A commercial roofing inventory specialist orders membrane, insulation, plates, fasteners and adhesives for each job. They track what each job uses, keep the counts right, and make sure warranty jobs get the right maker's parts.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing inventory for commercial roofing projects while ensuring optimal stock levels and seamless supply ordering to support efficient operations. Contributes to the overall success of projects by maintaining accurate inventory records and controlling costs.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Orders roofing supplies and equipment, ensuring timely procurement to support project needs.
Tracks usage of materials across multiple commercial roofing sites to monitor consumption and prevent shortages.
Maintains accurate stock levels and performs regular inventory reconciliations.
Coordinates with vendors and internal teams to resolve discrepancies and facilitate returns or replacements.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Process supply orders and confirm delivery schedules with vendors.
Monitor daily inventory levels and update records in the inventory management system.
Conduct cycle counts and physical inventory audits in warehouse environments.
Communicate with project managers and field supervisors regarding inventory requirements and usage trends.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory Accuracy Rate: ≥ 98%.
Supply Order Fulfillment Time: ≤ 2 business days.
Stock Reorder Level Compliance: 100% adherence to predetermined reorder points.
Cost Variance Reduction: ≤ 5% variance between forecasted and actual expenses.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in logistics, supply chain management, or a related field.
At least 2 years of experience in an inventory management role.
Proficient in inventory management software and standard MS Office applications.
Strong organizational and communication skills with high attention to detail.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the commercial roofing or construction materials industry.
Familiarity with supply chain management software and automated inventory tracking systems.
Proven track record of managing inventory in fast-paced operational environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 40 lbs periodically.
Standing, walking, and bending for extended periods during physical inventory counts.
Occasional work in outdoor or warehouse settings subject to varying weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime or weekend work during peak project periods.
Minimal travel required between warehouse and commercial roofing job sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $45,000 – $55,000 USD per year based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
Participation in a 401(k) plan with company match.
Other fringe benefits including paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a collaborative and inclusive environment where each employee is valued for their contributions.
We are committed to continuous improvement and professional growth, encourages innovation, and rewards hard work.
Our culture centers on quality service, integrity, and a passion for excellence in commercial roofing solutions.
We believe in empowering our team members to take ownership of their roles and create meaningful impacts on projects and client satisfaction.
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
Counting and ordering look alike in any warehouse. Here the warranty, the owner's contract and the shelf life of the liquids decide what can go on the truck.
Warranty jobs take one maker's parts
A warranty roof is built from the parts its maker lists for that system. Check the spec before you fill a short order with another brand's plates, fasteners or primer. One large membrane maker says a job that uses a substitute product needs an approved technical deviation on its pre-installation notice to qualify for the warranty. Without that approval in the job file, don't swap. Call the project manager instead. Source: Elevate: Temporary product substitutions update.
Adhesive cans carry a date
Carlisle says liquid containers should arrive labeled with their date of manufacture. It also warns that job site heat above 90°F may affect the shelf life of adhesives, sealants and primers. Log the date when pails arrive and ship the oldest first. When pails come back from a summer job in Las Cruces, New Mexico, mark them and ask the maker's rep whether they're still good to use. Source: Carlisle SynTec TecTopics: Storage for jobsite deliveries (2025).
Federal jobs can require domestic material
A federal reroof, such as a hangar at an Air Force base in North Dakota, may include the Buy American rule on construction materials. Under that clause, the contractor must build with domestic construction material only, with exceptions the clause or contract lists. Before you pull insulation or fasteners from stock for that job, check where they were made. File the proof with the job. Source: eCFR 48 CFR 52.225-9: Buy American, construction materials.
Count roof leftovers before the last lift
Partial rolls, boxes of plates and odd tapered pieces often sit on a large roof until the end of the job. Getting them down takes the hoist or a crane pick. Count them with the foreman before the project manager books that last lift, so it carries everything at once. When they reach the yard, note which pieces fit a coming job.
Tapered insulation is built for one roof
A tapered package is cut to one building's slope plan, so it seldom fits another job. Check every board against the layout sheet the day the truck lands. Report missing pieces before the crew needs them. Ask the supplier about returns before you plan to send extras back.
