In a plumbing shop, the inventory specialist makes sure the shelves and every service truck hold the fittings, valves, repair parts and water heaters plumbers need. They buy from supply houses, match each delivery to its purchase order, count stock and track down parts that go missing.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $36,490, middle half $41,500 to $60,320, 90th percentile $72,960. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Warehouse Manager or Operations Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays, before the trucks leave · Restocks trucks before the morning rollout. Longer days ahead of winter and after a freeze, when repair parts sell out.
Also called
Truck stock coordinator · Parts clerk · Stockroom and purchasing clerk · Inventory control clerk
Responsible for managing and maintaining plumbing inventory by ordering supplies, tracking usage, and ensuring accurate stock levels to support efficient operations. Plays a key role in streamlining supply chain processes to reduce downtime and enhance service quality for plumbing services.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Order and replenish plumbing supplies based on demand forecasts and usage trends.
Monitor inventory levels and track usage to prevent stock shortages and overstock situations.
Verify delivery accuracy by cross-checking received items against orders and resolving discrepancies promptly.
Collaborate with plumbing teams and suppliers to ensure timely availability of essential materials.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Assess daily inventory levels and prepare supply orders accordingly.
Receive and inspect incoming shipments to confirm quality and quantity.
Update inventory management systems with accurate stock data.
Communicate with team members and vendors regarding supply needs and order status.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory Accuracy Rate: ≥98%.
Order Fulfillment Time: ≤24 hours from order placement to product readiness.
Stock-Out Incidents: <3% monthly occurrences.
Supply Cost Variance: ±5% of projected budgets.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; Associate degree preferred.
Minimum 2 years of experience in inventory management or a similar role, preferably within the plumbing or home services sector.
Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in inventory management software and basic computer skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in the plumbing industry or related home services field.
Familiarity with vendor management and order negotiation.
Background in managing a diverse range of plumbing supplies and materials.
Previous experience in a fast-paced operational environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs on a regular basis.
Extended periods of standing and walking within warehouse or storage areas.
Frequent bending, stooping, and reaching to access inventory.
Work in environments that may have varying temperature conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours typically Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional extended hours during peak inventory periods or special projects.
Minimal travel required between storage/facility locations.
Occasional on-call duties during emergency supply shortages.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $45,000 - $55,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan and other fringe benefits such as paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a growth-oriented organization dedicated to excellence in the home services industry, fostering an environment where employees are encouraged to innovate, collaborate, and drive success.
Our culture emphasizes continuous improvement, mutual support, and the empowerment of every team member to reach their full potential.
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
Plumbing stock is thousands of small parts spread across trucks, plus a few costly water heaters on the shelf. Parts that touch drinking water must also meet a federal lead-free law, so receiving is more than a head count.
Small parts, many brands
A service plumber may fix a Moen faucet, a Delta shower valve and a Kohler toilet before lunch. Each brand takes its own cartridges and repair kits, and the wrong one means a second trip. The specialist tracks which brands turn up most in your area, sets each truck's list to match, and refills it from the parts on each day's job tickets.
Drinking water parts must be lead free
Federal law bars pipes, fittings and fixtures that aren't lead free from any plumbing that carries drinking water. Since September 2023, makers and importers have had to certify that those products meet the standard. EPA's guide shows the certifiers' marks and notes that some small parts carry no mark. A few items, such as toilets, shower valves, tub fillers and fill valves, are exempt. The specialist checks for marks at receiving and asks the maker about any drinking water part without one. Source: U.S. EPA: Use of lead free pipes, fittings, fixtures, solder and flux for drinking water.
A freeze empties the shelves
When a hard freeze hits, the shop can go through repair couplings, push-fit fittings, PEX, hose bibs and pipe insulation in a few days. A good specialist builds a freeze kit for every truck in the fall. They keep extra on the shelf too, so plumbers aren't driving to a supply house that has run out.
Water heaters tie up cash
A handful of tanks on the shelf can be worth more than a truck full of fittings. The specialist counts them by size, fuel, height and vent type, since a tall gas tank can't fill an order for a short one. A miscount can leave a family waiting overnight for hot water while the shop hunts for the right tank.
