Manager, Inventory Control & Process Improvement

Role Summary

The Manager, Inventory Control & Process Improvement is a newly created, highly visible role responsible for the accuracy, control, and health of Blue Nile's inventory. The role owns inventory process improvement and control end to end: inventory counts across all departments, the Fantasy inventory system as Super User, inventory movements for repairs and returns, and the reduction of aged and inactive inventory. The Manager will lead a team of Inventory Coordinators and partner closely with Merchandising, Operations, Planning, Quality Control, Finance, and Technology to ensure inventory decisions are executed with precision and aligned to business strategy.

This role owns some of the organization's most complex inventory challenges, particularly where legacy inventory, returns and repairs, quality decisions, financial implications, systems, and operational processes intersect. The Manager is expected not only to resolve existing inventory issues, but to identify root causes and build scalable processes and controls that prevent them from recurring. Direct experience in the jewelry industry is highly valued, including a strong understanding of product lifecycle, manufacturing processes, assortment structures, and the nuances of managing high-value, serialized inventory.

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Process Improvement & Control

- Plan, coordinate, and oversee cycle counts and physical inventory counts for all departments; set count schedules and procedures, investigate and reconcile variances, and drive root-cause corrective actions to improve on-hand accuracy.
- Lead the design, documentation, and continuous improvement of inventory workflows across product intake, processing, movement, and reconciliation, with standardized SOPs and clear ownership at each step.
- Identify and close inventory-control gaps across the end-to-end product lifecycle, particularly where inventory falls outside standard workflows; design scalable controls, approval rules, and ownership models that prevent recurrence.
- Serve as the point of contact for other functions on inventory movements (transfers, adjustments, and reclassifications), ensuring every movement is properly authorized, transacted, and reconciled.
- Maintain audit readiness by ensuring inventory records, adjustments, and supporting documentation meet internal control and financial audit requirements.

Fantasy System Ownership (Super User)

- Serve as the Fantasy Super User and primary business owner for inventory functionality, acting as the first point of escalation for users across the organization.
- Manage user profiles, roles, and access permissions, maintaining appropriate segregation of duties and periodically reviewing access.
- Train and onboard new users; build and maintain training materials, SOPs, and job aids so transactions are performed consistently and correctly.
- Lead the development of new functionality: gather and prioritize business requirements, partner with Technology to translate inventory-control needs into system enhancements and reporting, and own user acceptance testing, rollout, and adoption.
- Troubleshoot system and transaction issues; triage, resolve, or escalate to Technology, and track recurring issues to permanent fixes.

Reverse Logistics, Repairs & Quality Control

- Coordinate inventory movements for repairs and returns, ensuring every unit is tracked, its status is accurate in the system, and it moves back to sellable stock, to the vendor, or to final disposition without delay.
- Support Quality Control on inspection outcomes and disposition decisions (restock, repair, rework, return to vendor, or write-off), ensuring each decision is reflected correctly in inventory and financial records.
- Monitor repair and return cycle times and aging in reverse-logistics locations, and remove bottlenecks in partnership with Customer Service, Operations, and vendors.

Aged & Inactive Inventory Reduction

- Lead the aged and inactive inventory reduction program: identify and quantify slow-moving, inactive, and legacy inventory, and set disposition strategies (re-merchandising, remake or recut, return to vendor, liquidation, or melt) with Merchandising, Planning, and Finance.
- Lead hands-on remediation of legacy and inactive inventory issues while putting in place processes that prevent new aged inventory from building up.
- Partner with FP&A to quantify financial impacts, including reserves and write-downs, and track progress against reduction targets.

Team Leadership

- Manage, mentor, and develop a team of Inventory Coordinators responsible for day-to-day inventory operations, counts, system transactions, and project execution.
- Oversee workload planning, performance management, and cross-training to build team capability and coverage.

Strategic Projects & Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Lead high-priority inventory projects such as workflow redesigns, system and process improvements, audit readiness, and inventory control models.
- Partner closely with Merchandising, Planning, Manufacturing, Operations, Quality Control, Finance, and Technology to ensure inventory processes and policies are understood, implemented, and monitored.
- Collaborate with FP&A and Planning to quantify the financial impact of inventory decisions and support inventory-related forecasting.

Data & Reporting

- Work with Analytics and Technology to build dashboards, reports, and tools that improve visibility into inventory accuracy, movements, and workflow health.
- Monitor and report KPIs such as count accuracy, inventory adjustments, aged and inactive inventory, repair and return cycle times, stock availability, DOH, shrink, and operational throughput.

Requirements

Required

- 6–8 years of experience in inventory management, inventory control, supply chain, or operations, ideally within the jewelry or luxury industry.
- 3+ years of people leadership experience, managing a team and leading cross-functional projects.
- Proven experience leading cycle counts and physical inventories, reconciling variances, and implementing inventory controls for high-value inventory.
- Hands-on Super User or business-owner experience with an ERP or inventory system (Fantasy, SAP, or similar), including user administration, training, requirements gathering, and user acceptance testing.
- Experience managing returns, repairs, and quality-related inventory flows, and reducing aged or inactive inventory.
- Strong process orientation with a proven ability to design workflows, implement structure, and build scalability.
- Advanced Excel skills, including analyzing large datasets, building models, and translating data into actionable insights.
- Excellent communication and training skills, with the ability to present to and influence senior leadership.

Preferred

- Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or other process improvement certification, with demonstrated experience applying continuous improvement methods to complex operational processes. #LI-WK1
- Direct experience with Fantasy.
- Experience with SQL or BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Looker).

Core Competencies

- High attention to detail and accuracy
- Control mindset: operational rigor and systems thinking
- Continuous improvement and root-cause problem solving
- Strong leadership, coaching, and team development
- Ability to train others and drive system adoption
- Cross-functional collaboration and influence
- Ability to manage through ambiguity
- Ownership, accountability, and follow-through
- Comfort working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

Benefits

At Blue Nile, many of our roles offer a high-quality, comprehensive benefits package including healthcare, paid time off, retirement planning and opportunities for career advancement. Some offerings are dependent upon the role, employment type, work schedule or location:

- Paid Time Off
- Competitive Employee Discount
- Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
- Flexible Spending Account | Health Savings Account
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Parental Leave
- Life Insurance

Annual base pay: $85,000 - $120,000. Final pay rate shall be determined and is based on experience and qualifications.

At this time, Blue Nile will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

Additional Information: Blue Nile is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender reassignment, citizenship, immigration status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited under applicable federal, state or local law. Blue Nile will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws. #LI-WK1