Amazon FBA Inventory & Forecasting Manager (Supply Chain + Data Entry) — Long-Term

ABOUT US

We are a matcha green tea company based in the United States. We sell on Amazon FBA, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and our own Shopify store, and we import our products directly from our manufacturer in Japan.

Our entire business depends on one thing above all else: getting the right amount of inventory forecasted, ordered, paid for, and shipped from Japan to Amazon — accurately and on time, every time. Right now that whole process runs through the owner, and we are ready to hand it to an experienced person who can take full ownership of it.

This is a long-term, full-time role for someone who wants to grow WITH the company — not a short-term task-taker. As the business grows, this position grows too, with more responsibility and pay increases over time.

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WHAT THIS ROLE IS REALLY ABOUT

We are not just looking for someone to complete assigned tasks. We want someone who takes ownership of this position and actively helps improve and refine our inventory management, forecasting, logistics, and operational processes.

The right person thinks proactively, streamlines workflows, improves systems, helps create and refine our standard operating procedures (SOPs), and contributes ideas that make the whole business run more efficiently. You will own the full end-to-end inventory and forecasting process — timing, logistics coordination, and cash flow awareness.

There will be periods when the workload is lighter. During those times, we expect you to take initiative — finding ways to improve processes, simplify operations, strengthen our logistics systems, and contribute solutions that help the business overall.

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WHAT YOU WILL DO

INVENTORY FORECASTING (the heart of this role)
- Manage our forecasting and inventory planning system (SoStocked) and keep it fully up to date
- Forecast monthly product needs accurately — never overbuying, never underbuying
- Understand lead times, set up shipments, and manage inventory flow into the United States
- Factor in order volume, seasonality, and market demand
- Always check your numbers against real Amazon sales data

DAILY DATA ENTRY & CASH FLOW TRACKING
- Maintain our cash flow management spreadsheet every day
- Accurately record purchase orders, product costs, and weekly order data
- Keep all inventory and order records clean, organized, and current

JAPAN SUPPLIER COORDINATION (real-time operations)
- Work during Philippine/Japan business hours so there is always someone actively managing our supplier communication and operations with Japan in real time
- Keep a rolling 3-month production schedule visible to our manufacturer at all times
- Track the supplier payment schedule and alert the owner ahead of each due date
- Organize and file supplier documents (invoices, FDA, USDA) correctly
- Communicate in clear, simple English (our supplier translates everything)

PROCUREMENT & SUPPLIER SOURCING
- Research and identify new suppliers, manufacturers, and packaging partners — including matcha manufacturers in Japan, China, and Taiwan
- Contact vendors, request samples, and coordinate packaging production
- Make sure materials ship on time, and help manage raw materials stored at supplier warehouses
- Example: if we need a new bag manufacturer, you research candidates, reach out, request samples, coordinate shipping, and manage it start to finish

FBA SHIPMENTS & CUSTOMS
- Create FBA inbound shipments in Amazon Seller Central and send labels to our manufacturer
- Monitor every shipment daily once it leaves Japan
- If a shipment is held in customs, act immediately — contact the carrier and resolve it

CUSTOMER SERVICE & RETURNS (light, about 5-7 tickets/week)
- Respond to customer messages across Amazon, email, Shopify chat, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Walmart
- Process refunds and reach out to resolve negative reviews
- (We have an AI tool to help you draft responses)

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WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR (required)

1. 2-5+ years of hands-on Amazon Seller Central / FBA operations experience
2. Strong inventory management and forecasting experience — you understand lead times, shipments, and how demand drives forecasting
3. Solid understanding of ecommerce cash flow (you can model it, not just enter it)
4. Experience with FBA inbound shipments
5. Excellent spreadsheet skills and accurate data entry
6. Clear written English
7. A reliable computer and stable, reliable internet connection
8. Willing to join face-to-face video meetings on Zoom or Google Meet with your camera ON, and available for quickly scheduled meetings — both short check-ins and longer working sessions

ABOUT OUR SOFTWARE: We use SoStocked as our main forecasting tool. Experience with it is a plus but not required — if you haven't used it, you must be able to learn it quickly and become highly proficient. In your application, tell us which inventory systems you HAVE used.

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THE KIND OF PERSON WHO WILL THRIVE HERE

- Detail-oriented and accurate — you take pride in getting the numbers right
- Punctual and dependable — you do what you say, on time
- Responsive — you reply to messages promptly and keep people updated when you're working on something
- A proactive problem solver — you take initiative instead of waiting to be told
- An owner — you treat this role like your own business and look for ways to make it better

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NICE TO HAVE (not required, but a real advantage)

- Procurement / supplier sourcing experience (a big plus for this role)
- Comfort with AI tools and AI-assisted workflows — we use AI to work faster and more accurately, including to help communicate and translate with our Japanese suppliers
- Amazon product listing management experience — we'd love to understand the full range of your Amazon experience, as there may be more responsibilities (and a path to a fuller role) for the right person
- QuickBooks experience
- TikTok Shop or Walmart Marketplace experience
- USDA Organic / NOP experience
- Helium ---------- ---------------------

HOURS & SCHEDULE

- Full-time, 40 hours/week, work from home
- You will work during Philippine/Japan daytime hours — this is by design, so our operations with Japan keep moving while our US team is offline
- TRAINING NOTE: During your first few weeks of training, you'll work some night hours to train live with the owner (US Central Time). After training, you settle into mostly daytime hours with only occasional evening calls. We want to be upfront so this is a great fit from day one.

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HOW TO APPLY (please follow carefully)

We read every application that follows these steps:

SUBJECT LINE: Apply with the subject line — Amazon FBA Inventory Manager — [Your Name]

IN YOUR MESSAGE:
1. Start with the exact phrase: I own the numbers.
2. Tell us about the largest Amazon FBA brand you've managed inventory for (monthly revenue or units) and which inventory/forecasting systems you've used.
3. Describe one time you caught a forecasting or shipping problem before it became a stockout — what you saw and what you did.
4. Tell us about your experience sourcing or working with overseas suppliers (Japan, China, Taiwan, or elsewhere), if any.
5. Briefly describe the full range of your Amazon experience and any experience you have using AI tools at work.

Applications that do not begin with the phrase above will not be reviewed. We're looking for someone detail-oriented who follows instructions carefully — this is your first chance to show us.

We review applications on a rolling basis and reply to strong candidates quickly. We look forward to meeting you.

— Pat McLaughlin IV