A commercial landscape inventory specialist buys and tracks the plants, seed, fertilizer, mulch and parts your crews use on contract properties. They check every delivery for count and quality, keep the yard's records right, and work with project managers so materials arrive before the job starts.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Responsible for efficiently ordering, tracking, and managing inventory materials for commercial landscaping projects to ensure timely project execution and minimize operational downtime.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Order flowers, seeds, fertilizers, and other landscaping materials from approved vendors in a timely manner.
Maintain accurate inventory records, conduct regular audits, and adjust stock levels based on project needs.
Coordinate with project managers and landscaping teams to forecast material requirements and schedule deliveries.
Collaborate with vendors to negotiate pricing, manage supply chain issues, and resolve inventory discrepancies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily usage reports to update inventory levels and place replenish orders as necessary.
Inspect received materials for quality and quantity, documenting any issues for follow-up.
Communicate with the landscaping team to adjust material orders based on project progress and seasonal demand.
Monitor vendor performance and update supplier information to maintain a high standard of procurement.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory Accuracy: Achieve at least 98% accuracy in stock records.
Order Fulfillment Rate: Ensure 99% of orders are fulfilled on schedule.
Material Waste Reduction: Reduce material wastage by 10% annually.
Cost Savings: Achieve a minimum of 5% cost reduction through efficient procurement and vendor negotiations.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; Associate degree preferred.
At least 2 years of experience in inventory management or a similar role.
Proficiency in inventory management software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the commercial landscaping, horticulture, or home services industry.
Previous exposure to supply chain operations and vendor management practices.
Background in logistics or procurement roles related to materials and tools.
Familiarity with ERP systems commonly used in inventory management.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds repeatedly.
Frequent standing, walking, and basic physical activity in outdoor and warehouse environments.
Ability to work in varying temperatures including hot summer days and cooler conditions.
Occasional bending, reaching, and climbing required during inventory audits and deliveries.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime and weekend work may be required during high-demand periods.
Minimal travel may be required between storage facilities and job sites.
On-call availability occasionally required to address urgent inventory needs.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $40,000 - $50,000 USD per year based on experience.
Eligible for performance bonuses based on key performance indicators.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with company match and additional fringe benefits available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a growth-oriented and inclusive culture where every team member’s contributions are valued. We believe in empowering our employees through continuous training, professional development, and a supportive work environment that rewards excellence and innovation.
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
What changes for an inventory specialist in commercial landscaping
Much of the stock here is alive, regulated or bought months ahead to match a contract. That changes how it is checked, stored and sent out.
Measure trees the way the standard does
Commercial planting plans often list trees by caliper and cite the American Standard for Nursery Stock. The current edition is ANSI Z60.2-2025, though older specs still name Z60.1. When trees arrive, measure them the same way: six inches above the ground on field-grown trees, moving up to 12 inches once the trunk measures four and a half inches or more at six. Write any undersized tree on the delivery slip so the grower can replace or credit it. Source: AmericanHort: ANSI Z60.2-2025 American Standard for Nursery Stock, section 1.2.1 on measuring caliper.
Restricted-use products need a certified applicator
Most turf and ornamental products are general use, but some insecticides and herbicides carry a Restricted Use label. EPA limits those products to certified applicators and people working under their direct supervision. Before you order one, confirm which certified applicator on staff it is for and record that name with the order. Your state may add license steps of its own. Source: U.S. EPA: Restricted Use Products (RUP) report.
Seasonal color is counted by the flat
Retail centers and office parks often pay for spring, summer and fall flower changes at entries and signs. Work out the flats each property needs from bed size and plant spacing, book them with growers early, and stage them by route so each crew loads only its own sites. Annuals held too long in the yard lose value fast, so time deliveries to the planting week.
Each contract sets its own fertilizer rounds
Maintenance contracts spell out how many fertilizer and weed control rounds each property gets and when. Build the season's buy from those contract lines, not last year's order, and pull product by property as each round goes out. That way, a site that dropped a round at renewal doesn't leave bags sitting in the shed into next season.
