Inventory Specialist

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid leave

Tuition benefits

Retirement plan

Cash matching program

Employee discounts

Well-being resources

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA seeks a Financial Specialist 1 to support the Vice President for Research & Innovation's operations. You will manage inventory, process orders, and reconcile billing across multiple suppliers to ensure accurate and timely fulfillment for the research community.

The role requires strong customer service, procurement and inventory control experience, with on-site work at 40 hours per week.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• Significant customer service experience.
• Experience with supply chain, procurement and inventory control.
• Ability to work with limited supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Excel.

Responsibilities

• Assist Operations Supervisor with inventory management and vendor interactions.
• Consolidate orders from RAMS-FORCE for 31 vendors into a single template.
• Verify deliveries against packing slips and document responses.
• Process billing and monthly reconciliation of sales/margins.
• Provide professional customer service and resolve order issues.
• Maintain RealSource punch-out catalog orders and ensure price accuracy.
• Support Liquid Nitrogen/Dry Ice ordering and inventory levels.

Skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Teamwork

Organization

Problem solving

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Access

Word

Job description

Advertising Summary:

Department Summary: At the VCU Office of the VicePresident for Research and Innovation, our mission is to fostertransformative research, discovery, and innovation at VirginiaCommonwealth University through excellence in service.

We partner with faculty in all schools and departments as they seekfunding, plan studies, establish collaborations, calculate budgets,submit grant applications, negotiate industry contracts, and securepatents and licensing agreements.

Our commitment to supporting and elevating the research communityat VCU has resulted in record levels of sponsored research and hasplaced VCU among the nation’s premier public researchuniversities.

Through our passion for discovery and willingness to take onchallenges, we continue to advance the work that matters most andposition the university as a national leader in research,innovation, creativity, and scholarship.

Duties & Responsibilities:

To assist the Operation’s Supervisor, with direct and limitedsupervision, in the business operations of the VCU Supply Centers,including inventory management and customer/vendor interactions,along with financial management of designated supply center. TheInventory Specialist is responsible for ordering, receiving andhandling products for the VCU Research community. The incumbentwill provide instant access to molecular biological reagents,disposables and equipment from 31 vendors at negotiated discountpricing with no shipping/handling charges. Specific duties includemanaging customer orders and day-to-day operations for the VCUSupply Center; providing inventory control; conduct regularinteraction with vendors to optimize operations; and providingsuperior customer service to customers.

Typical Duties:

Day-to-Day Operations

Receives customer orders from RAMS-FORCE and compiles all ordersinto a consolidated order template, which is used for all 31vendors. Understands procedures for placing orders with vendors toreplenish stock and order customer “special orders”. Orders areplaced normally twice a week (Mondays and Wednesday), butoccasional additional orders may be placed. Most vendor orders areplaced using the company website referencing a blanket purchaseorder. Once orders have been placed and verified for the discountedpricing / free shipping/handling, all orders are recorded in aspreadsheet for inventory and accounting purposes. As orders arecompleted, the spreadsheet is updated to reflect the vendor orderas closed. All order documentation is filed and kept on hand incase of customer and/or product issues.

Inventory Control

Receives daily deliveries of products. Each item of order isverified against the vendor packing slip for accuracy and isinitialed and dated. All products are stored according to themanufacturer specifications with proper handling. Packing slips arethen verified against the original vendor orders to ensure accuracyand completion of order. Completed orders with the necessarydocumentation are recorded as closed in a spreadsheet and filedaway. Stocked items are rotated as needed in order to avoidoutdated inventory. Outdated inventory (if any occurs) is recordedand is either properly disposed or returned to vendor.

RAMS-FORCE

Once orders have been picked up by the customer, orders areconsidered complete for billing purposes. Using the order number,the order is entered into RAMS-FORCE and submitted for invoiceprocessing. All orders are reconciled on a monthly basis, matchingsales/margin reports for accuracy. If there are any refund ofproducts or index updates, dated notations are completed to recordthese transactions.

Customer Service

Listens to and anticipates the needs of the customers. Interactswith customers in a respectful manner, appreciating the diversityand differences. Notifies customers of their orders being ready forpick up at the supply center. Notifies customers of any issues withtheir orders (backorder status, discontinued products, pricingissues, etc) and helps to resolve those issues. Providesprofessional customer service when customers arrive to bring upproduct at the supply centers. Notifies the VCU Supply CenterManager of any issues (customer or vendor) which they deem to bepertinent.

RealSource

RealSource is used for punch-out catalog orders for the supplycenter vendors, in addition to any office supply orders through TheSupply Room Company. Orders are placed through RealSource andverified for correct discount pricing with shipping/handling waivedon most orders. Orders are recorded on the vendor order logs forreconciliations purposes. Once all items of the order have beenreceived, the RealSource purchase order can then be reconciled toensure accuracy and payment of all invoices. The vendor order logwill then be updated with initials to indicate order is completelyreconciled.

Liquid Nitrogen / Dry Ice

Liquid Nitrogen / Dry Ice Order and maintain adequate levels ofliquid nitrogen and dry ice Update/maintains monthly sales/marginreports. Notify customers for pickup of available liquid nitrogenand dry ice, accuracy and payment of all invoices. The vendor orderlog will then be updated with initials to indicate order iscompletely reconciled.

Other duties as assigned

Perform other duties as assigned/needed

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment ofrespect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty,staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or acommitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Only applicants who do not require current or future sponsorshipfor employment will be considered

High School diploma or equivalent required.

Significant customer service experience/skills.

Experience with supply chain and logistics functions, materialprocurement and inventory control.

Knowledge of storing/handling techniques of sensitive materialshelpful.

Ability to complete work with limited supervision and useestablished procedures to accomplish assigned tasks.

Ability and organizational skills to handle and prioritize a highvolume of work and multiple assignments independently in a fast-paced environment.

Must be able to work in a team environment.

Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Access, Excel and Word,Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc) and the ability to collectand enter data accurately.

Strong interpersonal skills and oral communication.

Must be dependable, with the ability to change priorities in a fast-paced environment as needed.

Ability to work at any of the three supply center locations (onboth campuses) in order to streamline operations and ensure optimalcustomer service.

Ability to lift 20 pounds routinely and greater than 20 pounds asneeded.

Preferred Qualifications

Supply Center background/knowledge (or similarly related field)preferred

College degree preferred

Knowledge of VCU Purchasing / RealSource rules and regulationspreferred.

Salary Range:

45,000 - 50,000

Benefits:

All full-time university staff are eligible forVCU’s robust benefitspackage that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annualand holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planningand savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunitiesfor career development and advancement, and more.

Unit:

Vice President for Research & Innovation MBU

Department:

VPRI Core Facilities

FLSA Exemption Status:

Non-Exempt

Hours per Week:

40

Restricted Position:

No

ORP Eligible:

No

Flexible Work Arrangement:

Fully Onsite

University Job Title:

18211N - Financial Specialist 1