What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Purchasing Specialist position at National Equipment & Service?
About National Equipment & Service (NES)
Our Belief Most people don't think about loading docks and rollup doors -- until one fails. Then a distribution center goes down, a shipment sits, and a crew stands idle. We started NES because we believe the businesses that keep Southern California's economy moving deserve a service partner they can actually count on.
Our Approach That belief shapes how we operate. We don't chase volume at the expense of quality. We build technicians who are genuinely skilled -- not just available. When something breaks at a critical moment, the right person with the right knowledge shows up and fixes it. That's the standard we hold ourselves to every day.
Our Work NES is Southern California's premier dock and door service company, specializing in loading dock equipment, rollup doors, and industrial access systems for warehouses, distribution centers, and commercial facilities across Orange County, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire.
Why You We're at an inflection point. The team we're building now will define what NES looks like at twice our current size. The people who join us in this window will have more ownership, more visibility, and more opportunity to shape how we grow than anyone who joins later. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to build a career, keep reading.
The Role
Department
Operations
Reports To
Service Manager
Location:
Irvine, CA (On-site)
Employment Type
Full-Time
Core Purpose
Drive procurement excellence through expert handling of complex purchasing situations, strategic analysis, and systematic process improvement that transforms reactive firefighting into disciplined operations.
What You'll Do
This role sits at the center of how we get the right parts, equipment, and materials into our technicians' hands - and how we do it without the scrambling that has historically slowed service delivery. On any given day you'll be hunting down an obsolete part for a 20-year-old dock leveler, negotiating pricing on a capital purchase for a project install, sitting down with the Operations team to rebalance inventory ahead of a busy quarter, and reviewing spend data to find the next cost-reduction opportunity. You'll partner closely with our entire operations and field service team, sales, accounting, and vendors - and you'll own the decisions that keep procurement moving without constant escalation.
Complex Purchasing Execution (50%)
What We're Looking For
We don't hire for a list of adjectives. We hire for how people actually operate. If the statements below describe the way you already work -- not the way you aspire to work -- keep reading.
Compensation & Benefits
We pay competitively, reward performance, and structure our benefits so that advancement means something beyond a new title.
PAY & PERFORMANCE
NES is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe diverse perspectives make us stronger and better able to serve our customers and community.
Our Belief Most people don't think about loading docks and rollup doors -- until one fails. Then a distribution center goes down, a shipment sits, and a crew stands idle. We started NES because we believe the businesses that keep Southern California's economy moving deserve a service partner they can actually count on.
Our Approach That belief shapes how we operate. We don't chase volume at the expense of quality. We build technicians who are genuinely skilled -- not just available. When something breaks at a critical moment, the right person with the right knowledge shows up and fixes it. That's the standard we hold ourselves to every day.
Our Work NES is Southern California's premier dock and door service company, specializing in loading dock equipment, rollup doors, and industrial access systems for warehouses, distribution centers, and commercial facilities across Orange County, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire.
Why You We're at an inflection point. The team we're building now will define what NES looks like at twice our current size. The people who join us in this window will have more ownership, more visibility, and more opportunity to shape how we grow than anyone who joins later. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to build a career, keep reading.
The Role
Department
Operations
Reports To
Service Manager
Location:
Irvine, CA (On-site)
Employment Type
Full-Time
Core Purpose
Drive procurement excellence through expert handling of complex purchasing situations, strategic analysis, and systematic process improvement that transforms reactive firefighting into disciplined operations.
What You'll Do
This role sits at the center of how we get the right parts, equipment, and materials into our technicians' hands - and how we do it without the scrambling that has historically slowed service delivery. On any given day you'll be hunting down an obsolete part for a 20-year-old dock leveler, negotiating pricing on a capital purchase for a project install, sitting down with the Operations team to rebalance inventory ahead of a busy quarter, and reviewing spend data to find the next cost-reduction opportunity. You'll partner closely with our entire operations and field service team, sales, accounting, and vendors - and you'll own the decisions that keep procurement moving without constant escalation.
Complex Purchasing Execution (50%)
- Handle high-value, unusual, or time-sensitive procurement requiring expert judgment and creative problem-solving.
- Source hard-to-find parts and specialized equipment for unique customer requirements, including obsolete parts and custom fabrication.
- Negotiate pricing and terms for large projects, capital equipment purchases, and strategic buys.
- Manage specialty procurement including food-grade equipment, custom fabrication, and technical specifications that don't fit standard catalogs.
- Resolve complex vendor issues, quality concerns, or delivery problems that standard processes can't address.
- Coordinate multi-vendor procurement for integrated systems and large installations.
