What are the responsibilities and job description for the Purchasing Support Specialist position at Black Box Safety?
Company Description
Black Box Safety, Inc. is a small business in El Cajon, CA providing mission-critical supplies to government agencies. We support Emergency Response and mission readiness with products that reduce risk and save lives—including Emergency Response, Infection Control, Jan/San, Medical, Office, Police/Fire/EMS, and Safety Products. Our customers include the CA Department of Corrections, Highway Patrol, VA Healthcare, CSU/UC Universities, and more.
Role Description
We’re hiring an experienced Purchasing Specialist to assist our Sales and Order Processing teams by owning the purchasing workflow once a quote becomes a sales order. You’ll create and submit vendor purchase orders, obtain confirmations, track shipments, and resolve vendor/order issues. This is a detail-heavy role for someone who is organized, computer savvy, and comfortable working across multiple systems and vendor portals.
Responsibilities
- Convert sales orders into accurate vendor Purchase Orders (POs); split into multiple POs when needed
- Research vendors/suppliers and obtain competitive pricing for materials, goods, and services
- Evaluate suppliers based on price, quality, availability, lead time, and performance
- Place orders via vendor portals/platforms and standard ordering channels (e.g., common supplier portals)
- Obtain vendor order confirmations and route them to appropriate internal contacts/process
- Schedule deliveries, request tracking information, and follow up to prevent delays
- Resolve shipping issues, substitutions, backorders, and other order discrepancies
- Maintain organized purchasing documentation (receipts, records, order files)
- Support internal quote/pricing preparation as needed (discounts, margins, profitability)
Qualifications
- Proficient in Excel and Outlook
- Strong computer skills; comfortable learning new systems and vendor portals quickly
- Highly organized with excellent attention to detail
- Strong time management and follow-through; able to meet deadlines with urgency
- Ability to multi-task effectively in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to calculate discounts, percentages, and gross profit/margins using basic formulas
- Strong communication and teamwork skills
- Ability to touch-type efficiently
Pay & Benefits
- $28-$35/hour (DOE)
- Benefits package included (medical/vision/dental, PTO, paid holidays, etc.)
Work Location
- El Cajon, CA (On-site only)
Salary : $28 - $35