Inventory Control Manager | Legends Global Merchandise

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an Inventory Control Manager – AP & Invoice Resolution to act as the primary liaison between Accounts Payable, Merchandising, and Receiving/Operations teams. In this role, you will spend the majority of your time (initially ~70%) working on AP invoice discrepancies tied to inventory - untangling 3-way match issues (PO/receipt/invoice), resolving blocked or short-paid invoices, and driving the process improvements that prevent the same problems from recurring.

The remainder of your time will be focused on core inventory control activities to support accurate on-hand balances and clean financial reporting. This role is ideal for someone who understands both inventory flows and AP processes, enjoys working cross-functionally, and is motivated to turn recurring exceptions into rare events.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

AP Invoice Discrepancy Resolution (Primary Focus)

• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact between Accounts Payable, Merchandising, and Receiving/Operations for inventory-related invoice issues.
• Investigate and resolve 3-way match discrepancies including: price mismatches, quantity differences, missed or incorrect receipts, wrong locations, and item setup issues.
• Analyze blocked, short-paid, and disputed invoices and own end-to-end resolution - from root cause identification through to corrected PO/receipt/invoice and cleared payment.
• Maintain and continuously improve an AP exception tracker, including key details such as vendor, PO, root cause, time-to-resolution, and responsible team.
• Partner with Merchandising and Receiving to ensure POs and receipts accurately reflect negotiated terms, quantities, units of measure, and locations.
• Work closely with Shared Services to prioritize and clear high-risk or high-value invoices.
• Develop and refine standard work for handling invoice exceptions, including playbooks, escalation paths, and communication templates.
• Provide regular reporting on AP/inventory exception metrics (volume, aging, root cause trends) and recommend process or policy changes to reduce exceptions over time.

Inventory Control & Operational Support

• Support broader inventory control operations, helping to ensure accurate on-hand balances across stores, events, warehouses, and light production.
• Assist with daily/weekly reviews of inventory exceptions such as negative inventory, stuck transactions, and unusual adjustments, coordinating with the Inventory Control team on resolution.
• Contribute to standardized inventory processes for events and stores (count-in, transfers, count-out, variance review) where they intersect with AP and vendor invoicing.
• Partner with the Inventory Control Director, Accounting, and Operations to ensure that inventory transactions and related invoices are aligned and support timely recognition of COGS and inventory.

Process Improvement & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Identify recurring invoice and inventory issues and drive root cause remediation, not just one-off fixes.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Receiving, AP, and IT/ERP teams to improve PO creation standards, receiving practices, item setup, and matching rules.
• Participate in projects and initiatives related to vendor onboarding, new programs, system changes, or process redesign that impact inventory and AP.
• Train business partners (Merch, Receiving, AP) on best practices, standard procedures, and changes to invoice/inventory workflows.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Supply Chain, Business, Operations Management, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of experience in inventory control, AP operations, or a related role in a multi-location retail, merchandise, or manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with 3-way match (PO/receipt/invoice) and resolving invoice discrepancies.
• Experience working in an ERP system (e.g., Infor M3, D365, SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) for inventory, purchasing, and AP transactions.
• Strong understanding of how inventory movements, PO changes, and receipts impact invoices, COGS, and vendor balances.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and influence stakeholders in AP, Merchandising, Receiving, and Operations.

Preferred:

• Experience in event-based or venue-based merchandising (stadiums, arenas, tours, pop-ups).
• Prior involvement in process improvement or transformation initiatives related to AP and/or inventory.
• Familiarity with internal controls and audit requirements around P2P (procure-to-pay) and inventory.
• Comfort working with Excel and/or BI tools (e.g., Power BI) for exception analysis and reporting.

Skills & Competencies

• Exception Hunter: Enjoys digging into mismatches and reconciling the details until the story makes sense.
• Process & Controls Mindset: Designs and follows structured processes, with clear documentation and ownership.
• Analytical & Detail-Oriented: Able to trace a transaction from PO to receipt to invoice and pinpoint where it went wrong.
• Strong Communicator: Can explain issues and solutions clearly to non-finance partners and keep stakeholders updated.
• Influencer & Bridge-Builder: Comfortable pushing for process adherence while maintaining strong relationships with AP, Merch, and Operations.
• Bias for Resolution: Treats invoice holds and exceptions with urgency, especially when they delay payment or impact vendor relationships.

How Success Will Be Measured

In the first 12 months, success in this role will look like:

• A significant reduction in the volume and aging of inventory-related AP exceptions.
• Clear, documented standard work for resolving invoice discrepancies and communicating across AP, Merch, and Receiving.
• Fewer recurring issues from the same vendors, items, or locations due to targeted root cause fixes.
• Improved alignment between POs, receipts, and invoices, resulting in higher straight-through match rates.
• Strong partnership and trust between the Inventory Control, AP, Merchandising, and Receiving teams.

COMPENSATION

Competitive salary, commensurate with experience, and a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid vacation, and 401k plan.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Location: Hybrid LGM - Indianapolis, IN

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

NOTE:

The essential responsibilities of this position are described below the above headings. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. Also, this document in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.

LEGENDS GLOBAL

Legends Global is the premier partner to the world's greatest live events, venues, and brands. We deliver a fully integrated solution of premium services that keeps our partners front and center through our white-label approach. Our network of 450 venues worldwide, hosting 20,000 events and entertaining 165 million guests each year, is powered by our depth of expertise and level of execution across every component feasibility & consulting, owner’s representation, sales, partnerships, hospitality, merchandise, venue management, and content & booking of world-class live events and venues.

The Legends Global culture is one of respect, ambitious thinking, collaboration, and bold action. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can be authentic, make an impact, and grow their career. Winning is an everyday thing at Legends Global. We have the best team members who understand every win is earned when we come together as one unified team. Sounds like a winning formula for you. Join us!

Legends Global is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, and encourages Women, Minorities, Individuals with Disabilities, and protected Veterans to apply. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.