- Serve as the escalation point when purchasing situations require expertise beyond routine coordination.
- Make autonomous purchasing decisions within defined authority for sophisticated scenarios without constant management oversight.
- Analyze spending patterns to identify cost reduction opportunities and sourcing inefficiencies.
- Partner with Operations and Service teams on demand planning and optimal inventory level recommendations.
- Benchmark pricing against market rates and evaluate alternative sourcing strategies.
- Build business cases for make-vs-buy decisions and vendor consolidation opportunities.
- Track and report cost-savings initiatives with measurable ROI.
- Use system-generated analytics to improve purchasing decisions and demand forecasting.
- Create purchasing dashboards that give leadership visibility into procurement performance and cost trends.
- Negotiate improved pricing, payment terms, or service commitments with key suppliers.
- Evaluate and onboard new vendors when capability gaps or cost opportunities exist.
- Build strategic vendor relationships for priority service, technical support, and preferential pricing.
- Conduct vendor performance reviews and drive improvement conversations.
- Identify vendor consolidation opportunities that simplify procurement and increase our leverage.
- Design systematic purchasing workflows that eliminate firefighting and reactive patterns.
- Document best practices, decision frameworks, and escalation protocols for the team.
- Drive optimization of our purchasing systems and procurement analytics.
- Identify and eliminate process bottlenecks that cause delays, errors, or inefficiency.
- Share purchasing expertise with the Parts Coordinator through coaching and knowledge transfer.
What We're Looking For
- 5 years of purchasing or procurement experience with complex, non-routine purchasing situations.
- Proven track record sourcing difficult-to-find items and negotiating favorable terms with vendors.
- Industry background in field service, industrial distribution, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, forklift service, construction, or facilities maintenance.
- Strong analytical capability - comfortable using spend data, inventory reports, and purchasing dashboards to drive decisions.
- Proficiency with ERP, inventory management, or field service management platforms (ServiceTitan preferred; equivalent FSM/ERP platforms such as NetSuite, Epicor, or Fieldpoint acceptable).
- Excellent negotiation and vendor relationship management skills.
- Valid driver's license and ability to travel if necessary.
- APICS/CPIM certification or equivalent formal supply chain or procurement training.
- Background sourcing industrial equipment, dock equipment, rollup doors, or specialty hardware.
- Experience in a growth-stage company managing increasing procurement complexity.
- Demonstrated success reducing costs through strategic sourcing and negotiation with documented savings.
- Familiarity with warehouse management or inventory management software systems.
We don't hire for a list of adjectives. We hire for how people actually operate. If the statements below describe the way you already work -- not the way you aspire to work -- keep reading.
- Customer-Centric Excellence. You've had a moment where doing right by the customer cost you something -- extra time, extra effort, or an awkward conversation. You did it anyway, without being asked.
- Complete Ownership. When something goes wrong on your watch, your first move is to fix it -- not explain why it wasn't your fault. You own the outcome, not just the effort.
- Principled Collaboration. You've pushed back on a decision you disagreed with -- clearly and professionally. And once the call was made, you executed without passive resistance or revisiting it sideways.
- Empowered Trust. You share information openly, even when it's inconvenient. You'd rather surface a problem early than look smooth while it quietly gets worse.
- Relentless Learning. You've deliberately gotten better at something in the last 12 months -- a skill, a process, a way of working. Not because someone told you to, but because staying still isn't how you operate.
- Analytical Discipline. When you see a spike in spend or a vendor issue, your instinct is to pull the data and understand the pattern before you react. You trust numbers more than narratives.
Compensation & Benefits
We pay competitively, reward performance, and structure our benefits so that advancement means something beyond a new title.
PAY & PERFORMANCE
- Base Pay: $75,000 - $95,000
- Quarterly performance incentive: when the company wins, you share in it.
- Medical, Dental & Vision: NES contributes to every employee's medical, and as you advance, we increase those contributions and add to Dental and Vision.
- 401(k): retirement plan available to all employees.
- Vacation: 2 weeks to start, with more earned as you advance.
- Sick leave: 1 week of dedicated sick time.
- 8 paid holidays: available to all employees.
- Company car access: office employees have access to a shared company vehicle when needed for site visits or vendor meetings, with mileage reimbursement otherwise.
- Weekly 1:1 coaching with your direct manager.
- Structured onboarding and ongoing skill development.
- We look to promote from within first as new roles and opportunities emerge.
- Our next phase of growth is building more leaders that will help guide how we grow.
- Leadership development resources including executive coaching and certification support.
NES is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe diverse perspectives make us stronger and better able to serve our customers and community.
Salary : $75,000 - $95,000