Inventory Contr Spcst - Cycle Counter

Decko Products; Sandusky (OH); On-site; USD 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Decko Products in Sandusky, OH, is seeking a Cycle Counter to establish and run an inventory counting program across the Sandusky operation. This on-site role reports to the Warehouse Manager and operates within Warehouse / Inventory Control.

The role emphasizes root-cause analysis of variances, accurate counting across materials and finished goods, and maintaining audit-ready records to support planning and budgeting. Weekend work may occur during physical inventory periods.

Qualifications

• Two or more years in warehouse, inventory, receiving or materials work with counting or variance research.
• Ability to work in an ERP/WMS; read history and record a count.
• Strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily cycle count schedule focusing on high-value items.
• Perform blind counts and record actual quantities.
• Research variances to root cause and document findings.
• Collaborate with Warehouse Manager on adjustments and accuracy.

Skills

Count accuracy

Inventory control

Data entry

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

ERP system

WMS

Barcode scanning

Job description

Cycle Counter

Miss Jones Baking Co. / Decko · Sandusky, Ohio · Full-time, hourly, non-exempt

Cycle Counter (Inventory Control)

Reports to

Warehouse Manager

Location

Sandusky, Ohio (on-site) - main plant and 2200 plant, plus off-site storage

Department

Warehouse / Inventory Control

Scope

Daily cycle counting, variance research, location and record accuracy, lot and date verification, and support of physical inventory

Not in scope

Receiving, picking, shipping and inventory adjustment approval - the count is independent of the transactions it verifies

Operating pattern

Primarily first shift with early starts; counting windows around the production and shipping schedule, including weekends during physical inventory

Compensation

Competitive hourly rate; range confirmed with the final candidate

POSITION SUMMARY

We are creating a dedicated cycle counter position to establish and run inventory counting across our Sandusky operation. Today there is no cycle counting program at all. Inventory records and the floor do not agree, and nobody owns finding out why.

This is not a job about writing numbers on a clipboard. Counting is the easy part. The value in this role is what happens after a count does not match: tracing it back, working out whether it was a receipt, an issue, a mis-pick, an unrecorded scrap, a pallet in the wrong location or a labeling error, and telling us the truth about it. Someone who counts accurately but never asks why has done half the job.

The role reports to the Warehouse Manager and is deliberately kept separate from receiving, picking and shipping. A person who counts the material they also moved is not a control, and the whole point of this position is to be a control. The counter investigates and recommends; the Warehouse Manager approves every adjustment.

Everything downstream of inventory accuracy - production planning, purchasing, the MRP, product costing, and our ability to promise a customer a date - depends on this work being done honestly and consistently. It is one of the most important hourly roles in the building.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Execute the daily cycle count schedule set by the Warehouse Manager, working to the ABC classification - high-value and fast-moving items counted often, slow and low-value items counted less often.
• Perform blind counts: count what is physically there and record it, without the system quantity in front of you. A count made while looking at the expected number is not a count.
• Count accurately by unit of measure - each, case, pallet, pound - and know which one the system expects for the item in front of you.
• Count raw materials, packaging, work in process and finished goods across both plants, the outside storage locations and any staged or quarantined areas.
• Recount and verify before a variance is reported. Two counts that agree are a finding; one count is a first impression.
• Complete the scheduled counts for the day, every day. A count deferred quietly is a count that never happened.
• Research every variance to root cause rather than reporting it and moving on. Work the trail: the receipt, the issue to production, the shipment, the scrap record, the transfer, the location history and the paperwork.
• Check the obvious physical causes first - material in an adjacent location, a mixed pallet, a second location for the same item, mislabeled stock, or a partial pallet not recorded.
• Distinguish between a counting error, a transaction error, a process gap and a genuine loss, and say plainly which one it was.
• Recommend the adjustment with the evidence behind it, and pass it to the Warehouse Manager for approval. Never adjust inventory to make a count agree with the system.
• Flag repeat offenders - the items, locations, shifts or process steps that generate variances again and again - so the process can be fixed rather than the number.
• Escalate immediately anything that looks like a food safety, traceability or security issue rather than handling it quietly.
• Verify that the item in the location matches the item the system says is there, not only that the quantity matches. A right count in the wrong location is still an error.
• Audit empty and zero-balance locations, and confirm that locations the system shows as empty actually are.
• Check that every pallet is labeled, legible and identifiable, and correct or report identification that has gone missing.
• Report slotting and storage problems found while counting - blocked locations, overflow stacked outside its location, damage and spillage.
• Verify lot and date codes against the record while counting, so that traceability is tested continuously rather than only during a mock recall.
• Monitor aging and short-dated material, and report it early enough that it can be used or dispositioned rather than written off.
• Confirm FIFO and FEFO rotation is actually being followed on the floor, and report where it is not.
• Verify that held and quarantined material is still physically segregated, clearly identified and unmoved, and report any held material found where it should not be.
• Prepare for and execute the full physical inventory: count sheets, tags, zones, cut-off discipline and recounts.
• Hold the freeze: no movement in an area being counted, and nothing shipped or received against a frozen zone without being recorded.
• Reconcile the physical inventory results with the Warehouse Manager and support the explanation given to Finance.
• Work to GMP requirements at all times - garment policy, hygiene, no food or drink on the floor, and allergen awareness when moving between segregated areas.
• Follow safe practice around powered industrial trucks and moving equipment, and use the correct equipment when counting at height rather than climbing racking.
• Keep counting areas clean and leave every location the way it was found.
• Complete and maintain required training - GMP, allergen handling, powered industrial truck licensing where applicable, and system transactions.
• Report daily on counts completed, accuracy against plan, variances found, and what the research showed.
• Maintain clear and legible count records that stand up to an auditor without further explanation.
• Bring improvement ideas forward - the counting process, count sheet design, location labeling, the count schedule, anything that makes the number more reliable.
• Take part in problem solving on repeat losses with the warehouse and production teams.

