Job Description

Location: Wingfield, South Australia
n Employment: Full Time
n Reports To: Operations Manager / Managing Director

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Role Purpose

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The Stores & Inventory Manager is responsible for taking full ownership of Combo Industries' stores, inventory and material preparation systems.

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The role exists to ensure that theright parts are available, in the right quantity, in the right location, at the right timeso production can operate efficiently without unnecessary delays.

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This is a hands-on leadership and continuous-improvement role. The successful candidate will be expected not simply to operate the existing store, but to continually improve how materials are received, stored, replenished, picked and delivered to production.

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A major focus of the position will be ensuring upcoming production jobs are fully picked and ready before they enter the workshop.

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Key Responsibilities

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Take ownership of the day-to-day operation and presentation of the stores area.

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Establish clear storage locations and maintain a highly organised store.

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Maintain accurate inventory records and stock locations.

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Ensure incoming goods are received, checked, recorded and stored correctly.

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Manage stock transfers, returns, damaged goods and discrepancies.

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Maintain appropriate security and control over company inventory.

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Ensure stores areas remain clean, organised and professional at all times.

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Conduct regular cycle counts and coordinate stocktakes.

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Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.

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Production Job Picking

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Review upcoming production requirements and prepare materials before jobs commence.

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Interpret Bills of Materials (BOMs), drawings and production documentation.

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Pick, consolidate and clearly identify parts for individual jobs.

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Work towards having complete job kits prepared ahead of the production schedule.

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Identify missing, incorrect or unavailable materials early enough for corrective action.

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Communicate material shortages to Procurement, Engineering and Production.

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Maintain designated job staging areas, trolleys or pallets for upcoming builds.

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Prevent incomplete jobs from being released to production without clear escalation.

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Inventory & Reordering Systems

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Work with our Procurement team to develop and maintain effective stock replenishment systems.

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Establish minimum/maximum stock levels for regularly used components.

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Implement reorder points and appropriate stockholding quantities.

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Identify fast-moving, critical and long-lead-time components.

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Reduce unnecessary emergency purchasing and material shortages.

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Review stock usage and adjust inventory levels based on production requirements.

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Work closely with Procurement to improve purchasing and material availability.

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Identify obsolete, slow-moving or excess stock.

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Interpret engineering BOMs and understand how they relate to physical production requirements.

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Identify BOM errors,



omissions and inconsistencies.

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Provide feedback to Engineering and Procurement where improvements are required.

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Assist in developing standard parts lists for recurring products.

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Help improve the connection between Engineering, Procurement, Stores and Production.

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Ensure BOM changes are reflected in job kits and inventory requirements.

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Champion 5S principles throughout the stores area.

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Develop visual management systems including:

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- clearly identified stock locations
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- labelled shelving
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- job staging areas
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- quarantine areas
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- visual stock controls
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Regularly review stores processes and eliminate unnecessary handling, searching and movement.

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Assist in developing standard operating procedures for key stores activities.

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Participate in continuous-improvement activities across the business.

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Promote a culture where problems are identified and permanently corrected rather than repeatedly worked around.

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Production Support

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Maintain close communication with Production regarding upcoming requirements.

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Understand the production schedule and prioritise job picking accordingly.

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Ensure production teams can quickly obtain commonly used consumables and components.

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Respond quickly to genuine shortages while identifying the root cause of the problem.

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Support the objective of having materials completely prepared before production begins.

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Leadership & Accountability

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Take personal ownership of the performance of the stores function.

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Establish standards and maintain them consistently.

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Train and develop other employees working within Stores.

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Allocate and prioritise stores activities where additional staff are involved.

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Promote accountability, accuracy and attention to detail.

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Lead by example in housekeeping, organisation and process discipline.

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Safety

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Maintain safe storage and handling practices.

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Ensure racking, materials and equipment are used appropriately.

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Maintain clear walkways and work areas.

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Ensure hazardous or controlled materials are stored appropriately.

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Follow all WHS procedures and report hazards or incidents promptly.

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Operate forklifts and material-handling equipment safely where required.

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Key Performance Indicators

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Performance in the role will be measured against outcomes including:

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Production Readiness

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Percentage of jobs completely picked before scheduled production start.

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Number of production delays caused by missing materials.

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Number of jobs staged ahead of the production schedule.

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Inventory accuracy.

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Frequency of stock-outs.

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Emergency purchases caused by inventory shortages.

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Cycle count accuracy.

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Value of obsolete or unidentified stock.

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BOM Accuracy

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BOM discrepancies identified before production.

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Reduction in repeated BOM and picking errors.

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Accuracy of stock locations.

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Job-picking accuracy.

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Stores housekeeping standards.

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Improvements implemented to stores and material-flow systems.

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Reduction in unnecessary movement, searching and handling.

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Development and maintenance of documented procedures.

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What Success Looks Like

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A successful Stores & Inventory Manager will create a stores function where:

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Every component has a defined location.

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Stock quantities can be trusted.

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Critical components are automatically replenished before they run out.

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Upcoming jobs are picked and staged before they reach production.

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Missing materials are discovered days or weeks before they can stop a build.

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BOM problems are identified and fed back into Engineering.

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Workshop employees are not wasting time searching for parts.

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Stores remain clean, organised and visually controlled.

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Problems trigger system improvements rather than becoming accepted as normal.

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Skills & Experience

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Previous experience in stores, warehousing, inventory control or materials management.

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Experience within manufacturing, engineering, automotive, fabrication or a similar production environment.

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Solid understanding of inventory-control principles.

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Ability to read and interpret Bills of Materials.

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High level of organisation and attention to detail.

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Experience using ERP, MRP or inventory-management systems.

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Ability to prioritise work based on production requirements.

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Strong problem-solving ability.

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Demonstrated willingness to take ownership of an area and improve it.

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Highly Regarded

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Experience with 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System or similar continuous-improvement methodologies.

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Experience implementing Kanban, two-bin, minimum/maximum or other replenishment systems.

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Experience with engineering drawings and technical components.

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Experience creating standard operating procedures.

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Previous supervisory or team leadership experience.

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Manufacturing production-planning experience.

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Personal Attributes

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We are looking for someone who:

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Takes pride in running an exceptionally organised store.

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Likes structure, systems and order.

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Notices when things are out of place and fixes them.

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Does not accept recurring shortages as normal.

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Enjoys developing better ways of doing things.

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Is practical and comfortable working in a manufacturing environment.

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Communicates clearly with Engineering, Procurement and workshop employees.

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Takes ownership and follows problems through to resolution.

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Understands that Stores is a critical part of production, not simply somewhere parts are kept.

📌 Stores & Inventory Manager (South Australia)
🏢 Combo Industries
📍 South Australia