What Does a Property Control Specialist Do?
Every microscope, laptop and truck bought with public or grant money has to be accounted for until the day it is sold or scrapped. As a property control specialist you'll tag new equipment, record every move and check that each item is where the records say. This might involve campus labs, warehouses, surplus sales or federal property reports.
Also known as: Property Control Officer, Property Control Coordinator, Surplus Federal Excess Property Coordinator, Surplus Property Coordinator
Property Control Specialist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a property control specialist include:
- Tag new equipment with bar-code or RFID labels and record it in the asset system.
- Conduct scheduled physical inventories of labs, offices and storerooms with a handheld scanner.
- Record transfers, loans and disposals so each asset's location and custodian stay current.
- Reconcile the asset register with purchasing and accounting records at fiscal year-end.
- Arrange pickup, storage and resale or recycling of surplus furniture and equipment.
- Confirm hard drives on surplus computers are wiped, and keep the destruction certificates.
- Track federally owned and grant-funded equipment under sponsor and federal property rules.
- Investigate missing items with departments and file loss or theft reports.
- Train department property contacts on tagging, transfer forms and annual inventory steps.
- List surplus items for public sale or auction and handle buyer pickups.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a property control specialist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Fixed-asset software or ERP asset modules
- Bar-code and RFID scanners
- Excel for inventory reconciliation
- Federal grant property rules under the Uniform Guidance
- Careful record-keeping and follow-through
- Tact with busy department staff
- Physical ability to move and lift equipment
- High school diploma; some college helpful
Education and Training
To do well in property control, you should have experience with inventory or warehouse records and a flair for tracking down things other people have lost. Most employers ask for a high school diploma. Training on the asset system happens on the job, which matches the short-term training BLS lists for shipping, receiving and inventory clerks. Supply chain courses at a community college are a good next step.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $38,200 - $51,570 per year, with a median of $45,260.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks.
BLS projects employment of shipping, receiving and inventory clerks, the wider group this job belongs to, to decline about 8 percent from 2025 to 2035. Much of that decline comes from scanning and automation in warehouses, while property offices still need people to count, tag and chase equipment. BLS still expects about 61,300 openings a year.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks.