Stock Controller

Location: Cape Town
Industry: FMCG / Food Manufacturing / Retail
Employment Type: Permanent

Are you an organised, analytical, and commercially minded Stock Controller with strong experience managing inventory in a fast-paced FMCG, food manufacturing, or retail environment?

Our client, an established and growing FMCG business, is seeking an experienced Stock Controller to take ownership of inventory accuracy, stock controls, reconciliations, and reporting across the business.

This is a hands-on operational role suited to someone who is comfortable working closely with production, warehouse, procurement, finance, and retail teams while investigating discrepancies, strengthening controls, and ensuring accurate stock visibility.

Key Responsibilities

Stock & Inventory Control

• Take ownership of the day-to-day control and accuracy of inventory.
• Maintain accurate stock records across raw materials, ingredients, packaging, consumables, and finished goods.
• Monitor stock movements, transfers, receipts, issues, returns, adjustments, and write-offs.
• Ensure physical stock movements are accurately captured on the relevant system.
• Maintain accurate stock-on-hand information across warehouses, production, and other stock-holding locations.
• Identify discrepancies between physical and system stock and investigate root causes.
• Ensure stock adjustments are investigated, documented, and appropriately authorised.
• Maintain strong controls over high-value and high-risk inventory.

Stock Counts & Reconciliations

• Coordinate and conduct daily, weekly, monthly, and ad hoc stock counts.
• Perform cycle counts on high-risk and fast-moving inventory.
• Reconcile physical stock counts against system balances.
• Investigate stock variances and provide explanations and corrective actions.
• Prepare monthly stock reconciliation reports for management.
• Escalate unresolved discrepancies promptly.
• Support financial month-end and year-end stock counts and audits.

Production & Raw Material Control

• Monitor the issuing of raw materials and ingredients into production.
• Reconcile materials issued against actual production and finished goods produced.
• Monitor production yields, wastage, and variances.
• Investigate abnormal consumption, production losses, and excessive wastage.
• Ensure unused materials and production returns are accurately recorded.
• Work closely with Production to improve stock accountability throughout the manufacturing process.

Finished Goods Control

• Reconcile finished goods produced against quantities transferred into stock.
• Monitor finished goods movements between production, warehouse, and retail/distribution points.
• Investigate unexplained shortages, overages, and stock adjustments.
• Ensure damaged, expired, rejected, and written-off products are appropriately recorded and authorised.

Expiry, Batch & Food Stock Management

• Monitor batch numbers, expiry dates, and shelf-life requirements where applicable.
• Ensure appropriate FIFO/FEFO stock rotation principles are followed.
• Identify slow-moving, ageing, and potentially obsolete stock.
• Provide early warning regarding products or ingredients approaching expiry.
• Assist operations in reducing unnecessary stock write-offs and wastage.

Receiving & Dispatch Controls

• Verify stock received against purchase orders, delivery notes, and supplier documentation.
• Identify and report discrepancies, shortages, and damaged stock.
• Monitor dispatched and transferred stock to ensure quantities are accurate.
• Ensure appropriate supporting documentation exists for all stock movements.
• Work closely with warehouse and logistics teams to strengthen receiving and dispatch controls.

Procurement & Stock Planning Support

• Monitor stock levels against minimum and maximum stock requirements.
• Identify potential stock shortages before they impact production or operations.
• Assist Procurement and Operations with accurate stock information for ordering purposes.
• Highlight excessive stock holdings and slow-moving inventory.
• Support improved stock forecasting and inventory planning.

Systems & Data Accuracy

• Ensure inventory transactions are captured accurately and timeously.
• Maintain high levels of system and data integrity.
• Identify incorrect stock codes, units of measure, duplicate items, and other master-data issues.
• Assist with improving stock-control processes and system utilisation.
• Maintain accurate supporting documentation and audit trails.

Reporting

Prepare regular reports covering:

• Stock on hand
• Stock variances
• Stock losses and adjustments
• Raw material consumption
• Production yield variances
• Wastage and write-offs
• Slow-moving and obsolete stock
• Expiring stock
• Stock count results
• Inventory accuracy
• Areas requiring corrective action

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant completed tertiary qualification in Supply Chain, Logistics, Inventory Management, Finance, Cost & Management Accounting, or a related discipline.
• Approximately 3–5 years' experience in a dedicated Stock Controller or Inventory Controller role.
• Experience within FMCG, food manufacturing, food production, retail, hospitality supply chain, or a similar high-volume stock environment is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience conducting stock counts and stock reconciliations.
• Strong understanding of inventory controls and stock movement processes.
• Experience investigating and resolving stock variances.
• Understanding of raw materials, finished goods, wastage, and production-related inventory.
• Good understanding of FIFO/FEFO principles.
• Strong computer literacy and advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
• Experience working with an ERP, inventory, warehouse, or stock-management system.
• Strong numerical and analytical ability.

Key Competencies

• Exceptional Attention to Detail
• Numerical & Analytical Ability
• Inventory Control
• Stock Reconciliation
• Root Cause Analysis
• Problem Solving
• Accountability & Ownership
• Strong Organisation & Administration
• Process Compliance
• Communication & Stakeholder Management
• Planning & Time Management
• Integrity & Reliability
• Ability to Work Under Pressure
• Independent Working Ability

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for someone who is more than a stock counter.

The ideal candidate understands the complete inventory cycle and can identify why stock is missing, where variances are occurring, and what controls need to be implemented to prevent them from recurring.

You should be comfortable working on the operational floor, physically checking stock and processes, while also being strong analytically and administratively enough to reconcile information, investigate variances, and provide management with reliable reporting.

Experience working with perishable products, ingredients, manufacturing, production yields, wastage, and multiple stock movements will be particularly valuable.

Key Performance Indicators

• Inventory accuracy
• Reduction in unexplained stock variances
• Accuracy and completion of stock counts
• Timeliness of stock reconciliations
• Reduction in stock losses and write-offs
• Effective control of expired and obsolete stock
• Accuracy of production and raw-material reconciliations
• Compliance with stock-control procedures
• Accuracy of stock reporting
• Identification and implementation of stock-control improvements

If you are an experienced Stock Controller with strong FMCG or food manufacturing exposure and a passion for accuracy, control, and operational improvement, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today by submitting your detailed CV.

Please note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.