WHY THIS ROLE IS KEPT SEPARATE

The cycle counter is an inventory control, not an extra pair of hands in the warehouse. The separation is the point:

Count schedule and ABC classification, Executes it, Sets it, Performing counts and recounts, Owns, Reviews, Variance research, Owns, Reviews the findings, Inventory adjustments, Recommends with evidence, Approves - always, Receiving and put-away, Not involved, Owns, Picking and shipping, Not involved, Provides stock to Shipping, Not involved, Physical inventory, Executes and reconciles, Owns and signs off. If this role covers other warehouse duties on a given day - which can happen in an operation our size - the person does not count material they personally received, issued or moved that day. Someone else counts it.

HOW THIS ROLE IS MEASURED

Count schedule completion, Scheduled counts completed on plan, every week, with no quiet deferrals, Count accuracy, Recounts confirm the first count; counting errors by the counter are rare and trending down, Variance research, Every variance carries a documented cause, not just a number, Root cause quality, Causes specific enough to act on - a named process step, not “miscount”, Inventory record accuracy, Contributes to sustained plant accuracy at or above 98% by location and item class, Repeat variance reduction, Items and locations flagged as repeat offenders are fewer quarter over quarter, Record quality, Count records complete, legible and audit-ready without further explanation, Integrity, No adjustment made without approval; no count recorded that was not performed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Two or more years in warehouse, inventory, receiving or materials work, with hands-on counting or inventory control responsibility.
• Accurate with numbers and comfortable with units of measure, case packs and conversions.
• Able to work in an inventory or ERP system: look up an item, read transaction history, and record a count.
• Working knowledge of a spreadsheet - enough to list variances, sort them and look for a pattern.
• Naturally curious and persistent. This role is looking for someone who is bothered by a number that does not make sense and wants to find out why.
• Personal integrity. This is a control position. The count has to be what was actually found, every time, including when the answer is inconvenient.
• Organized and self-directed - able to work a daily schedule without being chased.
• Able to work with production, warehouse and office people to chase down a discrepancy without turning it into a confrontation.
• Willing to flex hours to the business, including early starts, occasional off-shift counting and weekend work during physical inventory.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Food manufacturing or food distribution experience - GMPs, lot codes, allergen segregation and date coding.
• Prior cycle counting experience, particularly in a program using ABC classification and blind counts.
• Powered industrial truck certification, including order picker or reach truck for counting at height.
• Experience through an ERP or WMS implementation, or with barcode scanning.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

SCHEDULE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Primarily first shift, with early starts so that counting happens before or around production and shipping activity rather than in the middle of it.
• Weekend and extended hours during physical inventory and peak periods.
• Regularly on the warehouse and production floor: standing and walking for extended periods, climbing stairs and platforms, counting at height from the correct equipment, and occasional lifting to 35 lbs.
• Exposure to food manufacturing and warehouse conditions - noise, moving equipment, powered industrial trucks, flour and sugar dust, dock temperatures and cold storage.
• Full GMP compliance including hairnets, beard nets, hearing protection, safety footwear and the plant garment policy.
• This is an on-site role. Remote or hybrid work is not available.