A landscaping inventory specialist keeps track of everything the crews use: mulch and stone in the yard bins, nursery plants waiting to go in the ground, fertilizer and weed control, sprinkler parts and mower supplies. They count it, reorder ahead of each season, and check every delivery that comes into the yard.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing inventory management for landscaping supplies, ensuring accurate tracking, timely ordering, and efficient usage that supports operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Order and restock landscaping supplies based on usage trends and forecasted needs.
Monitor inventory levels daily and conduct routine audits to ensure accuracy.
Maintain detailed records of supply usage, orders, and deliveries.
Collaborate with vendors to negotiate pricing and ensure timely product availability.
Implement inventory control procedures that minimize waste and reduce costs.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review supply levels at the start of each shift and place orders as needed.
Update the inventory tracking system with current stock information after receiving shipments.
Communicate with landscaping teams regarding supply needs and potential shortages.
Inspect supplies upon delivery to verify order accuracy and quality.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory Accuracy Rate: 98% or above.
Stock-out Incidents: Less than 2 per quarter.
Supply Order Fulfillment Time: Within 24 hours of request.
Cost Savings from Vendor Negotiations: 5% improvement per year.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; associate degree preferred.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in inventory management or related field.
Proficient in Microsoft Office and inventory management software.
Strong organizational and record-keeping skills.
Excellent communication skills and vendor relationship management.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in the landscaping or home services industry.
Familiarity with supply chain and logistics processes.
Prior exposure to ERP systems specific to inventory management.
Demonstrated success in cost reduction and process improvement within inventory management.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move objects up to 25 lbs.
Frequent walking, bending, and standing in warehouse or outdoor settings.
May be required to work in varying weather conditions.
Safe and efficient use of material handling equipment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend or early morning shifts during peak landscaping seasons.
Minimal travel between job sites as needed.
On-site presence required with occasional remote inventory system checks.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly Rate: $18 - $22 per hour, based on experience.
Eligibility for annual performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
401(k) with company match.
Paid time off and company-sponsored training programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and innovative environment where every team member is empowered to contribute ideas.
We value continuous improvement and professional growth, offering regular training sessions and career development opportunities.
Our inclusive culture ensures that all employees feel supported and valued as we work together to achieve exceptional customer satisfaction outcomes.
Our commitment to sustainability and quality in the home services industry sets us apart as a leader in landscaping solutions.
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 inventory jobs count boxes on shelves. A landscaping yard holds bulk piles, live plants and regulated chemicals, and nearly all of it moves in a few busy months.
Bulk piles don't count like boxes
Mulch, topsoil, gravel and stone sit in open bins and leave by the loader bucket. You can't scan a pile. The specialist logs each load that goes out against a job, and checks the size of each pile against the system's on-hand number. Shrink often hides here: heavy scoops, loads nobody wrote down, or rain washing part of a pile away.
Plants are stock that can die
Shrubs, perennials and trees often wait in a holding area before install day. They need water, shade and regular checks, and they lose value every week they sit. The specialist orders plants to the install schedule instead of in one big buy, uses the oldest stock first, and logs every plant that dies so the loss shows up in the numbers.
Chemicals come with legal labels
Weed killers and insect controls are pesticides, and EPA says their labels are legally enforceable. Restricted use products are limited to certified applicators and the people they directly supervise. OSHA also requires a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical, kept where workers can get to it during their shift. The specialist keeps those sheets current as new products arrive. Source: U.S. EPA: Introduction to pesticide labels.
Some states limit lawn fertilizer
Minnesota, for example, bars phosphorus fertilizer on lawns unless a soil or plant tissue test shows a need, or a new lawn is being started from seed or sod. Fertilizer spilled on driveways, sidewalks or streets has to be cleaned up right away. In a state like that, the shelf carries phosphorus-free blends, with starter fertilizer set aside for new lawns. Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture: Phosphorus lawn fertilizer law.
Spring gets bought in winter
A big share of the year's mulch, seed, fertilizer and sprinkler parts goes out in spring. The specialist builds that order in the off-season, working from what last year used and the installs already sold, asks suppliers about early-order pricing, and spreads deliveries out so the yard isn't buried before the crews need it.
How much landscaping inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for 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.
Hourly pay is common. Spring stock-up weeks bring overtime, and some companies add a yearly bonus for accurate counts or money saved on supplies.
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
Keeps counts right when stock is piles, pallets and pots, not just boxes
Times plant and bulk orders to the install calendar
Follows chemical labels and storage rules to the letter
Checks each delivery against the order before the truck pulls out
Pushes back on suppliers about price, quality and late loads
Teach these on the job
Plant names, container sizes and care in the holding area
Bulk measures, such as cubic yards and tons
Your inventory system and how materials get charged to jobs
Which nursery or supplier to call for each item, and their early-order dates
Mower, trimmer and sprinkler part numbers
Expect the materials side of your business software, supplier ordering portals, a tablet for counts in the yard, and often a spreadsheet for bulk piles. Some yards also put this person on the loader or skid steer to fill trucks with mulch and stone.
Counts and stock-outs swing with the season. A March count, with spring orders landing every day, is harder to get right than a December one. Judge a spring month against last spring, not against the quiet season.
Inventory Accuracy Rate
Each week, count a set of items: bagged goods, chemicals and plants by the unit, bulk bins by how full they are. Match each count to the system and write down the reason for every gap.
Stock-out Incidents
Each time a crew leader finds the yard out of something a job needs, log the item, the job and the cause, such as a late delivery or a missed count.
Supply Order Fulfillment Time
Hours between a crew leader asking for a material and that material sitting in the yard or confirmed on a supplier's truck. Note every request that misses the template's window, and why.
Cost Savings from Vendor Negotiations
What you paid this year against last year's price for your top items, weighted by how much you bought. Count early-order deals, better delivery terms and fewer rejected loads too.
They make sure the yard has what the crews need, when they need it. Each day they check stock, place orders, receive and inspect deliveries, and charge materials to the jobs that used them. They also handle returns of damaged plants or wrong products, and keep chemical records and safety data sheets in order.
How much does a 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.
Can a landscaping inventory specialist handle pesticides without a license?
It depends on the product and your state. Under the federal certification rule, using a restricted use product includes mixing and loading it, hauling or storing opened containers, and cleaning spray gear. That work takes a certified applicator or someone under one's direct supervision. States can set stricter rules. Ask your state pesticide agency before the specialist mixes or loads anything for the spray crews.
How do you count mulch and stone piles?
Measure them. Bins of a known size make it quick, since you can judge how full each one is. For open piles, measure length, width and height on the same day each month. Between counts, log every bucket or truckload that leaves the yard against a job, so a short pile has a trail.
Who takes care of plants in the holding area?
Often the inventory specialist, at least the daily watering and checks. A plant that dries out on one hot afternoon can be lost. Decide ahead of time who waters on weekends and who decides to return or toss a plant. If you guarantee plants to customers, healthy stock on install day matters even more.
Does nursery or garden center experience carry over?
Yes, often well. Someone from a nursery or garden center knows plant names, sizes and care, and has handled fertilizer and chemical stock. What they may need to learn is job costing: charging each material that leaves the yard to a customer's job, so production can compare what was used with what was estimated.
What should a landscaping inventory specialist job ad include?
Paint the yard for them: bulk bins, a plant holding area, a chemical room and a parts shelf. Bags of mulch and fertilizer and balled-and-burlapped trees are part of the day, so name those tasks and the carts, forks or loader you provide. Then check that the template's physical lines match that work, and mention the spring Saturdays.
