The Wholesale Coordinator serves as the central processing hub for all business-to-business (B2B) commerce within a cannabis enterprise. This role is the critical link between the sales force, inventory control, fulfillment operations, and state-mandated compliance systems. Operating at the intersection of customer service and regulatory adherence, the coordinator ensures that every wholesale order is processed with absolute precision from intake to final delivery. The position requires navigating a suite of technologies, including B2B e-commerce platforms, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and state-level seed-to-sale tracking databases like Metrc. The coordinator's primary objective is to facilitate a seamless order-to-cash cycle, maintaining data integrity across all platforms and generating the flawless documentation required to transport a highly regulated product. This function directly underpins the organization's ability to generate revenue, maintain positive customer relationships with dispensary partners, and protect its operational license by guaranteeing transactional compliance.
The day's operations begin with a systematic review of incoming purchase orders from B2B e-commerce platforms like LeafLink or Apex Trading. The first critical task is license verification. The coordinator queries the state's official cannabis business database to confirm the purchasing dispensary's license is active and in good standing. An order from a facility with a suspended or expired license is immediately flagged and escalated to the sales and compliance teams.
Once licenses are validated, the coordinator translates the purchase order into a sales order within the company's ERP system. This step involves meticulous data entry, ensuring that product SKUs, quantities, negotiated pricing, and any promotional discounts are perfectly aligned. The next step is a critical inventory check. The coordinator accesses the state's seed-to-sale (S2S) tracking system, such as Metrc, to identify available inventory packages. They confirm that sufficient quantity from a single, tested batch exists to fulfill the order, preventing the allocation of multiple batches that would require separate Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and complicate fulfillment.
Midday shifts to fulfillment coordination. The validated sales order is dispatched to the vault or warehouse team. The Wholesale Coordinator provides a pick list specifying the exact 24-digit Metrc package tags to be pulled for the order. While the fulfillment team physically prepares the product, the coordinator builds the digital compliance packet. This involves retrieving the specific COA from the quality department's database that corresponds to the batch being shipped. They then generate a draft transport manifest within the Metrc system, inputting the destination license number, driver information, vehicle details, and the specific package tags being transferred. The invoice is generated from the ERP system, ensuring it matches the manifest exactly.
The afternoon focuses on logistics and communication. The coordinator liaises with the in-house or third-party secure transport team to schedule a pickup and delivery window. This schedule is then communicated to the dispensary buyer, along with a digital copy of the compliance packet for their records. The coordinator fields inbound inquiries from sales representatives regarding order status or from dispensary managers about delivery ETAs. The operational cycle concludes by auditing the day's completed deliveries. Using confirmation from the transport team, the coordinator logs back into the S2S system to finalize each manifest, officially closing the loop on the transfer and ensuring the state's digital ledger accurately reflects the change in inventory ownership.
The Wholesale Coordinator's function is structured around three key domains of operational excellence:
The Wholesale Coordinator directly influences key business performance metrics through the following mechanisms:
| Impact Area | Strategic Influence |
|---|---|
| Cash | Accelerates the cash conversion cycle by ensuring prompt and accurate order fulfillment, which directly enables faster invoicing and payment collection. |
| Profits | Prevents revenue loss by eliminating fulfillment errors, such as incorrect product shipments or documentation mistakes, that lead to rejected orders and costly returns. |
| Assets | Protects the company's most critical asset—its operating license—by executing every wholesale transaction in strict accordance with state compliance regulations. |
| Growth | Enables sales team scalability by creating a reliable and efficient operational backbone, allowing account managers to focus on new business acquisition instead of administrative tasks. |
| People | Improves morale and reduces friction between departments by establishing clear, consistent communication channels and workflows for the entire order lifecycle. |
| Products | Ensures product integrity and inventory value by facilitating correct stock rotation and preventing shipment of products that are on quality hold or near their expiration date. |
| Legal Exposure | Directly mitigates the risk of regulatory fines, sanctions, or license suspension by maintaining unimpeachable records and compliant transaction processes in the S2S system. |
| Compliance | Functions as the frontline defense for transactional compliance, ensuring every gram of product leaving the facility is documented and transferred according to state law. |
| Regulatory | Acts as a subject matter expert on the practical application of S2S regulations, helping to adapt internal processes in response to updates from state cannabis authorities. |
Reports To: This position typically reports to the Director of Sales Operations or a Commerce Operations Manager.
Similar Roles: This role shares functional DNA with titles like Sales Operations Specialist, Order Management Coordinator, Logistics Planner, and Supply Chain Coordinator. In highly regulated sectors like pharmaceuticals or alcohol distribution, equivalent roles might be titled Distribution Coordinator or Compliance Administrator. These roles all share a common foundation of managing complex orders, navigating regulatory documentation, and using specialized software to ensure product is moved accurately and legally.
Works Closely With: This role requires constant collaboration with the Head of Sales, Inventory Manager, Compliance Officer, and Director of Fulfillment.
Proficiency in a specific technology stack is essential for operational success:
Candidates with experience in process-driven, regulated industries are exceptionally well-positioned for success:
The role demands a specific combination of professional attributes:
These organizations create the technological and regulatory frameworks that govern the daily operations of this position:
| Acronym/Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| B2B | Business-to-Business. Refers to transactions between two licensed cannabis companies, such as a cultivator selling to a dispensary. |
| COA | Certificate of Analysis. A lab report that details the cannabinoid profile, potency, and safety testing results for a specific batch of cannabis product. |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management. Software used to manage interactions and data with current and potential customers. |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning. Software that integrates and manages core business processes like inventory, sales, accounting, and supply chain. |
| Manifest | The legally required transport document generated from the S2S system that must accompany any movement of cannabis product between licensees. |
| Metrc | Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance. The most common S2S tracking software used by state regulators in the U.S. |
| Package Tag | A unique alphanumeric identifier (e.g., a Metrc tag) physically affixed to a specific wholesale unit of cannabis product, which is used to track it within the S2S system. |
| S2S | Seed-to-Sale. A term for the compliance tracking systems mandated by states to monitor the entire lifecycle of a cannabis product from cultivation to retail sale. |
| SKU | Stock Keeping Unit. A unique code used by a company to identify a specific product type, size, and variation. |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure. A set of step-by-step instructions for performing routine tasks to ensure consistency and compliance. |
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