Customer Service Specialist

ALPHA Softgels; Ontario (CA); On-site; CAD 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

ALPHA Softgels is seeking a Customer Service Specialist to manage the end-to-end order lifecycle for nutraceutical accounts. The role interfaces with Commercial, Planning, Quality, and Warehouse teams to translate client demand into executable orders while balancing schedule commitments and client expectations.

Responsibilities include order entry, status reporting, schedule coordination, forecast input, and documentation management.

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 cGMP concepts including batch record review, lot release, deviations, change control, and quality agreements; awareness of 21 CFR 111 and 21 CFR 210/211.
• Proficiency in ERP/MRP order entry (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar) and strong Excel skills; CRM (Salesforce) or eQMS (Odoo, MasterControl, Veeva, TrackWise) is a plus.
• Soft skills: clear written communication, ownership across departmental boundaries, composure when delivering schedule news, cross-functional credibility.
• Certifications: CPIM, CSCP, or CCXP desirable.

Responsibilities

• Order Management & Execution: enter client purchase orders in the ERP system and verify pricing, item numbers, fill weight, capsule size, shell specs, packaging, and dates against quotes or supply agreements.
• Client Communication & Account Ownership: act as primary operational contact for order status, lead times, documentation, and logistics; report on open orders and inventory.
• Schedule & Capacity Coordination: coordinate lead times, campaign sequencing, line capacity, and expedite requests with Planning and Scheduling.
• Demand & Forecast Management: collect rolling forecasts and support procurement for long-lead materials like gelatin, actives, oils, and packaging.
• Client-Supplied Materials & Inventory: track receipt, reconciliation, retesting, expiry dating, and consumption of client-supplied components; manage stock decisions.
• Documentation & Quality Interface: coordinate CoA/CoC/spec sheets and attestations; route changes into change control and align approved specs.
• Complaints & Issue Resolution: log complaints, route to Quality, and communicate findings and CAPA outcomes within timelines.
• New Program & Fulfillment Support: assist Business Development with new product introductions and first batches; oversee outbound shipments and invoicing accuracy.

Skills

Clear and precise written comunicação

Cross-functional collaboration

Ownership across departments

Education

Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in business administration/supply chain/life sciences

Equivalent experience considered

Tools

SAP

Oracle

NetSuite

Microsoft Dynamics

Excel

Salesforce

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 escape 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