A residential developer inventory specialist tracks the materials that go into each home and the supplies used to build a subdivision's streets and utilities. They count stock in the yard and in storage containers on site, record what each lot uses, and place reorders before a crew runs out.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
The Inventory Specialist is responsible for managing and maintaining inventory levels for residential building projects, ensuring timely reorders and accurate records, while supporting efficient project progress and operational excellence within the organization.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Reorder essential supplies in a timely manner to ensure uninterrupted project progress.
Log and track daily usage of materials to maintain accurate inventory records.
Perform regular inventory counts and reconcile discrepancies.
Collaborate with project teams to forecast future inventory needs.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor current inventory levels and identify potential stock shortages early.
Process and document supply reorders with vendors and internal procurement teams.
Record daily supply usage and update inventory management systems.
Conduct routine audits of inventory areas to ensure compliance with company standards.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory accuracy: Achieve 98% accuracy in monthly inventory audits.
Reorder turnaround time: Maintain a reorder lead time of less than 48 hours.
Usage logging compliance: Ensure 100% adherence to recordkeeping standards.
Stock availability: Maintain a minimum stock level of 95% for critical supplies.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field preferred.
2+ years of experience in inventory control, supply chain, or warehouse management.
Proficiency with inventory management software and MS Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working with residential builders, developers, or in the construction industry.
Previous involvement in procurement or logistics operations.
Familiarity with quality control standards in inventory management.
Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds consistently.
Frequent standing, walking, and bending during inventory audits.
Exposure to variable warehouse temperatures and outdoor elements.
Safe operation in confined spaces where inventory is stored.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours during peak project periods.
Minimal travel required between job sites and storage facilities.
On-call duties as needed during critical supply shortages.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $40,000 - $55,000 per year depending on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is committed to excellence, innovation, and growth.
We foster a supportive and inclusive work environment where every team member is valued.
Our culture emphasizes continuous learning, professional development, and a shared passion for high-quality residential construction.
Join us to be a key contributor in a team that drives success and builds lasting relationships with customers and partners.
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
Stock moves in two streams here: material for each house and material for the land work under it. Each stream is stored, counted and charged in its own way.
Stock inside townhome buildings
Crews may stage drywall, flooring and trim on the upper floors of a townhome building before they need it. OSHA says material stored inside a building under construction must stay at least 6 feet from any hoistway, out of floor openings, and at least 10 feet from an outer wall that's lower than the top of the stack. Plan each drop with those limits in mind. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.250, general requirements for storage.
Floor joists stand on edge, off the mud
Engineered I-joists need their own storage rules in a muddy yard or lot. Roseburg's installation guide, for example, says to store bundles upright on a smooth, level, well-drained surface, at least 6 inches off the ground with supports every 10 feet or less, and never to stack building materials on joists before the subfloor goes on. Follow the maker's guide for the joists you buy. Source: Roseburg: RFPI joist installation guide, storage and handling guidelines.
House stock and land stock are logged apart
Pipe, manhole castings, filter fabric and stone for the streets belong to the land development budget. Lumber and fixtures belong to one house. Record each issue against the right account, so a home's cost isn't padded with street parts and the land budget shows what was really used.
Order for the phase, not the week
When a new phase opens, many homes start close together and need the same material packages. Get the start list from the production manager early, compare it with stock and supplier lead times, and flag the items that take longest to arrive before the first foundation is poured.
How much residential developer inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for residential developer inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $22.86 an hour ($47,540 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 680 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
Paid hourly or on a modest salary, and a few employers add a bonus for count accuracy. BLS puts the inventory clerk median for residential builders inside the template's range.
Residential builders and remodelers
$47,540$47,540 median Middle half $38,100–$54,400 10th–90th $33,280–$68,840
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
Residential builders and remodelers
$33,280
$38,100
$47,540
$54,400
$68,840
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS reports home builders and remodelers 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 accurately and finds the cause when the numbers don't match
Reads a material list or takeoff for a floor plan
Records each stock move in the system on the day it happens
Speaks up early when a shortage could stop a crew
Keeps a yard or container organized so items are easy to find and count
Teach these on the job
Your floor plans and the material package for each
Your cost codes for houses and land work
Your suppliers' order cutoffs and lead times
How each maker wants its products stored
Safe use of the yard's forklift, after formal training
Counts are done with a phone or handheld scanner, and records live in inventory software linked to the job cost system. If the job includes driving a forklift in the yard, say so in the ad and plan for the training.
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 · Spotting unusual usage
Use of fasteners and adhesives at one subdivision is far above the others. What do you do?
A strong answer: Compares usage per house, checks for waste, theft or coding errors, talks with the supervisor, and tracks it after the fix.
Behavioral · Setting reorder points
Tell me about a time you set up or fixed a reorder point for a building material that kept running out.
A strong answer: Names the item, used actual use per house and the supplier lead time to set the level, and can say how stockouts or excess dropped.
Read the template's targets as examples. Work out yours from recent phase counts and supplier records, and adjust them when a new subdivision opens.
Inventory accuracy
Compare the monthly physical count with system records, item by item, and count each line that doesn't match. Review the misses to see whether the error came from receiving, issuing or the count itself.
Reorder turnaround time
From the software's time stamps, measure how long an item sits at its reorder point before the order goes out.
Usage logging compliance
Check a sample of each week's issues for a lot number, a cost code and a signature or scan from the person who took the material.
Stock availability
List the critical items, such as fasteners, house wrap and common fittings, and track how often each one was on hand when a crew asked for it.
Career path
Yard hand at a building supply companyLoads orders and learns lumber grades, product names and how suppliers ship.
Inventory specialistTracks stock and usage for every home and for the land work.
Warehouse managerRuns the yard, storage and deliveries for all the subdivisions.
Purchasing managerNegotiates supplier prices for each floor plan and each phase of land work.
Other roles in a residential builders & developers business
How should an inventory specialist track keys, lockboxes and garage remotes?
Treat them as stock. Give each key set and remote a tag with its lot number, log every hand-off to a trade, agent or buyer, and count them each week. A lost key to a finished home can mean new locks before closing. Keep model home keys on a log of their own.
How much does a residential developer inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $22.86 an hour ($47,540 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $38,100 and $54,400 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What changes for inventory when the company opens a second subdivision?
Counting gets harder. You may add a locked container or a small yard at the new site, which becomes a second location in the software. Set a rule that nothing moves between sites without a transfer record, and plan a weekly visit to count the new location.
Damaged material turns up on a lot. What does the inventory specialist do?
Photograph it where it sits, and note the lot and the delivery ticket. If it arrived damaged, tell the supplier the same day. If weather or a crew caused it, log it as waste against that lot so the home's cost stays true. Pull damaged stock aside so nobody installs it.
What stock goes to the homeowners association after the last home closes?
Spare parts for the common areas may go with the turnover, such as street signs, mailbox parts, irrigation heads and paint for shared fences. Agree on the list with the general manager well before the turnover, so the inventory specialist can set those items aside and record the transfer.
What work matches the inventory template's lifting, temperature and confined space lines?
Those lines ship word for word. Here they mean carrying boxes of fasteners and fittings up to 25 pounds, bending to count stock on low shelves, counting in an unheated yard or a storage container in summer and winter, and reaching into the back of a packed container. Show candidates the yard and containers, ask how they'd do each task, and talk through accommodations if asked.
