For most contractors, inventory isn’t just in one place; it’s spread across a fleet of service trucks, each one a mini-warehouse on wheels. Trying to keep track of it all manually is a recipe for confusion and costly mistakes. You end up with one tech having too much of a part they don’t need, while another has to make an emergency supply house run mid-job. The right small warehouse inventory management software brings everything under one digital roof. It gives you a single, unified view of your entire stock, so you always know what’s available and where. This makes dispatching more efficient and helps your techs feel confident they have the right parts before they even head to a job site.
Key takeaways
- Ditch the Spreadsheets for Scalable Growth: Manual tracking is a bottleneck that leads to costly ordering mistakes and can’t keep up as you add more trucks and techs. Adopting inventory software creates a single, reliable system for your materials, giving you the solid foundation needed to grow your business efficiently.
- Prioritize Features That Fit Your Workflow: The best software for a contractor includes mobile access with barcode scanning for techs in the field. It must also integrate seamlessly with your existing field service and accounting platforms to create a connected, efficient process from job site to invoice.
- Focus on Return on Investment, Not Just Cost: View inventory software as a tool that pays for itself. By preventing overstocking, reducing last-minute supply runs, and ensuring techs have the right parts for the job, the right system directly improves your cash flow and makes your business more profitable.
What is small warehouse inventory management software?
Let’s be honest, managing parts and materials in a small warehouse or across a fleet of trucks can feel like organized chaos. If you’re still relying on spreadsheets or a clipboard to track everything, you know how quickly things can go wrong. Small warehouse inventory management software is simply a tool designed to replace that chaos with control. It’s a system that helps you track, organize, and manage your stock levels, whether those parts are on a shelf in the shop or in the back of a van.
Instead of guessing what you have, this software gives you a real-time view of your entire inventory. Think of it as a central command center for all your materials. Modern systems are often cloud-based, meaning you and your techs can access information from anywhere using a phone or tablet. Features like barcode scanning make it fast and easy to check items in and out, eliminating guesswork and typos. This isn’t just about counting parts; it’s about creating a reliable system that ensures your team has what they need to book more jobs and finish them on time.
The best part is that this software doesn’t operate in a silo. A good system is built to grow with your business and connect with the other tools you rely on every day. It can sync with your accounting software to streamline purchasing or with your field service platform to automatically assign parts to a job. This level of integration is what turns a simple tracking tool into a powerful operational hub, saving you time and preventing costly mistakes. It’s the step up from basic spreadsheets that growing businesses need to manage their operations effectively.
This video details how you can optimize your warehouse for inventory management
Why your small warehouse needs inventory software
If you’ve ever had a technician call from a job site because they don’t have the right part on their truck, you know how frustrating (not to mention costly) inventory mishaps can be. That one missing part can lead to an extra trip to the supplier, a delayed job, and an unhappy customer. For a long time, contractors have relied on spreadsheets, clipboards, and memory to manage materials. But as your business grows, these manual methods just can’t keep up. They become a source of constant headaches and hidden costs that eat into your profits.
This is where inventory management software comes in. It’s not just about counting parts; it’s about creating a system that saves you time, cuts down on waste, and helps you run a more profitable business. By moving away from manual tracking, you can get a clear, real-time picture of what you own, where it is, and when you need to reorder. This shift gives you the control and confidence to stop reacting to inventory problems and start preventing them altogether, ensuring your team has what they need to get the job done right the first time.
Stop costly errors from manual tracking
Let’s be honest: spreadsheets and paper count sheets are prone to human error. A simple typo, a missed entry, or a misplaced clipboard can throw your entire inventory count off. When you’re relying on manual tracking, you’re working with information that’s often outdated the moment it’s written down. This makes it incredibly difficult to plan ahead or handle a sudden rush of jobs.
These small mistakes add up to big costs. You might end up ordering parts you already have, leading to overstock and tied-up cash. Or worse, you could run out of a critical component mid-job, forcing last-minute, expensive runs to the supply house. Inventory software helps you avoid these costly errors by creating a single, reliable source of truth. Every time a part is used, moved, or received, the system updates automatically, giving everyone on your team access to accurate, real-time data.
