Inventory & Fulfillment Operations Manager
Flutterbee Education GroupPosition Summary The Supply Chain Operations Manager owns the end-to-end flow of finished goods from inventory planning and reprint purchasing through third-party warehousing and customer fulfillment. This role is accountable for ensuring the right books are available at the right time to meet customer expectations while making disciplined inventory decisions that protect cash and minimize excess, slow-moving, and obsolete inventory. This hands-on role uses data, judgment, and strong systems knowledge to balance product availability, working capital, and inventory risk. As the primary operational connection among Customer Service, Sales, Finance, publishing teams, and external logistics partners, this person is expected to identify issues early, make clear recommendations, and drive solutions through completion. Key Responsibilities Inventory Planning and Financial Accountability Own inventory availability across FlutterBee's portfolio, balancing customer demand and service expectations with working-capital discipline and inventory risk. Monitor inventory levels, demand trends, open orders, backorders, and sales forecasts to anticipate shortages and excess inventory. Establish and maintain reorder points, preferred stock levels, and other inventory-planning parameters in NetSuite on a defined cadence. Develop reprint recommendations using demand, inventory position, lead times, unit economics, and cash requirements; coordinate decisions with Finance and publishing leadership. Identify slow-moving and potentially obsolete inventory and recommend actions to reduce exposure and improve inventory productivity. Provide clear, timely reporting and insight on inventory investment, availability, turns, aging, and key risks. Warehouse, Fulfillment, and Customer Service Own the day-to-day relationship with FlutterBee's third-party logistics provider and hold partners accountable for service, accuracy, inventory integrity, and timely issue resolution. Oversee order flow and fulfillment processes to ensure customer orders are shipped accurately and on time. Monitor backorders, fulfillment exceptions, returns, and service issues; coordinate corrective action across Customer Service, Sales, Finance, and the 3PL. Review cycle-count activity and inventory reconciliations, investigate discrepancies, and ensure timely resolution and appropriate financial treatment. Systems, Data, and Process Ownership Maintain and support EDI and 3PL integrations with NetSuite, ensuring transactions flow accurately and identifying root causes when issues arise. Lead the operational setup of new trading partners and coordinate testing and implementation with internal and external stakeholders. Maintain accurate item records and inventory-related master data in NetSuite. Develop repeatable processes, documentation, controls, and reporting that improve accuracy, visibility, and accountability. Cross-Functional Leadership Serve as the operational bridge among Customer Service, Sales, Finance, publishing teams, and external partners so inventory and fulfillment decisions are informed, communicated, and executed effectively. Ensure inventory adjustments—including cycle counts, returns, and RMA transactions—are accurate, supported, and reflected appropriately in NetSuite. Communicate emerging supply, inventory, fulfillment, and systems risks early, with clear options and recommended actions; own issues through resolution rather than relying on handoffs between functions. What Success Looks Like Customers can reliably order the books they need, and potential availability issues are identified and addressed before they disrupt service. Inventory purchasing and reprint decisions support demand without unnecessarily consuming cash or creating excess and obsolete inventory. Inventory records are accurate, financial adjustments are timely and well supported, and leadership has clear visibility into inventory risks and opportunities. The 3PL and other external pa…