An insulation inventory specialist keeps the warehouse stocked with fiberglass and cellulose bags, batts, foam sets and air sealing supplies, and logs what every truck takes out and brings back. They place the daily orders, count stock against the records, and warn operations before a builder's run of houses outgrows what's on the shelf.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, drywall and insulation contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing insulation inventory by ordering supplies, logging usage, and keeping stock updated to support efficient project operations and ensure timely insulation service delivery.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the ordering of insulation supplies to meet project demands and avoid stockouts.
Log usage accurately and maintain up-to-date inventory records in the system.
Monitor stock levels and coordinate with vendors for timely replenishments.
Collaborate with the operations team to forecast needs and prevent material shortages.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review inventory levels each morning and place orders or reorders as needed.
Update digital and physical logs with current supply usage and receipts.
Perform regular audits and reconcile any discrepancies in stock records.
Communicate with project managers and on-site crews to ensure supply needs are met.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory Accuracy: Maintain a 98% or higher accuracy rate.
Order Fulfillment Time: Ensure supply orders are processed and received within 24 hours of request.
Stockout Frequency: Keep stockout events to less than 2% per month.
Vendor Lead Time: Achieve an average lead time reduction of 10% over the next year.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; Associate degree or additional training in inventory management preferred.
Minimum 2 years of experience in inventory management or related field.
Strong attention to detail and proficiency in inventory management software systems.
Excellent organizational and communication skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working within the insulation or home services industry.
Background in supply chain management or operations within a similar industrial setting.
Familiarity with relevant regulatory and safety standards in a manufacturing or trade environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.
Frequent standing, walking, and occasional bending during inventory audits.
Work in environments that may vary from standard office settings to warehouse conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours with a typical Monday to Friday schedule.
Occasional overtime or extended hours may be required during peak project periods.
Minimal travel required; primarily on-site work at operational facilities.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $18 - $25 per hour, depending on experience.
Potential for performance-based bonus based on inventory management KPIs.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401k retirement plan with company matching contributions.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a growth-oriented company committed to excellence in home services.
Our team fosters an inclusive culture that values integrity, collaboration, and ongoing professional development.
Employees are encouraged to share innovative ideas and lead initiatives that improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Join us to develop your career in an environment that nurtures talent and rewards success.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Most insulation stock is bulky, cheap per bag and used fast, while foam chemicals cost far more and come with the maker's handling rules. The job is keeping both straight across trucks and warehouses.
Partial foam drums get used first
Johns Manville's install guide for JM Gen IV, a closed-cell foam, says material left in a partly used drum should be moved to a new drum right away and used within 3 to 5 days. It advises against saving partial drums to combine later, and says never to mix other products into Side A or Side B drums. Log each partial drum with the date it was opened so it goes out on the next foam job. Source: Johns Manville: JM Gen IV closed-cell spray foam installation guide (BID-382, 2020).
Check the cellulose label at receiving
Federal rules require makers, importers and private labelers of cellulose insulation to print this statement on every container: "This product meets the amended CPSC standard for flame resistance and corrosiveness of cellulose insulation." The letters must be at least a quarter inch tall. When a new supplier or store brand arrives, look for that statement before the pallet goes on the rack. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR 1209.9, cellulose insulation labeling requirement.
Air sealing supplies run out first
A truck can carry plenty of fiberglass and still lose an hour for want of a case of foam cans. Keep a set list for each truck: foam cans and guns, caulk, baffles, hatch weatherstrip, staples and depth rulers. Restock it when the truck returns, and log what it used against the jobs it ran.
Batts multiply the item count
Blown fiberglass and cellulose come in a few kinds of bags. Batts come in thicknesses for each wall and ceiling depth, widths for each stud spacing, and faced or unfaced. Set up every size as its own item, and review which ones haven't moved in months so slow stock doesn't take over the racks.
Order from the builders' start list
Builder work is the most predictable demand you have. Get the lots due for insulation over the next few weeks from the office, multiply by each house plan's material list, and order against that. Retrofit demand swings with the weather, so watch those bookings day by day.