Keep up with growth your old system can’t handle
The manual system that worked when you had two trucks on the road quickly becomes a bottleneck when you have five, ten, or more. As your business expands, so does the complexity of your inventory. You’re managing more parts, more jobs, and more locations—each truck is essentially a mini-warehouse on wheels. A spreadsheet just wasn’t built to handle that kind of scale.
Good inventory software is designed to grow with your business. It can easily manage multiple warehouse locations and service trucks, track thousands of individual parts, and automate tasks that would otherwise consume hours of your team’s time. Instead of getting bogged down by administrative work, you can focus on what you do best: completing jobs and serving your customers. The right system provides the structure you need to scale your operations smoothly without the growing pains.
Make better decisions with clearer visibility
Do you know which parts are your fastest movers? Or how much inventory is sitting on each truck right now? Without clear visibility, you’re essentially making purchasing decisions in the dark. Having accurate, easily accessible information about your inventory is crucial for running an efficient operation and keeping your customers happy.
Inventory software gives you the data you need to make smarter, more strategic decisions. By tracking key inventory management metrics, you can see trends, identify slow-moving stock, and set up automatic reorder points to prevent stockouts. This level of insight allows you to optimize what you buy and when you buy it, improving your cash flow and ensuring your technicians are always prepared. Ultimately, this clarity helps you reduce costs, improve service, and drive profitability.
Key features to look for in inventory software
Not all inventory software is created equal, especially when you’re running a trades business. The generic, one-size-fits-all solutions often miss the mark because they aren’t built for the unique chaos of managing parts across a warehouse, multiple service trucks, and active job sites. When you’re shopping for a system, you need to look past the flashy dashboards and focus on the core features that will actually make your life easier and your business more profitable.
The right software should feel like your most reliable team member—the one who always knows what’s on hand, where it is, and when you need to order more. It should eliminate the frantic supply house runs that throw your schedule off track and cut into your margins. Think about your biggest inventory headaches. Is it tracking parts used on a job? Managing stock on your technicians’ vans? Or just getting a clear picture of your purchasing? The best systems solve these specific problems with practical, easy-to-use tools. Let’s walk through the non-negotiable features you should be looking for.
✓ Real-time inventory tracking
Real-time tracking gives you an immediate, accurate view of your inventory levels across all locations—from the main warehouse to every truck in your fleet. This isn’t just about knowing what you have; it’s about preventing the problems that come from not knowing. With instant visibility, you can eliminate surprise stockouts of critical parts that can derail a job and disappoint a customer. At the same time, you can stop tying up cash by overstocking materials you don’t need. It’s the foundation for smarter purchasing and more efficient operations.
✓ Barcode scanning and mobile access
Your technicians are on the move, and your inventory system should be, too. Barcode scanning and mobile access turn every tech’s smartphone into a powerful inventory tool. Instead of relying on manual lists or memory, they can simply scan a part’s barcode to log its use on a job, transfer it between trucks, or receive a new shipment. This simple action drastically reduces errors and gives you clean, reliable data. It streamlines everything from picking parts for a job to conducting quick cycle counts on a service van, saving hours of tedious work.
✓ Connects with the tools you already use
A standalone inventory system can quickly become just another data silo. To get the most value, look for software that integrates seamlessly with the tools you already rely on every day. When your inventory platform connects with your field service management software (like ServiceTitan or Jobber) and your accounting software (like QuickBooks), your entire workflow becomes connected. Parts used on a job are automatically deducted from inventory and added to the customer’s invoice without any double entry. These integrations are essential for creating a smooth, efficient workflow from the field to the back office.
✓ Grows with you and supports multiple locations
The software you choose today should be able to support your business tomorrow. As you add more technicians, service trucks, or even open a new branch, your inventory system needs to scale with you. Look for a platform that can easily handle multiple locations, whether you define a “location” as a physical warehouse or an individual service van. Choosing a scalable system from the start saves you from a painful migration process down the road and ensures your tools can keep up with your success.
The best small warehouse inventory software
Finding the right inventory software can feel like a huge task, but it really comes down to finding the tool that fits your specific business like a glove. The “best” option for an online retailer won’t be the same as the best one for an HVAC contractor. Your ideal software should solve your unique challenges, whether that’s tracking parts across a fleet of service trucks or managing stock in a single warehouse.
