A lighting inventory manager buys, stores and tracks the fixtures, lamps, drivers, holiday product and parts the crews install. They match stock to the job schedule, run warranty claims with suppliers, and handle the old fluorescent tubes and ballasts that come back from retrofit jobs.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Inventory Manager is responsible for overseeing the ordering, organization, and tracking of equipment and supplies necessary for lighting installation projects. This role ensures that inventory levels are optimal to meet project demands while minimizing costs and waste. By maintaining accurate records and efficient processes, the Inventory Manager directly contributes to project efficiency and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage the procurement of lighting equipment and supplies to ensure timely availability for projects.
Implement and maintain inventory management systems to track stock levels and order status.
Collaborate with project managers to forecast inventory needs based on upcoming installations.
Conduct regular inventory audits to ensure accuracy and compliance with company standards.
Develop and maintain relationships with suppliers to negotiate favorable terms and resolve issues.
Utilize industry-standard tools such as QuickBooks and Fishbowl Inventory for tracking and reporting.
Ensure compliance with safety regulations and company policies regarding inventory handling.
Provide training and support to staff on inventory management procedures.
Generate reports on inventory metrics and present findings to management for strategic decision-making.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and update inventory records daily to ensure accuracy.
Place orders for necessary supplies and equipment based on project schedules and forecasts.
Conduct weekly inventory audits to identify discrepancies and address them promptly.
Coordinate with suppliers for delivery schedules and resolve any supply chain issues.
Prepare and distribute weekly inventory status reports to relevant stakeholders.
Monitor and adjust inventory levels to align with seasonal demand fluctuations.
Facilitate regular team meetings to discuss inventory-related updates and improvements.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory accuracy rate ≥ 98%.
Order fulfillment rate ≥ 95% within agreed timelines.
Inventory turnover ratio of approximately 5-7 times per year.
Cost savings from supplier negotiations ≥ 10% annually.
Quality metric: Supplier defect rate ≤ 2%.
Efficiency metric: Average order processing time ≤ 48 hours.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations: Achieve 80% of KPIs by 90 days.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or related field.
Proficiency in inventory management software such as QuickBooks and Fishbowl Inventory.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and negotiation abilities.
Attention to detail and organizational skills.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
6. Preferred Experience
3+ years of inventory management experience in the lighting installation or related industry.
Experience with ERP systems.
Certification in Inventory Management (e.g., CPIM) is a plus.
Familiarity with lighting products and installation processes.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds regularly.
Comfortable working in warehouse environments.
Occasional travel to supplier locations may be required.
Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as necessary.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional weekend work may be required during peak seasons.
Minimal on-call requirements.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive base salary with performance bonuses tied to inventory accuracy and cost savings.
Payouts contingent on maintaining quality and efficiency standards.
Benefits include health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
Opportunities for professional development and training.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on our commitment to quality, safety, and customer satisfaction. Our team is dedicated to craftsmanship and continuous improvement, creating an environment where employees can thrive and grow. Join us to be part of a dynamic company that values integrity, teamwork, 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
A lighting stockroom holds three kinds of goods: new fixtures and drivers for retrofit and yard jobs, holiday product bought once a year, and old lamps and ballasts on their way out. That last kind comes with federal and state waste rules.
Old tubes are waste the day they come down
A used lamp becomes waste the day it's discarded. Fluorescent, HID and other lamps that count as hazardous waste can be handled under EPA's lighter universal waste rules: closed boxes that keep them from breaking, a label such as Used Lamps, broken ones cleaned up and boxed right away, a way to show how long each box has waited, and, as a rule, no more than a year in storage. Lamps that aren't hazardous waste fall outside these rules. Source: eCFR: Standards for universal waste management (40 CFR Part 273).
The building owner shares the duty
EPA treats the contractor who pulls lamps out of a building and the owner who chose to replace them as cogenerators of that waste, and both are liable. EPA recommends the two agree which one carries out the generator duties. Put that in the retrofit contract, and keep the recycler's receipts tied to each job. Source: EPA RCRA call center Q&A: Contractors as cogenerators of universal waste lamps.
Some states go further than EPA
Minnesota law requires fluorescent and HID lamps to be recycled at a lamp recycler or a collection site, and bars mercury products from the trash. EPA lists Maine, Maryland and Vermont as states that add ballasts to their universal waste programs. Check your own state's program before you pick a recycler or set up the bins. Source: Minnesota Statutes 115A.932: Mercury prohibition.
Ballasts from before 1980 need a closer look
EPA says ballasts made through 1979 may contain PCBs and recommends removing them from buildings as soon as possible. Its web page says intact ones can be recycled or disposed of properly, and its TSCA chart spells out what that means. A No PCBs label puts a ballast outside TSCA storage and disposal rules. Leaking PCB ballasts are regulated, and so are intact ones with 50 parts per million or more of PCBs in the potting material, with storage limits, labels and approved disposal. Bin old ballasts by label. Source: EPA: Disposal of fluorescent light ballasts.
