Head of Procurement

• $4 Billion Spend across multiple P&L’s
• Leadership Position 10+ FTE’s
• Reporting to Group Supply Chain GM
• Sydney Based – CBD
• $350k TRP

SKILLSOOP has been exclusively engaged to recruit a senior role for an ASX‑listed business in the managed services sector. The Head of Category Management will be a pivotal member of the Group Supply Chain Leadership Team, charged with shaping and executing category management strategies that drive cost savings, value creation, and operational efficiency across the enterprise

Key Responsibilities and Technical Skill Summary

1. Strategy

• Develop and Implement Category Strategies:
  Possess deep expertise in category management methodologies (e.g., Kraljic Matrix, SWOT, Five Forces) to craft long‑term category strategies that optimize cost and mitigate risk.
• Market Analysis and Foresight:
  Skilled in interpreting commodity and market data, identifying global supply trends, assessing external market dynamics, and aligning category approaches to enterprise risk profiles.
• Cost Optimization Techniques:
  Proficient in total cost of ownership (TCO) modelling, value engineering, and spend analytics, ensuring category decisions drive sustainable cost benefits.

2. Leadership

• People Development and Culture:
  Skilled in leading, mentoring, and aligning category managers to corporate objectives. Ability to set measurable KPIs, foster accountability, and build high‑performing teams.
• Governance and Compliance:
  Strong knowledge of corporate procurement policies, legislative frameworks, and governance practices. Ensures category staff adhere to statutory requirements (Modern Slavery Act, Competition Law, ESG standards) and internal controls.

3. Collaboration

• Business Stakeholder Engagement:
  Skilled in cross‑functional collaboration, aligning category strategies with business requirements across sectors, divisions, and global units.
• Executive Communication:
  Ability to distill complex category performance data and strategies into compelling narratives for senior leadership and boards, including dashboards, performance metrics, and actionable insights.
• Change Management:
  Expertise in aligning stakeholders with category strategies and facilitating enterprise‑wide adoption of procurement best practices.

4. Supplier Management

• Advanced Contract Negotiation:
  Skilled in drafting and negotiating high‑value, multi‑year supply agreements with rigorous focus on pricing, risk allocation, service level agreements, IP rights, and performance incentives.
• Supplier Performance Management:
  Technical proficiency in creating, implementing, and managing supplier performance frameworks (SLAs, KPIs), assessing supplier capabilities, conducting risk assessments, and executing improvement programs.
• Relationship Development:
  Ability to foster long‑term, collaborative supplier relationships that drive mutual value, innovation, and operational reliability across complex global supply chains.

5. Continuous Improvement

• Operational Excellence Techniques:
  Skilled in applying Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and process mapping to category and procurement practices, identifying waste and bottlenecks, and aligning improvement efforts with enterprise strategy.
• Technology and Digitization:
  Proficient in leveraging e‑procurement platforms, ERP, and data analytics tools to enable streamlined, automated, and auditable procurement practices across the category lifecycle.
• Change Leadership:
  Skilled in gaining stakeholder buy‑in for process improvement and digital enablement, translating corporate procurement strategies into actionable and measurable improvements across the category and supply chain.

Experience

• 10+ years in procurement and category management roles with significant experience in ASX‑listed or multinational businesses.
• Strong track record in category strategy design and execution across complex and regulated supply environments.
• Exceptional understanding of supplier markets and global supply dynamics.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to operate at executive, operational, and technical levels.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications (Business, Supply Chain, Engineering), supplemented by procurement certifications such as CIPS or MCIPS (highly regarded).