To help you find the perfect match, I’ve put together a list of the top contenders in the small warehouse space. Each one has its own strengths, from deep accounting integrations to simple, visual tracking. As you go through the list, think about your daily operations, the tools you already use, and where you feel the most friction in your current process. The goal isn’t just to get a new piece of software; it’s to find a system that makes your work easier, saves you money, and gives you the clarity you need to grow.
1. Ply: For comprehensive contractor inventory management
If you run a business in the trades, Ply was built specifically for you. It goes beyond basic warehouse tracking to offer a complete system for managing parts, materials, and even the stock on your service trucks. Ply offers a comprehensive solution tailored for contractors, focusing on inventory management that integrates seamlessly with the project management and accounting tools you already rely on.
What really sets it apart are the deep integrations with field service platforms like ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, and Jobber. This means your inventory data talks directly to your job management system, ensuring techs have the right parts and jobs are costed accurately. It’s designed to streamline everything from purchasing to job completion, making it the go-to choice for contractors who need their inventory system to work as hard as they do.
2. Zoho Inventory: for multi-channel cloud needs
For businesses that sell products across multiple channels, Zoho Inventory works well as a central hub for orders, stock, and shipping, especially if you are already using other Zoho apps. It is a solid fit for ecommerce and retail operations that need to keep online storefronts and a small warehouse in sync. For contractors and service businesses, though, Zoho Inventory is very order-focused. Inventory workflows are built around sales and fulfillment rather than materials being pulled for jobs or loaded onto trucks, which often means extra manual reconciliation to understand what actually left the warehouse for work in the field.
3. inFlow Inventory: for user-friendly desktop and cloud options
If you’re looking for a system that is easy to learn and use, inFlow Inventory is a popular choice. It covers the basics well, with features like barcode scanning, purchase orders, and simple reporting that make it less intimidating than heavier warehouse systems. Where it starts to struggle is in more dynamic environments. inFlow is best suited to inventory that lives in one or two fixed locations, so once parts and materials are spread across multiple trucks and job sites, many businesses find themselves relying on workarounds and manual updates to keep counts accurate.
4. Sortly: For a simple, visual system
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best one. Sortly is designed as a lightweight, visual inventory system that lets you attach photos, use QR codes, and organize items in a way that is easy for teams to understand. It is great for small teams that want to get out of spreadsheets without a big implementation project. That simplicity comes with tradeoffs. Sortly does not offer the deeper purchasing workflows, job-based usage tracking, or automation that growing contractors typically need. It can handle basic warehouse tracking, but as inventory volumes and field operations grow, many businesses find it does not provide enough structure to keep everything in sync.
5. Fishbowl Inventory: For deep QuickBooks integration
If your business lives and breathes QuickBooks, Fishbowl Inventory is a natural candidate. It is a powerful warehouse management system with strong QuickBooks integration, making it appealing for manufacturers and wholesalers that need detailed control over stock, orders, and production inside a central facility. For contractors, Fishbowl’s warehouse-first design can feel rigid. Workflows assume inventory moves through controlled warehouse processes, not that it is constantly leaving on trucks and being used on job sites. Keeping Fishbowl aligned with real field usage often requires extra administrative effort, which can undercut the efficiency gains it is meant to deliver.
The real-world benefits of using inventory software
Switching from a manual system to inventory software isn’t just about getting organized, it’s about fundamentally changing how your business operates for the better. Think about the time your team spends searching for parts, the money tied up in materials you don’t need, or the frustration of realizing a critical component is out of stock mid-job. These aren’t just minor annoyances; they’re operational drags that directly impact your bottom line.
Implementing a dedicated inventory system brings tangible, measurable improvements. It transforms guesswork into certainty and reactive scrambling into proactive planning. Instead of relying on memory or messy spreadsheets, you get a clear, real-time picture of your entire stock, whether it’s in the warehouse or on a service truck. This visibility is the foundation for a more efficient, profitable, and scalable business. With the right inventory management features, you can automate tedious tasks, empower your technicians with the information they need, and make strategic decisions based on hard data, not just a gut feeling. It’s about turning your materials management from a constant headache into a competitive advantage.