Failed fixtures need a paper trail
Keep the warranty terms for each fixture and driver line on file. Log every failure the day a crew brings it back: the model, the date code or serial number, the install date and the job. File the claim with the supplier, and credit the job when the replacement or refund arrives. A dead driver with no record attached can't be traced to a claim, so it tends to sit on a shelf.
How much lighting inventory managers make
The closest BLS group for lighting inventory managers is transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $79,720 a year ($38.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $107,230 median for transportation, storage, and distribution managers in all industries. About 1,140 of the 221,180 transportation, storage, and distribution managers in that survey work for electrical contractors.
A base salary with bonuses for inventory accuracy and supplier savings, as the template sets out. BLS has no separate pay line for supply chain managers; it counts them with transportation, storage and distribution managers, so treat its figures as a rough guide for a job that mixes buying with running the stockroom.
Electrical contractors
$79,720$79,720 median Middle half $62,440–$103,200 10th–90th $55,160–$139,930
All industries
$107,230$107,230 median Middle half $82,440–$146,770 10th–90th $65,120–$194,900
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Electrical contractors
$55,160
$62,440
$79,720
$103,200
$139,930
All industries
$65,120
$82,440
$107,230
$146,770
$194,900
BLS doesn’t publish pay for lighting installers on their own. These figures cover electrical contractors, which include them. 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
Has bought and tracked stock for a contractor or distributor with jobs on a schedule
Reads spec sheets: wattage, color temperature, voltage, mounting and listings
Negotiates with suppliers and holds them to ship dates and warranty claims
Keeps records clean enough to trace any fixture to its job
Plans a once-a-year buy against a forecast and the space to store it
Teach these on the job
Your fixture lines, drivers and holiday product
Universal waste labels, bins and your recycler's pickups
Your inventory software, whether Fishbowl or another system
How customer-owned decorations are stored and tracked
Your supplier accounts, terms and return rules
QuickBooks and Fishbowl Inventory are the template's systems; add barcode scanners and supplier ordering portals as volume grows. Candidates will want to know if the lamp and ballast recycling program is theirs to run and how big the holiday buy is.
Lighting inventory manager interview questions
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 · Protecting rebate eligibility
A retrofit job's rebate depends on specific listed fixtures, and the supplier offers a cheaper substitute. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks whether the substitute is on the program's qualified list, checks with the project manager and office, and documents the decision.
Behavioral · Supplier negotiation
Tell me about a deal you negotiated with a holiday product or fixture supplier.
A strong answer: Clear tradeoffs, such as volume for price or early orders for better payment terms, and a measurable result.
Base each target on a year of counts, orders and supplier records, and measure holiday product apart from year-round stock.
Inventory accuracy rate ≥ 98%
Cycle count fixtures, drivers and holiday stock every week, compare with the system, and log what caused each gap: an unlogged pull, a return never scanned in, or a receiving error.
Order fulfillment rate ≥ 95% within agreed timelines
Share of crew and project manager requests picked in full by the promised date, from request and pick time stamps. Note when a late supplier shipment caused the miss.
Inventory turnover ratio of approximately 5-7 times per year
Material cost used in a year over the average stock value carried. Figure holiday product on its own, since it waits in storage for months by design.
Cost savings from supplier negotiations ≥ 10% annually
Compare prices paid with last year's prices or quotes for the same items, from purchase orders. Count only savings that held for the year, not one-time deals.
Quality metric
Defective or early-failure returns to each supplier, set against what you bought from them, by product line, from the warranty log.
Efficiency metric
Time from a request or reorder alert to a purchase order sent, from system time stamps. Review the slowest orders each week and find what held them up.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations
Spend the first month counting everything and meeting suppliers, the second fixing reorder points, and the third reporting each measure monthly.
Career path
Stockroom or warehouse leadChecks in deliveries, counts bins and pulls stock for each crew.
Inventory managerBuys and tracks all stock, and runs warranty claims and recycling.
Operations managerTakes on crews and job scheduling on top of stock and purchasing.
Supply chain managerBuys for a larger contractor or a lighting distributor.
Who should run lamp recycling at a lighting company?
The inventory manager, since used lamps and ballasts come back through the stockroom. Under EPA's universal waste rule, everyone who handles that waste must be told the right handling and emergency steps, such as what to do with a broken tube. The inventory manager sets up the bins, labels and pickups, and works with the safety officer so crews learn those steps.
How much does a lighting inventory manager make?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $79,720 a year ($38.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $62,440 and $103,200 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should we store customers' own holiday decorations?
Give each customer a numbered bin or shelf spot, photograph what goes in at takedown, and log it in and out like stock. Keep company-owned display product apart from anything the customer owns. Count every customer's items before fall installs start, not on the morning a crew needs them.
How early should holiday product be ordered?
Work back from your first install date. Add the supplier's lead time, shipping, and the shop time to test and sort strands, then order with some margin. Size the buy from last season's usage and breakage plus the renewals already signed, and leave room for new sales before you commit to the whole order.
Does a lighting inventory manager need to know lighting products?
The template calls it a preferred skill, and it saves trips. A fixture in the wrong color temperature or a driver for the wrong voltage sends a crew back to the shop. A strong buyer from another trade can learn your lines in a season if a project manager checks their orders at first.
