proficiency in ERP/MRP order entry (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar) and strong Excel skills for order, forecast, and inventory reporting. Experience with a CRM (Salesforce) or eQMS (Odoo, MasterControl, Veeva, TrackWise) is a plus.
• Soft Skills: Clear and precise written communication under high email volume, ownership of issues across departmental boundaries, composure when delivering unwelcome schedule news, and the cross-functional credibility to secure cooperation from Planning, Quality, and Warehouse without formal authority.
• Certifications: CPIM, CSCP, or CCXP desirable. Job Category: Administration Job Type: Full Time Job Location: Ontario California