Parts Manager (Forklift Parts)

Total Warehouse; Anaheim (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Total Warehouse in Anaheim, CA is seeking a hands-on Parts & Inventory Control Manager to lead our inventory operations and build a culture of accountability. You will walk the warehouse, analyze inventory systems, investigate variances, and improve material flow while mentoring the team.

Responsibilities include establishing location controls, cycle counts, replenishment, serialized/high-value inventory, and KPI reporting.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience in parts, inventory control, warehouse operations, materials management, or a related field.
• 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.
• Proven experience improving inventory accuracy and warehouse processes.
• Strong knowledge of cycle counting, physical inventory management, bin and location control, inventory reconciliation, receiving, picking, staging, replenishment, transfers, returns, adjustments, and min/max planning.
• Hands-on experience using ERP or Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).
• Ability to analyze inventory data using reports and spreadsheets.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to effectively manage both people and processes.
• Comfortable working directly in warehouse and shop environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to establish processes, train employees, and drive adoption of new procedures.

Responsibilities

• Own cycle count and physical inventory processes.
• Establish disciplined bin, rack, zone, and warehouse location controls.
• Improve physical-to-system inventory accuracy and investigate variances to root cause.
• Ensure inventory movements, transfers, receipts, returns, and adjustments are accurately recorded.
• Improve controls for inventory moving between warehouses, staging areas, service operations, and vehicles.
• Identify obsolete, excess, slow-moving, misplaced, and unaccounted inventory.
• Create exception management and corrective action processes.
• Build accountability so discrepancies are investigated and resolved.
• Establish and maintain logical inventory locations across racks, bins, zones, and staging areas.
• Ensure physical inventory matches system locations.
• Build processes that make parts easier and faster to locate.
• Establish controls from receiving through storage, staging, installation, return, and disposition.
• Create accountability for material placed outside assigned locations.
• Continuously improve warehouse organization, visual controls, and material flow.
• Improve parts picking, pulling, staging, and delivery processes.
• Develop complete job and equipment preparation kits when appropriate.
• Coordinate material readiness for shop and field operations.
• Improve visibility of shortages before work begins.
• Develop efficient processes for urgent and unit-down requirements.
• Ensure unused material is properly returned to inventory.
• Reduce technician time spent locating and retrieving materials.
• Establish clear expectations for parts runners and material handlers.
• Strengthen controls and location visibility for high-value and serialized items, including batteries, chargers, forks, attachments, equipment components, refurbished or recovered components, and other controlled inventory.
• Analyze historical parts usage and establish appropriate min/max levels.
• Improve replenishment practices for warehouse, vehicle, and customer/site inventory.
• Evaluate critical, frequently used, excess, and slow-moving inventory.
• Support equipment and model-based stocking strategies.
• Monitor inventory turnover and aging.
• Identify recurring shortages and emergency purchases.
• Develop stocking recommendations using operational data.
• Help oversee Parts and Inventory personnel in a working-manager capacity.
• Set clear daily and weekly priorities.
• Assign inventory control responsibilities and verify completion.
• Train team members on inventory processes and system discipline.
• Build repeatable processes rather than relying on verbal knowledge.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and develop team capabilities.
• Use ERP inventory data as an operational management tool.
• Improve accuracy of inventory transactions, item records, and warehouse locations.
• Analyze inventory, purchasing, usage, and work-order data to identify issues.
• Establish inventory reporting and KPI visibility.
• Monitor exceptions through resolution.
• Improve system processes where recurring gaps are identified.
• Work cross-functionally to improve data accuracy and system adoption.

Skills

Leadership

Inventory management

Cycle counting

Root cause analysis

ERP/WMS experience

Data analysis

Warehouse operations

Communication skills

Tools

ERP/WMS software

Job description

Description

Make a Measurable Impact on How Parts and Inventory Move Through Our Business

We are seeking a hands-on Parts & Inventory Control Manager who understands what great inventory control looks like and has the leadership skills to build and maintain it.

This is not a desk-only position. We are looking for a leader who will be actively involved in the operation by walking the warehouse, understanding inventory systems, investigating discrepancies, improving material flow, developing team members, and creating a culture of accountability.

Our goal is to confidently answer three questions at any time:

• What do we have?
• Where is it?
• What do we need next?

The right candidate will bring structure and accountability to inventory control while helping lead our existing parts and inventory team. You will improve warehouse organization, parts management, replenishment processes, serialized inventory tracking, technician support, job staging, and overall inventory accuracy.

We are moving from a reactive, tribal-knowledge approach to a system-driven, location-controlled, measurable inventory operation.