How much commercial landscaping inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for commercial landscaping inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $25.00 an hour ($52,000 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 160 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for landscaping companies.
Paid by salary with a KPI bonus, following the template. BLS shows receiving and inventory clerks at landscaping firms earning a higher median than this band, so weigh it against local yard and nursery wages.
Landscaping companies
$52,000$52,000 median Middle half $46,720–$55,000 10th–90th $34,510–$56,230
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
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping companies
$34,510
$46,720
$52,000
$55,000
$56,230
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies 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 and record keeping, day after day
Comfort with inventory software and spreadsheets
Clear, firm calls with vendors about shortages, damage and credits
Plans from a schedule so stock lands before the work does
Keeps a busy yard sorted by job and by route
Teach these on the job
Plant names, sizes and how nursery stock is graded
Your operations software and how it ties materials to jobs
Reading planting plans and plant lists for quantities
Label directions for storing fertilizer and pesticide products
Your approved vendor list and ordering cutoffs
Inventory usually lives in the company's job management system, for example Aspire or SingleOps, or in an ERP tied to accounting, with spreadsheets filling the gaps. In the yard, expect a handheld scanner or phone app, a forklift or skid steer for pallets, and a diameter tape for checking trees.
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 · Early deliveries
Flowers for [8] sites arrive a week early. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stages them in shade with a watering plan, checks the install schedule and moves installs up where possible.
Behavioral · Multi-site inventory
Tell me about a time you supplied many job sites at once with plants, mulch or other materials. How did you keep track?
A strong answer: Used a site-by-site order sheet, staged loads by crew, checked deliveries against orders and logged what went where.
Use the template numbers only as a guide. Wait for a full season of clean counts before you fix targets, because spring and fall swing the numbers more than the quieter months.
Inventory Accuracy
Compare physical counts with the system on a rotating list of items, starting with fertilizer, seed and irrigation parts. Record each variance and its cause.
Order Fulfillment Rate
Share of crew and project material requests filled in full by the job's need date. Pull the requests and delivery dates from your operations software each month.
Material Waste Reduction
Log what gets thrown out, from dead annuals to caked fertilizer and broken pallets of stone, with its cost and cause. Set each season beside the matching season a year earlier.
Cost Savings
Compare what you paid per unit for your top items against last year's prices and quotes from other approved vendors. Count only savings that didn't lower quality or delay a job.
Career path
Laborer / helperLoads trucks and learns the materials crews use every day.
Inventory specialistBuys, receives and tracks the yard's materials.
How should a commercial landscape company track materials by property?
Issue every material to a property or job when it leaves the yard, not just to a crew. That gives account managers the true cost of each contract at renewal time and backs up enhancement invoices for mulch and flowers. It also shows which properties use more than their contract allows.
How much does a commercial landscaping inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $25.00 an hour ($52,000 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $46,720 and $55,000 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should happen to plants and materials left over after an install?
Bring them back, count them and return them to stock under the job's name so the project gets credit. Plants need water and shade the same day. Set a rule for how long leftovers sit before they go to another job or get written off, and tell the production manager what came back, since it may point to a takeoff error.
Does an inventory specialist need a commercial driver's license?
Only if the vehicle crosses a federal line. A CDL is needed for a straight truck with a gross weight rating at or above 26,001 pounds, for a combination at that weight where the towed unit's rating tops 10,000 pounds, and for a vehicle made for 16 or more riders, the driver counted, or one hauling placarded hazmat. Parts runs in a pickup usually stay below the line, but a full dump truck or a pickup towing a heavy equipment trailer may not.
How should the template's lines on lifting, bending, climbing and temperature read in an ad?
Turn those lines into tasks. This person unloads boxes of irrigation parts and bags of seed and fertilizer, climbs to upper racks during counts, checks deliveries outdoors in summer and late fall, and moves between the yard and the warehouse all day. Keep the template text untouched, and note in the ad that accommodation requests are welcome.
