Inventory Manager

We are seeking an Inventory Manager to lead all shipping, receiving, inventory management, and warehousing operations at our Boston Development Center, a rapid prototyping and low-rate production facility. This role involves building and managing warehouse operations in a dynamic R&D and pre-production environment without a fully mature ERP system, handling a high diversity of parts, materials, and components across multiple product programs. Responsibilities

- Manage all inbound receiving operations: verify shipments against purchase orders, inspect for damage, and process receiving documentation.
- Coordinate outbound shipping for returns, transfers, and supplier exchanges.
- Process a high volume of diverse incoming materials from small electronic components to large machined castings and raw stock.
- Work with carriers and freight services to schedule deliveries, manage dock appointments, and resolve shipping discrepancies.
- Maintain accurate receiving logs and ensure timely communication to production planning when critical materials arrive.
- Establish and maintain inventory tracking systems for a high-variety, low-volume environment with thousands of unique part numbers.
- Develop practical inventory management processes without a mature ERP using spreadsheets, barcode systems, or lightweight tools as appropriate.
- Conduct cycle counts, reconcile inventory discrepancies, and maintain accuracy targets.
- Manage inventory locations, assignment, and storage organization to enable rapid retrieval for production kitting.
- Track lot/serial numbers for critical components requiring traceability.
- Flag aging inventory, excess stock, and obsolete parts for engineering review and disposition.
- Adapt inventory processes as engineering changes drive BOM revisions, part number changes, and new material introductions.
- Organize warehouse layout for efficient storage, retrieval, and flow of materials to production areas.
- Kit and stage materials for upcoming build campaigns in coordination with the production planner.
- Manage storage of hazardous materials, ESD-sensitive components, and temperature-sensitive items per applicable requirements.
- Maintain clean, organized, and safe warehouse areas following 5S principles.
- Optimize space utilization as inventory types and volumes change with evolving product programs.
- Manage overflow storage, off-site storage coordination, and material transfers between facilities as needed.
- Lead and develop a small team of material handlers and receiving specialists.
- Coordinate daily with production planning, supply chain, and engineering to align material availability with build schedules.
- Communicate proactively when inventory issues, receiving delays, or space constraints may impact production.
- Build warehouse processes from the ground up in a new facility define workflows, create SOPs, and establish operating standards.

Essential Skills

- High school diploma or equivalent/Bachelors degree recommended.
- 5+ years of experience in warehouse management/Inventory management in a manufacturing operation.
- Experience managing inventory in a high-mix, low-volume environment with a large number of unique SKUs.
- Demonstrated ability to build and improve warehouse processes not just operate within existing systems.
- Experience managing a small team (material handlers, shipping/receiving associates).
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Proficiency with inventory tracking tools (spreadsheets, barcode scanners, lightweight WMS, or similar).
- Comfort working without a mature ERP system and building practical solutions with available tools.

Work Environment Onsite in Boston, MA. Team culture is collaborative with a daily schedule of Monday to Friday on the first shift.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Wilmington, MA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $47.00 - $50.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Wilmington,MA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Oct 7, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.