Customer Service Associate & Vender Management Inventory Specialist

Financial Analyst - Customer Service Associate & Vendor Management Inventory Specialist

Salary Range: $61,984 - $74,984 Annually Location: Salinas, CA Reports to: Customer Service Manager

General Description / Primary Purpose

Under the direct supervision of the Customer Service Manager and in coordination with the VMI Lead, this position is responsible for managing service relationships with assigned organic girl customers while supporting vendor-managed inventory activities. Following established standard operating procedures, the role ensures accurate order processing, proactive customer communication, and effective inventory replenishment to help maintain service levels, support customer expectations, and optimize product availability.

Major Responsibilities And Tasks / Duties Of The Position

1. Customer Service Associate:

• Build and maintain professional, trusting relationships with assigned organic girl customers through timely, accurate, and service-focused communication.
• Receive, review, and process customer orders submitted by phone, email, EDI, or customer portal.
• Accurately enter customer orders into Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, ensuring order details, pricing, ship dates, and delivery requirements are complete and correct.
• Enter and maintain customer ad plans, ensuring all required internal approvals, pricing details, and supporting documentation are completed before execution.
• Execute daily prorates, freshness allocations, order adjustments, and order release procedures in accordance with established SOPs for all organic girl locations.
• Provide proactive communication to assigned customers regarding late orders, product shortages, raw supply updates, substitutions, allocation decisions, and other service-related matters.
• Maintain accurate and organized customer files, including updated pricing, ad entry forms, account instructions, and other customer-specific documentation.
• Research and resolve customer issues by coordinating with appropriate internal teams, following established internal processes, and communicating status updates through resolution.
• Support customer payment processes, including researching deductions, resolving invoice discrepancies, and coordinating with Finance or other internal departments as needed.
• Participate in regular weekend coverage rotation to support customer needs and maintain business continuity.

2. VMI Specialist:

• Analyze customer inventory, sales, forecast, and shipment data to support replenishment decisions and identify service or supply risks.
• Create, adjust, and monitor replenishment orders as needed to maintain appropriate inventory flow for assigned customer distribution centers.
• Develop, manage, and maintain Excel workbooks using advanced formulas, cross-sheet references, linked files, and multiple worksheets to ensure data accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Partner with the VMI Lead, Customer Service, Sales, Planning, Operations, and customer contacts to support fill rate expectations, inventory targets, and customer service objectives.
• Monitor customer distribution center inventory levels and replenishment activity to help reduce out-of-stocks, minimize excess inventory, and support product freshness.
• Communicate replenishment recommendations, supply constraints, and inventory concerns to internal and external stakeholders in a timely and professional manner.
• Build and foster collaborative relationships with customer and internal supply chain partners to support effective issue resolution and continuous improvement.
• Support customer fill rate expectations by managing replenishment activity, inventory availability, and order execution at the distribution center level.

Job Specific Competencies

• Interpersonal skills commensurate with a customer focused service organization.
• Collaboration abilities, teamwork and inter-departmental communication skills are critical to the success of this position.
• Intermediate level computer skills in Outlook and Word, with a strong emphasis in Excel
• Literate in English. Biliterate in English and Spanish preferred.
• Writes reports, business correspondence, and other customer communication.
• Effectively and professionally presents, operational related information and responds to questions from managers, employees, and customers.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Solves practical problems and deals with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Interprets a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or schedule form.
• Exercises latitude and discretion when analyzing customer order issues and determining what order changes to make.
• Applies concepts of basic algebra

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear.
• The employee frequently is required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus. Heavy use of computers, computer screens, phones, faxes, etc. are required.

Work Hour & Travel Requirements

• Mon-Fri; some weekends

Education And Experience

• H.S diploma or equivalent and a minimum of 2 years related customer service work.