How much commercial roofing inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for commercial roofing inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for roofing contractors earned a median of $20.82 an hour ($43,300 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $45,260 median for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in all industries. About 250 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for roofing contractors.
Salaried, with a performance bonus. For roofing contractors, BLS puts the inventory clerk median just under where the template's range begins, and the range stays well short of the top band.
Roofing contractors
$43,300$43,300 median Middle half $37,990–$52,710 10th–90th $35,220–$67,600
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
Roofing contractors
$35,220
$37,990
$43,300
$52,710
$67,600
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
BLS reports residential and commercial roofing 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 that match the system on the first try
Reads a material list and knows which roof system each item belongs to
Ties vendor confirmations, delivery tickets and job numbers together
Flags a short order early, before it stops a crew
Comfort with inventory software and spreadsheets
Teach these on the job
TPO, PVC, EPDM and mod bit parts and their trade names
Each membrane maker's approved parts for warranty jobs
How costs post to each job number
Reading roll labels and pail labels for batch and date
Your warehouse's bay layout and labels
Stock usually lives in the inventory or job cost module of construction accounting software, such as Foundation or Viewpoint Vista, alongside the distributors' online ordering portals. A barcode scanner or phone app speeds up cycle counts. Name your system in the ad.
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 · Preventing unapproved substitutions
The field asks you to send a different brand of membrane than the approved submittal because it's in stock. What do you do?
A strong answer: Doesn't send it. Checks with the project manager, because the spec and warranty require approved products, and finds the approved product.
Behavioral · Catching costly errors
Tell me about a time material for a commercial job was ordered wrong, such as the wrong membrane thickness, color or fastener length. How was it caught?
A strong answer: Names the error, how it was caught (checking against the submittal or takeoff), what it cost or saved, and the check they added afterward.
Think of these targets as a rough draft. When a full season of counts and purchase orders is in, rewrite them with the warehouse manager and check them every few months.
Inventory Accuracy Rate
Each week, pick a set of items, count them by hand, and check the result against the system, bay by bay. Count in the units crews draw, such as rolls, boxes of plates and pails.
Supply Order Fulfillment Time
Measure from the moment a project manager or foreman submits a material request to the moment the material is ready to load or lands on site, using the time stamps on requests and delivery tickets.
Stock Reorder Level Compliance
When you run the weekly stock report, check each stocked item against its reorder point and list any item that fell below it without an open purchase order.
Cost Variance Reduction
For each closed job, compare the estimated material cost with the material actually charged, after returns and leftovers counted back to stock. Look for patterns by roof system and by crew.
Career path
Roofing laborerLoads trucks, stages pallets and sees which parts each roof system uses.
Inventory specialistOrders, receives and counts material for every commercial job.
Purchasing coordinatorBuys the main roof systems for each job against approved submittals and keeps distributor pricing current.
Warehouse managerRuns the warehouse, the yard and the people who load the trucks.
A batch of membrane looks bad. What does the inventory specialist do?
Crews sometimes find rolls with poor welds or surface flaws. The maker's rep will usually want the batch numbers printed on the roll labels, so record them when rolls arrive. Set the rest of that batch aside so it doesn't go out on the next load. Hold it until the rep has seen it or told you what to do.
How much does a commercial roofing inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for roofing contractors earned a median of $20.82 an hour ($43,300 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $37,990 and $52,710 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should a commercial roofer stock for leak calls?
Service crews patch roofs you didn't install. Keep small kits for each system you service: TPO and PVC in common colors, EPDM with its own primer and tape, mod bit, sealants and walkway pads. Set reorder points from last year's service tickets, not from install jobs. Repair use runs on its own rhythm.
How much roofing knowledge does a new inventory specialist need?
Less than you'd think on day one. Telling a seam plate from an insulation plate, or EPDM primer from TPO primer, can be taught. Careful counting and speaking up about problems are harder to teach. Have the new hire spend a few days loading and staging with a lead roofer to see how each part is used.
What does the inventory template's physical list look like on the job?
Carrying adhesive pails and boxes of plates, breaking down pallets, kneeling to read labels on bottom shelves, and checking stock in the yard or on a job site in sun, wind or cold. Describe this work in the ad. Ask if the applicant can do it, with an accommodation if needed, and leave health questions out.
