Malander is seeking an immediately available and experienced Inventory Controller to join a leading organisation on an initial 3-month contract. This is an opportunity suited to a hands-on, self-starting professional who can take ownership of inventory management, reporting and controls with minimal ramp-up time.

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy, security, and financial integrity of inventory, with a strong focus on stock reconciliation, physical stock counts, valuation, cut-off, variance investigation, and loss prevention.

Key Responsibilities:

Managing the reconciliation between physical stock, warehouse/ERP records and the general ledger;
Investigating inventory variances and identifying root causes, ensuring unexplained differences remain within agreed tolerances;
Planning and executing cycle counts and period-end stock counts;
Supervising stock count integrity, signing off results and processing approved adjustments with appropriate supporting documentation;
Ensuring inventory is accurately valued, including cost basis, landed costs and provisions for obsolete or slow-moving stock;
Ensuring inventory receipts and issues are recorded in the correct accounting period to support accurate cost of sales and margin reporting;
Maintaining effective segregation of duties across receiving, issuing and inventory recording processes;
Monitoring and addressing shrinkage, theft, damage and obsolescence;
Preparing accurate and timely inventory reports covering stock accuracy, ageing, shrinkage and adjustments;
Escalating material exceptions to Finance, Trading and Management, including root-cause analysis and recommended corrective action;
Supporting a strong inventory control environment and ensuring effective governance over stock movements and records.

Requirements:

Minimum BCom qualification;
3–5 years’ experience in Inventory Control;
Proven experience in stock reconciliation and physical stock counts;
Experience with inventory valuation and cut-off;
Strong understanding of inventory controls, loss prevention and shrinkage management;
Experience working with ERP/Warehouse Management Systems and spreadsheets;
Strong financial reporting and data analysis capabilities;
Experience identifying discrepancies and tracing issues through to root cause;
Understanding of segregation of duties and financial control principles;
Strong attention to detail and numerical ability;
Ability to work independently and take ownership of deliverables;
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills;
Ability to operate effectively under pressure, particularly during month-end and stock count periods.

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on and commercially minded Inventory Controller who is comfortable working across both detailed operational processes and the broader finance environment. Strong integrity, accountability, independent judgement, and a proactive approach to identifying and resolving control exceptions are essential.