How much insulation inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for insulation inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for drywall and insulation contractors earned a median of $25.62 an hour ($53,290 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $45,260 median for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in all industries. About 120 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for drywall and insulation contractors.
Hourly, sometimes with a count accuracy bonus. The template's highest rate is just under the BLS median for this job at drywall and insulation contractors, so an experienced clerk may need an offer near that top.
Drywall and insulation contractors
$53,290$53,290 median Middle half $48,140–$58,420 10th–90th $38,560–$65,870
All industries
$45,260$45,260 median Middle half $38,200–$51,570 10th–90th $34,650–$62,190
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Drywall and insulation contractors
$38,560
$48,140
$53,290
$58,420
$65,870
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS reports insulation and drywall contractors together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Careful counting, with records that match the shelf
Comfort with inventory software and spreadsheets
Steady follow-up with suppliers about late or short deliveries
Organized habits for receiving, labeling and putting stock away
The nerve to ask crews why their counts don't add up
Teach these on the job
Insulation product types, R-values and pack sizes
How foam sets are stored and rotated
Your warehouse and job costing software
Truck stock lists and return steps
Pallet jack and forklift operation, with the company's training
The work runs in inventory software on a handheld scanner or tablet, with a spreadsheet for truck counts. In the warehouse it means pallet jacks, a drum dolly for foam sets and, where you have one, a forklift; the ad should say if forklift training comes with the job.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Investigating high usage
A crew used far more foam sets than estimated on several jobs this month. What do you do?
A strong answer: Compares those jobs to estimates, looks for off-ratio waste, foam sprayed thicker than spec or estimate errors, and brings the findings to the production manager.
Behavioral · Running counts
Tell me about a physical count you ran on bulky stock like insulation bales, batts and foam sets. How did you make it accurate?
A strong answer: Planned it, froze movement, used two-person counts or recounts, reconciled differences and fixed causes.
The template's targets are a first guess. Once you've counted through a full season, set ones that fit your own stock, suppliers and trucks.
Inventory Accuracy
Count a rotating set of items each week so every item gets counted on a schedule, and compare with the system. Report how many matched out of those counted, and list each miss with its cause.
Order Fulfillment Time
Log the time each crew or manager asks for supplies and the time the stock was ready or received. Report the average and the slowest requests each week, split by warehouse.
Stockout Frequency
Log each time a crew or truck asked for an item that wasn't on hand. Divide by the month's requests and note which items ran out and why.
Vendor Lead Time
For each supplier, measure days from purchase order to delivery on the dock. Compare each quarter with the same quarter a year earlier, since insulation demand rises and falls with the seasons.
Career path
Warehouse helper or driverLoads trucks, receives deliveries and learns the products.
Inventory specialistKeeps the counts, places orders and manages truck stock lists.
Should an insulation company count the stock on its trucks?
Yes, at least for the items that cost the most or run out most often. Trucks hold partly used bags, foam cans and air sealing supplies that never show up in a warehouse count. A quick count when each truck comes back, matched to the jobs it ran that day, shows where material goes and keeps the next morning's load right.
How much does an insulation inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for drywall and insulation contractors earned a median of $25.62 an hour ($53,290 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $48,140 and $58,420 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should an insulation inventory specialist do with bags that got wet?
Pull them out of stock and record them as damaged, with the date and where they were stored or carried. Check the maker's label or guidance before anyone uses a wet bag. Losses that keep coming from one truck or one corner of the warehouse point to a roof leak, a wet slab or a missing tarp that someone needs to fix.
Which insulation items should be counted every day?
Count the items that stop a job when they run out or cost the most per unit: spray foam sets, foam cans, baffles and your busiest fiberglass and cellulose bags. Slow movers, such as odd batt sizes and spare hose, can go on a weekly or monthly rotation.
What does the template's 25-pound, standing and bending line mean in this job?
It describes receiving and counting. That covers moving cases of foam cans and caulk, cutting open pallets, walking the racks during counts and bending to count bags on low shelves. Heavier pallets and drums move on a pallet jack, drum dolly or forklift. Say which equipment you provide and whether the warehouse is heated.
