A restoration inventory specialist keeps the shelves stocked with what crews use up on each job, like plastic sheeting, filters, masks and cleaning products. They log what every job takes so the claim can bill for it, and hold enough back for the next storm.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Serve as the central point for tracking, ordering, and managing essential inventory needed for restoration projects. Ensure an accurate and continuous supply of materials supporting efficient restoration operations. Contribute to minimizing downtime and maximizing resource utilization through meticulous inventory oversight.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Maintain accurate records of inventory levels for restoration materials and supplies.
Log material usage and reorder supplies proactively to avoid shortages.
Coordinate with restoration project teams to assess upcoming inventory needs.
Implement and adhere to standardized procedures for inventory tracking and reporting.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Perform daily checks of material stock and update inventory logs.
Process orders and communicate with suppliers regarding stock replenishment.
Collaborate with project managers to forecast inventory requirements for upcoming restorations.
Conduct regular audits to ensure inventory accuracy and address discrepancies promptly.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory accuracy rate: >98%.
Reorder fulfillment time: <24 hours.
Supply shortage incidents per month: <2.
Material order processing efficiency: 95% on-time delivery.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in supply chain management or related field.
A minimum of 2 years of experience in inventory management or a similar role.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Proficiency in inventory management software and Microsoft Office applications.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the restoration or home services industry.
Familiarity with supplier negotiation and vendor management.
Understanding of restoration project timelines and material dependencies.
Experience working in a fast-paced, operations-driven environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs when handling inventory.
Comfortable working in environments with variable temperatures during stock inspections.
Frequent standing, walking, and occasional bending during inventory audits.
Navigate confined spaces within storage areas safely.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime during peak project periods or inventory counts.
Minimal travel between company locations if needed.
On-call duties during critical supply shortages.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $18 – $25 per hour, depending on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Employer-sponsored Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is driven by a strong culture of innovation and continuous improvement, where teamwork and accountability are at the forefront.
We foster a collaborative environment that values growth, professional development, and positive work-life balance.
Employees are empowered to take initiative and contribute to the overall success of our restoration projects, ensuring lasting impact within the communities we serve.
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's different about inventory at a restoration company
The shelves hold two kinds of stock: supplies that get used up on emergency jobs, and materials bought for one rebuild. Both have to trace back to a claim.
Every roll of plastic belongs to a claim
Insurance pays for what makes it onto the estimate. Say a tech takes plastic sheeting, zipper doors, antimicrobial and filters to a sewage job and nobody writes it down. The project manager can't bill for it. The inventory specialist gives techs a quick way to sign stock out to a job number, and sends the project manager each job's supply list before the estimate goes in.
Hazardous products need safety data sheets
Restorers keep antimicrobials, cleaners, deodorizers and smoke-removal products on the shelf. Under OSHA's HazCom standard, each hazardous chemical needs its safety data sheet kept on site. Workers need access to the sheets on every shift. Containers need labels, with a few exceptions. When a new product arrives, file its sheet before the product goes on the shelf. Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.1200, hazard communication.
Respirators come in exact models and sizes
Under OSHA's rule, a worker who has to wear a tight-fitting respirator on the job must be fit tested on the same make, model, style and size they will use. The test comes before first use, whenever the facepiece changes, and every year after that. Swap brands because a supplier ran short, and your techs need new fit tests. So the inventory specialist stocks the exact masks your crew was tested on, plus cartridges that fit them. Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.134, respiratory protection.
Every restorer in town shops at once
After a big freeze or hurricane, every restorer in the area calls the same distributors on the same morning. Plastic, filters and suits sell out. So the inventory specialist builds a surge stock before the season and keeps a second supplier for each item that matters. While crews run nonstop, they reorder every day.
Rebuild orders are one of a kind
Some materials are bought for one rebuild only, like the cabinets, trim and flooring the adjuster approved. The inventory specialist checks each delivery against what was ordered, tags it with the job number, and stores it apart from shared stock. If a special-order item slips, they tell the project manager that day.
How much restoration inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for restoration inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for remediation companies earned a median of $23.81 an hour ($49,510 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 460 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for remediation companies.
Hourly in most shops, with overtime during counts and storm weeks, and eligible for the bonus written into the template.
Remediation companies
$49,510$49,510 median Middle half $40,250–$59,660 10th–90th $36,270–$67,130
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
Remediation companies
$36,270
$40,250
$49,510
$59,660
$67,130
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS doesn’t publish pay for restoration contractors on their own. These figures cover remediation and other waste management services, 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
Keeps counts right even when techs grab supplies in a hurry at night
Builds a sign-out system simple enough that busy techs use it
Sets up and keeps up a barcode or app-based stock system
Has a backup supplier in mind for every item that matters
Spots a job that used far more supplies than its size explains
How job numbers and claim files work in your software
Your safety data sheet system and container labels
Which respirator models and sizes each tech was fit tested on
How much surge stock to hold for freeze and storm season
The core tools are a barcode or QR scanner, a spreadsheet or inventory app, and your job management software, where each item is tied to a job number. Reorders go through online accounts with restoration distributors and building supply houses.
Run two or three full counts first to see where you stand, then pick targets from what you find, not from the template.
Inventory accuracy rate
Pick one section of the cage each week and count it against the system. When it's off, trace why: a delivery checked in wrong, a sign-out skipped, or stock that walked.
Reorder fulfillment time
Time from when stock drops to its reorder point to when the new order is checked in. Your purchase orders and receiving log give you both ends.
Supply shortage incidents per month
Ask lead techs to report any job where they ran short of plastic, filters or antimicrobial, or had to buy at a retail store. Note the item and whether it had a reorder point.
Material order processing efficiency
Share of supplier orders that arrive by the promised date and match what was ordered. Keep it by supplier so you know who earns your next order.
Inventory specialist or warehouse manager: who handles what?
Think supplies versus machines. The inventory specialist handles what gets used up: plastic, chemicals, filters, rebuild stock, and the sign-out records that let each job bill for them. The warehouse manager is over the building and its staff, the drying equipment fleet, loading, deliveries and contents storage, and the inventory specialist reports to them. Some shops hand equipment tracking to the inventory specialist too. Either way, both work from the same job numbers.
How much does a restoration inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for remediation companies earned a median of $23.81 an hour ($49,510 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $40,250 and $59,660 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What supplies does a restoration company keep in stock?
Plastic sheeting, zipper doors, tape, suits, gloves and respirator cartridges for containment and protection. Filters for air scrubbers and dehumidifiers. Cleaners, deodorizers, smoke-removal products and antimicrobials. Basic rebuild stock like drywall, tack strip and screws. Items that must match one claim, such as cabinets or flooring, are ordered for that job.
How do you stop techs from taking supplies without signing them out?
Make signing out faster than skipping it. Build kits for common jobs, such as a sewage kit or a mold containment kit, that scan to a job in one step. Lock the cage after hours and keep a log for night pickups. Each week, give project managers a list of supplies on their jobs that haven't been billed yet.
Should a restoration inventory specialist have a college degree?
A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in supply chain work is what the template lists, plus two years in inventory. For this job, time running a parts room, a building supply counter or an equipment rental yard is the kind of experience that fits. Ask candidates how they handled a count that came up short. The answer shows whether they chase gaps or write them off.