Improve accuracy and reduce human error
Let’s be honest: manual tracking is prone to mistakes. A simple typo in a spreadsheet, a misread part number on a notepad, or a forgotten entry can throw your entire count off. These small errors snowball, leading to incorrect orders, surprise stockouts, and wasted time trying to figure out what went wrong. Inventory software replaces this guesswork with precision. By using tools like barcode scanners, you can log items with a quick scan, ensuring the right part is tracked every single time. This dramatically reduces the risk of human error, giving you an accurate, trustworthy count of your inventory that you can rely on to make purchasing decisions and schedule jobs with confidence.
Speed up order processing and fulfillment
How much time does your team spend on routine inventory tasks? Manually receiving new shipments, picking parts for a job, or conducting cycle counts can take hours. Inventory software streamlines these workflows, turning lengthy processes into quick, simple actions. A new delivery can be scanned and added to your stock in minutes, not hours. When a technician needs a specific part, they can instantly see its exact location in the warehouse or on a truck. This speed means less downtime for your team and faster service for your customers. You can get your technicians out the door and on to the next job more quickly, helping you complete more work each day.
Manage cash flow and costs more effectively
Every item sitting on your warehouse shelves represents cash. When you don’t have a clear handle on your inventory, it’s easy to tie up too much money in overstocked materials or lose revenue because you ran out of a critical part. Inventory software gives you the visibility to optimize your stock levels. You can see exactly what you have, what’s moving, and what’s gathering dust. This allows you to avoid over-ordering and reduce carrying costs. By understanding your inventory’s financial impact, you can make smarter purchasing decisions that directly improve your cash flow. You can even use a specialized ROI calculator to see how much you could save.
Get clearer reports and insights
Good business decisions are built on good data. Inventory software acts as your central hub for all material-related information, providing instant reports on stock levels, item movement, and usage history. Instead of manually piecing together information, you can get a clear picture with just a few clicks. Set up automatic low-stock alerts to prevent last-minute supply runs. Analyze usage reports to see which parts are your most profitable and which ones you should stop carrying. These key inventory metrics empower you to forecast demand more accurately, negotiate better deals with suppliers, and build a more strategic and profitable inventory plan.
When you don’t have a clear handle on your inventory, it’s easy to tie up too much money in overstocked materials or lose revenue because you ran out of a critical part.
Common myths about inventory software
Let’s clear the air. When it comes to inventory software, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around that stop great businesses from getting the tools they need. These myths can keep you stuck with inefficient spreadsheets and manual counts, costing you time and money. If any of these sound familiar, it’s time to separate fact from fiction.
“It’s too expensive for my business.”
This is probably the number one reason I hear for sticking with manual tracking. The idea of a hefty price tag is enough to make any small business owner hesitate. But the reality is, you don’t need a massive corporate budget to get a great system. There are plenty of affordable options built specifically for businesses like yours. Think of it less as an expense and more as an investment. The right software pays for itself by cutting down on costly errors, preventing overstock, and saving your team hours of work. You can even calculate your potential return on investment to see how the numbers stack up for your specific business.
“Setup will disrupt our workflow.”
The thought of a complicated setup process that brings your operations to a halt is definitely stressful. Nobody has time for that. The good news is that modern inventory software is designed to integrate smoothly into your existing workflow, not blow it up. The goal is to make your daily tasks easier, not harder. With a bit of planning and training, your team can get up and running quickly. Plus, many providers offer hands-on help to make the transition seamless. For example, some companies even provide onsite warehouse implementation to get your system and your team dialed in from day one.
“We’re too small to need software.”
If you’re managing just a handful of items, a spreadsheet might seem fine. But as soon as your business starts to grow, that system will show its cracks. Believing you’re “too small” for software can lead to missed opportunities and inefficiencies that hold you back. Even the smallest businesses benefit from a dedicated system that reduces human error and provides a clear picture of what’s on hand. Adopting the right inventory management features early on builds a solid foundation for growth, ensuring you can handle more jobs and bigger projects without the chaos.
How software solves common warehouse headaches
Let’s be honest, running a warehouse can feel like a constant game of whack-a-mole. One minute you’re hunting for a specific part, the next you’re dealing with a surprise stockout that brings a job to a halt. These daily headaches aren’t just frustrating; they cost you time and money. Manual tracking on spreadsheets or whiteboards can only get you so far before errors creep in and things start to fall through the cracks.