What You Will Own:

Inventory Accuracy & Control

• Own cycle count and physical inventory processes
• Establish disciplined bin, rack, zone, and warehouse location controls
• Improve physical-to-system inventory accuracy and investigate variances to root cause
• Ensure inventory movements, transfers, receipts, returns, and adjustments are accurately recorded
• Improve controls for inventory moving between warehouses, staging areas, service operations, and vehicles
• Identify obsolete, excess, slow-moving, misplaced, and unaccounted inventory
• Create exception management and corrective action processes
• Build accountability so discrepancies are investigated and resolved

Warehouse Location & Material Control

• Establish and maintain logical inventory locations across racks, bins, zones, and staging areas
• Ensure physical inventory matches system locations
• Build processes that make parts easier and faster to locate
• Establish controls from receiving through storage, staging, installation, return, and disposition
• Create accountability for material placed outside assigned locations
• Continuously improve warehouse organization, visual controls, and material flow

Parts Fulfillment & Technician Readiness

• Improve parts picking, pulling, staging, and delivery processes
• Develop complete job and equipment preparation kits when appropriate
• Coordinate material readiness for shop and field operations
• Improve visibility of shortages before work begins
• Develop efficient processes for urgent and unit-down requirements
• Ensure unused material is properly returned to inventory
• Reduce technician time spent locating and retrieving materials
• Establish clear expectations for parts runners and material handlers

Serialized & High-Value Inventory Control

Strengthen controls and location visibility for high-value and serialized items, including batteries, chargers, forks, attachments, equipment components, refurbished or recovered components, and other controlled inventory

Inventory Planning, Min/Max & Replenishment

• Analyze historical parts usage and establish appropriate min/max levels
• Improve replenishment practices for warehouse, vehicle, and customer/site inventory
• Evaluate critical, frequently used, excess, and slow-moving inventory
• Support equipment and model-based stocking strategies
• Monitor inventory turnover and aging
• Identify recurring shortages and emergency purchases
• Develop stocking recommendations using operational data

Lead & Develop the Parts and Inventory Team

• Help oversee Parts and Inventory personnel in a working-manager capacity
• Set clear daily and weekly priorities
• Assign inventory control responsibilities and verify completion
• Train team members on inventory processes and system discipline
• Build repeatable processes rather than relying on verbal knowledge
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and develop team capabilities

ERP, Reporting & Data Discipline

• Use ERP inventory data as an operational management tool
• Improve accuracy of inventory transactions, item records, and warehouse locations
• Analyze inventory, purchasing, usage, and work-order data to identify issues
• Establish inventory reporting and KPI visibility
• Monitor exceptions through resolution
• Improve system processes where recurring gaps are identified
• Work cross-functionally to improve data accuracy and system adoption

What Success Looks Like

• Team members rely on the system rather than tribal knowledge
• Inventory locations are clearly defined and maintained
• Physical inventory consistently matches system inventory
• Variances are identified, researched, corrected, and prevented from recurring
• Parts are replenished proactively based on demand
• Required parts for scheduled work are identified and staged in advance
• Technicians spend less time searching for materials
• High-value and serialized inventory has greater visibility and control
• Team members have clear responsibilities and priorities
• Leadership receives meaningful inventory KPI and exception reporting

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The successful candidate will help establish baseline metrics and improvement targets in areas such as:

• Inventory Accuracy
• Inventory Turnover
• Cycle Count Completion
• Inventory Aging
• Inventory Variance Aging
• Min/Max Compliance
• Bin and Location Accuracy
• Open Transfer Aging
• Parts Fulfillment Rate
• Return/RMA Aging
• Job and Parts Readiness
• Serialized Inventory Discrepancies
• Stock-Out Frequency
• Parts Awaiting Disposition
• Emergency Purchase Frequency
• Obsolete and Slow-Moving Inventory

Final KPI targets will be established after operational baselines have been validated.

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive experience in parts, inventory control, warehouse operations, materials management, or a related field
• 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience
• Proven experience improving inventory accuracy and warehouse processes
• Strong knowledge of cycle counting, physical inventory management, bin and location control, inventory reconciliation, receiving, picking, staging, replenishment, transfers, returns, adjustments, and min/max planning
• Hands-on experience using ERP or Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
• Ability to analyze inventory data using reports and spreadsheets
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills
• Ability to effectively manage both people and processes
• Comfortable working directly in warehouse and shop environments
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to establish processes, train employees, and drive adoption of new procedures

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with NetSuite or a similar ERP/WMS platform
• Experience in material handling equipment, forklift, heavy equipment, industrial equipment, automotive or truck parts, equipment rental, industrial distribution, or MRO/service parts environments
• Experience managing high-SKU inventory and serialized or high-value assets
• Experience implementing warehouse location systems, barcode programs, scanning technology, or inventory control processes
• Experience developing cycle count programs and demand-based replenishment processes
• Experience supporting technicians, field service, maintenance, or repair operations
• Experience managing warehouse personnel, parts runners, inventory specialists, or similar teams
• Lean, 5S, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement experience is a plus

The Person We're Looking For

You do not accept "I think it's over there" as an inventory management system.

When inventory does not match the system, you want to know why. When items repeatedly go missing, you focus on fixing the process. When technicians are searching for parts, you investigate why materials were not properly staged. When shortages continue to occur, you review usage trends and stocking levels. When teams rely on tribal knowledge, you create documented, repeatable processes.

You are comfortable walking the warehouse in the morning, reviewing inventory data in the afternoon, and coaching your team throughout the day.

You don't just manage inventory. You build inventory control.