Purchasing Inventory Controller

About the position

Location:  Kent/Nottingham/Shrewsbury - Hybrid

Salary/package:  £25,000 per annum

Contract type:  Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week

Who we are 

Global Education Supplies sits in the Children & Education portfolio for CSG and is comprised of seven unique but complementary brands that serve the education sector. Growing through an ongoing buy and build strategy, GES is entering an exciting transformational phase requiring on international growth, new product development, sales and marketing investment, and operational excellence. GES is comprised of seven brands that sell into schools world-wide:

Why this role matters 

As Inventory Controller, you'll be the heartbeat of our stock operation, ensuring the right products are in the right place at the right time. With thousands of SKUs and a global supplier base, your work will directly impact customer satisfaction, product availability, and the overall efficiency of our £50M business. This is a high-visibility role at the core of our commercial success, ideal for someone who thrives on precision, process, and making things work smarter.

What you’ll be doing 

• Coordinate all inbound deliveries and communicate daily with the goods-in team.
• Oversee purchase order (PO) placement based on forecasts and supplier lead times.
• Manage operational supplier relationships and resolve delivery or quality issues.
• Monitor KPIs such as order fulfilment, invoice resolution, and stock availability.
• Maintain and update inventory systems, ensuring accuracy across all records.
• Identify and investigate stock discrepancies, requesting physical checks where needed.
• Analyse supplier performance and support improvement initiatives.
• Work with the Demand Planning team to manage shortages and optimise purchasing.

What we’re looking for

• Experience in inventory control, stock management, or demand planning.
• Strong understanding of supply chain processes.
• Working knowledge of inventory or ERP systems.
• Excellent organisational, analytical, and communication skills.
• Confident using Microsoft Excel and other Office tools.
• Ability to build effective relationships with suppliers and internal teams.
• Proactive mindset with a focus on accuracy and process improvement.
• GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths.

What you’ll get in return

• Salary of £25,000
• 25 days annual leave, plus your birthday off
• Life assurance cover (4x salary)
• Pension scheme with 4% employer contribution (Check salary and advertise correct level)
• Additional benefits including retail and gym discounts, health cash plan and cycle to work scheme
• Volunteer days and access to a comprehensive wellbeing programme
• Tailored learning and development support with real opportunities to progress

Why CSG?

Commercial Services Group (CSG) is the UK’s largest local authority-owned trading company (LATCO), generating over £800 million in revenue and supporting 16,000 education and public sector customers worldwide. With more than 1,800 employees across the UK, France, Dubai and Bangkok, we are working towards becoming the global leader in education and public sector solutions.

We are expanding rapidly, with annual growth of around 25 percent, supported by a blend of organic development, acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Our 33 trading businesses deliver a wide range of services including education management, IT, HR, legal, energy, procurement and supplies.

CSG is wholly owned by local authorities, and a significant proportion of our profits is reinvested into frontline public services. Over £77 million has already been returned, reflecting our commitment to combining commercial performance with meaningful social impact.

Inclusion & Accessibility

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We encourage applications from suitably qualified people of all backgrounds.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our application and interview process; please let us know if you require any.

Place of work