This is where inventory management software steps in to calm the chaos. It’s designed to tackle these exact problems head-on, turning your warehouse from a source of stress into a streamlined, efficient part of your business. By giving you a clear, real-time view of your materials, it helps you make smarter decisions, prevent costly mistakes, and get your team what they need, when they need it. Think of it as your central command center for everything you stock, giving you the power to solve problems before they even start.
Prevent stockouts and overstock
Walking the line between having enough stock and having too much is a tough balancing act. A stockout on a critical part can delay a project and disappoint a customer. On the flip side, overstocking ties up your cash in materials that are just sitting on a shelf, collecting dust. Inventory software gives you the visibility to finally get it right. With real-time tracking, you can see exactly what you have on hand at any moment. This means you can maintain optimal inventory levels, ensuring you’re always prepared for the next job without overcommitting your budget to unnecessary materials.
Streamline inventory across multiple locations
For most contractors, inventory isn’t just in one warehouse—it’s spread across multiple service trucks, each acting as its own mini-warehouse on wheels. Trying to keep track of it all manually is a recipe for confusion. The right software brings everything under one digital roof. It gives you a single, unified view of your entire stock, whether it’s on a shelf in the main warehouse or in the back of a van across town. You get instant updates on stock levels and movement, so you always know what’s available and where. This makes dispatching more efficient and helps your techs feel confident they have the right parts before they even head to a job site.
Automate reordering and purchase orders
How much time does your team spend manually checking stock levels and creating purchase orders? It’s a tedious process that’s prone to human error. A forgotten order can lead to a stockout, while a duplicated one leads to overstock. Inventory software automates this entire workflow. You can set minimum stock levels for your most-used items, and the system will automatically send you a low-stock alert when it’s time to reorder. Many platforms can even generate purchase orders for you, streamlining the process from alert to delivery. This frees up your team to focus on more important tasks and ensures you never run out of essential parts again.
How to measure your ROI
Switching to inventory software isn’t just about getting organized; it’s a financial decision. You need to know it’s paying off. But how do you actually measure the return on your investment? It goes beyond simply comparing the software subscription cost to the money you save on lost parts. A true ROI calculation looks at efficiency gains, improved cash flow, and even customer satisfaction. It’s about seeing how a streamlined warehouse operation impacts every part of your business, from the tech in the field to the balance sheet.
Think of it this way: your investment is the software cost plus the time your team spends learning it. Your return is measured in fewer emergency supply runs, more completed jobs per day, and less cash tied up in materials just sitting on a shelf. By tracking a few key performance indicators (KPIs), you can see the tangible benefits and prove the software is working for your bottom line. You can even use a dedicated ROI calculator to plug in your numbers and see the potential savings. The following metrics will give you a clear picture of the value your new system is providing.
Your inventory turnover rate shows how quickly you sell and replace your stock. A higher turnover is generally better because it means your money isn’t sitting idle in a warehouse.
Inventory turnover and order fill rate
Your inventory turnover rate shows how quickly you sell and replace your stock. A higher turnover is generally better because it means your money isn’t sitting idle in a warehouse. At the same time, your fill rate measures how often you can complete an order immediately from your existing stock. Great inventory software helps you find the sweet spot. It gives you the data to stock up on popular items while reducing orders for slow-movers, which directly improves both of these essential inventory metrics. A better fill rate means your techs have the parts they need on the truck, leading to more first-visit fixes and happier customers.
Stockout frequency and lead times
Stockouts are a major headache. They happen when a tech needs a part for a job, but it’s not on the truck or in the warehouse. This leads to wasted time, extra trips to the supplier, and delayed projects. Good software helps you track usage patterns and set automatic reorder points to prevent these stockouts before they happen. It also helps you monitor lead times—the time between placing an order with a supplier and receiving it. By tracking this, you can identify which suppliers are fastest and plan your purchasing more effectively, ensuring you always have what you need without waiting around.
Holding costs and overall return
Holding costs are the hidden expenses of storing inventory. This includes the cost of your warehouse space, insurance, and even the risk of parts becoming damaged or obsolete. When you have too much stock, these costs eat into your profits. Inventory software gives you the visibility to avoid overstocking, which directly reduces your holding costs. When you combine these savings with the money you’re no longer losing to stockouts and the extra revenue from completing jobs faster, you get a complete picture of your overall return. It’s not just one thing—it’s how all these small improvements add up to a more profitable business.