Drain gear wears out
Drain cables, jetter hoses and nozzles, and camera parts wear out with use. They cost more than most truck stock, and a snapped cable on a Saturday sewer call ends the job. The specialist tracks these by tech and machine, keeps spares on hand, and flags any cable that gets replaced far more often than the rest.
How much plumbing inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for plumbing inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $23.38 an hour ($48,630 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 3,570 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
The template offers a salary plus a bonus, though some shops pay this job hourly. A stockroom worker on salary may still be owed overtime under federal or state law, so confirm the exemption fits before you drop the time clock.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$48,630$48,630 median Middle half $41,500–$60,320 10th–90th $36,490–$72,960
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
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$36,490
$41,500
$48,630
$60,320
$72,960
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC 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
Counts carefully and records every stock movement the same day
Knows plumbing parts, or picks up part numbers quickly
Is at home with barcode scanners, inventory screens and spreadsheets
Keeps after supply houses until a wrong order is fixed
Spots patterns, like one truck that is always short the same part
Teach these on the job
Fitting types and sizes in copper, PEX, PVC, ABS and brass
Each truck's stock list, with its minimum and maximum levels
Lead-free marks and how to check them at receiving
How each supply house prices, delivers and takes returns
Water heater models, sizes and warranty claim steps
Counts and orders live in an inventory module, either inside job management software like ServiceTitan or Successware or in a stand-alone system, with barcode scanners and supply house ordering portals. A hand truck, a pallet jack and sometimes a forklift move water heaters and bulk pipe.
Plumbing inventory specialist interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
The template's targets give you somewhere to start. Revisit them after two or three full counts, and count the trucks, not just the shelf.
Inventory Accuracy Rate
Pick a slice of part numbers each week, count them on the shelf and in every truck, and compare with the system. Record misses part by part, and recount costly items like water heaters weekly.
Order Fulfillment Time
Hours from a plumber's or crew's parts request to parts picked and ready, from the request and pick times in your inventory system. Each week, find out why the slowest requests took so long.
Stock-Out Incidents
Unfilled parts requests divided by all requests, by month. Flag every job where an empty truck or shelf forced a second trip or a supply house run.
Supply Cost Variance
Actual parts and materials spending against the monthly budget, from purchase orders and supplier invoices. Note big jumps in copper or water heater prices so the budget and price book get updated.
Career path
Supply house counter clerk or warehouse associateGets to know fittings, valves and part numbers by handling them all day.
Inventory specialistOwns truck lists, counts and supply house orders.
Warehouse managerRuns the stockroom crew, receiving and install staging.
Purchasing manager or buyerSets supply house terms and buys pipe, fixtures and water heaters company-wide.
Should you hire a plumbing inventory specialist from a supply house counter?
It's often the quickest start. The template asks for two years of inventory work, ideally in plumbing or home services, and a counter clerk already knows a sweat fitting from a press fitting and how returns work. Someone from a warehouse in another industry can learn the parts too. A few days riding with a plumber, or working a supply house counter, speeds that up.
How much does a plumbing inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $23.38 an hour ($48,630 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $41,500 and $60,320 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should plumbers restock their own trucks?
Some shops let plumbers pull their own parts each morning. Others have the specialist refill each truck from the day's invoices before the next morning's rollout. Letting plumbers pull parts saves the specialist's time, but it makes counts harder to trust. One middle path is a locked cage the specialist keeps full, where plumbers take parts only with a scan or a signed ticket.
What should a plumbing inventory specialist check when a delivery arrives?
Match every line on the packing slip to the purchase order and count the pieces. Check water heater boxes for crushed corners and dents before signing. Write shorts and damage on the delivery receipt, then report them to the supplier the same day, before the plumber who needs that part rolls out.
Does an inventory specialist handle water heater warranty claims?
Often. When a tank fails under warranty, someone has to record the serial number, file the claim with the maker or supply house, and track the credit or the replacement tank. The specialist sees tanks come in and go out, so they're well placed to own it. Check each maker's steps, since some ask for photos or the failed part.
What should a plumbing inventory specialist ad say about lifting?
The template's lifting line stops at 50 pounds, and a boxed tank water heater weighs well over that. Say what moves tanks in your shop, such as a hand truck, a pallet jack or a second person. Add the start time, how many trucks they'll stock, and any driving to pick up parts.