Click here to learn how Fast Track Appliances transformed its business with Ply
How to choose the right inventory software for you
Picking the right software can feel like a huge decision, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The best tool isn’t necessarily the one with the most features or the biggest name, it’s the one that fits your business like a glove. It should solve your most pressing problems and feel like a natural extension of your team. Think of it less as a purchase and more as hiring a new, incredibly efficient team member who never takes a day off. This software will become the backbone of your materials management, helping you track every part, streamline purchasing, and get a clear view of your profitability. It’s about finding a system that gives you back time and reduces the daily chaos of running a trade business. To find that perfect fit, you’ll want to focus on two key areas: matching the features to your specific needs and making a final call based on your budget and long-term goals. By breaking it down this way, you can move forward with confidence, knowing you’ve chosen a system that will support your business now and as you grow.
Match software features to your business needs
Before you even look at pricing, start by making a list of your biggest operational headaches. Are you constantly losing track of parts on service trucks? Is your reordering process a mess of sticky notes and spreadsheets? Do you spend hours manually entering data into your accounting software? Your pain points are your roadmap. Look for a solution with features that directly address these issues. For example, if your techs are always on the go, mobile access and barcode scanning are non-negotiable. If you live inside your field service software, you’ll need a tool with strong integrations to ensure everything communicates smoothly. The goal is to find a system that solves today’s problems while being flexible enough to handle tomorrow’s growth.
Make the final call based on your budget and goals
Let’s talk about cost. The old myth that inventory software is too expensive for a small business is just that: a myth. With modern, cloud-based options, powerful tools are more accessible than ever. Instead of focusing only on the monthly fee, think about the return on your investment. How much money are you losing to shrinkage, over-ordering, or wasted time? A good system should pay for itself by reducing those costs and helping you book more jobs. Use an ROI calculator to see how the numbers stack up for your business. Your final decision should be a balance between what you can afford and what the software will help you achieve. Choose a partner that helps you streamline operations, cut costs, and drive profitability.
Related articles
- Best Warehouse Inventory Software for Small Businesses
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Frequently asked questions
How is this software really different from just using a detailed spreadsheet?
Think of it as the difference between a map and a GPS. A spreadsheet is a static map, it can tell you what you had at a specific point in time, but it’s often outdated the moment you save it and prone to human error. Inventory software is your live GPS, giving you a real-time view of every part across your entire operation. It updates automatically as materials are used, moved, or received, which means you’re making decisions based on what’s happening right now, not last Tuesday.
My inventory is mostly on my service trucks, not in a big warehouse. Will this software still help?
Absolutely. In fact, that’s one of the biggest problems this kind of software is designed to solve. The best systems treat each of your service trucks as its own mobile warehouse. You can see exactly what parts are on which van at any given moment, transfer stock between trucks, and track usage on a per-job basis. This eliminates the guesswork and ensures your technicians arrive at a job site with everything they need to finish the work on the first visit.
How difficult is it to get my team to actually use new software?
This is a valid concern, and the truth is, adoption comes down to choosing a system that’s intuitive and makes your team’s job easier, not harder. Modern inventory software is often designed with mobile access and simple barcode scanning, so a technician can update stock levels with their phone in a few seconds. The key is to find a tool that fits into their existing workflow, rather than forcing them to learn a complicated new process. When they see how it saves them from frustrating supply house runs, they’ll be on board quickly.
Will this inventory system connect with the scheduling and accounting software I already use?
It should. A standalone inventory system can create more work than it saves. The most effective software is built to integrate with the other essential tools you rely on, like your field service management platform and your accounting software. This connection automates the flow of information, so when a part is used on a job, it’s automatically deducted from your inventory and added to the customer’s invoice without anyone having to enter the data twice.
How can I be sure that investing in inventory software will actually save my business money?
The savings show up in a few key areas. First, you’ll stop wasting money on parts you already have and reduce the cash tied up in overstock. Second, you’ll cut down on costly, time-wasting trips to the supply house because you’ll know exactly what you need and when you need it. Finally, by ensuring your techs are always equipped for the job, you can complete more work each day. The return on investment comes from eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and ultimately, booking more profitable jobs.