Category Manager

Michael Page; Gold Coast City; On-site; AUD 113,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

AO8 contract

Gold Coast-based position

Job summary

Michael Page is recruiting for a Category Manager (General Goods & Services) to lead the category strategy, provide strategic procurement advice and align practices with government policies. The role focuses on delivering value-for-money outcomes and driving end-to-end procurement across a large, regulated organisation on the Gold Coast.

The successful candidate will have extensive category management experience, strong stakeholder and supplier negotiation skills, and a proven ability to lead

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in strategic procurement, category management and sourcing.
• Proven experience leading complex procurement projects and supplier negotiations.
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering value-for-money outcomes.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing procurement teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Strong understanding of procurement governance, compliance and risk management frameworks.
• Experience working within large and complex organisations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting.
• Ability to successfully manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and management of the General Goods & Services Category Strategy.
• Provide strategic, commercial and operational procurement advice to stakeholders.
• Align procurement activities with Queensland Government policies and organisational objectives.
• Identify opportunities to improve value-for-money, service quality and operational performance.
• Lead end-to-end procurement and sourcing activities including category planning, market analysis, go-to-market strategies, evaluations and supplier selection.
• Manage complex procurement projects and commercial negotiations with suppliers and government stakeholders.
• Drive early procurement engagement across significant spend categories.
• Lead and develop a high-performing procurement team through coaching, mentoring and capability building.
• Foster a collaborative and customer-focused culture while managing team performance.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers and external partners.
• Prepare executive-level briefings, recommendations and procurement reports.
• Ensure procurement activities are compliant, auditable and aligned with governance requirements.
• Support the transition of procurement outcomes into effective contract management arrangements.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance procurement capability and organisational maturity.
• Deliver strategic sourcing outcomes that support operational and organisational objectives.

Skills

Strategic procurement

Category management

Supplier negotiations

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Governance & compliance

Risk management

Executive reporting

Communication

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Procurement/Commerce/Business/Law

Procurement certifications (CIPS/CPP/PCP)

Job description

As the Category Manager (General Goods & Services), you will:

• Lead the development, implementation and ongoing management of the General Goods & Services Category Strategy.
• Provide strategic, commercial and operational procurement advice to stakeholders across the organisation.
• Align procurement activities with Queensland Government procurement policies and organisational objectives.
• Identify opportunities to improve value for money, service quality and operational performance.
• Lead end-to-end procurement and sourcing activities including category planning, market analysis, go-to-market strategies, evaluations and supplier selection.
• Manage complex procurement projects and commercial negotiations with suppliers and government stakeholders.
• Drive early procurement engagement across significant spend categories.
• Lead and develop a high-performing procurement team through coaching, mentoring and capability building.
• Foster a collaborative and customer-focused culture while managing team performance.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers and external partners.
• Prepare executive-level briefings, recommendations and procurement reports.
• Ensure procurement activities are compliant, auditable and aligned with governance requirements.
• Support the transition of procurement outcomes into effective contract management arrangements.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance procurement capability and organisational maturity.
• Deliver strategic sourcing outcomes that support operational and organisational objectives.

The successful candidate will possess:

• Extensive experience in strategic procurement, category management and sourcing.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex procurement projects and supplier negotiations.
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering value-for-money outcomes.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing procurement teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Strong understanding of procurement governance, compliance and risk management frameworks.
• Experience working within large and complex organisations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting.
• Ability to successfully manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Highly regarded:

• Tertiary qualifications in Procurement, Commerce, Business, Law or a related discipline.
• Professional procurement certifications such as CIPS, CPP or PCP.
• Previous experience within Queensland Government, public sector, healthcare or similarly regulated environments.

Our client is a large Queensland Government department delivering essential services to the community across the Gold Coast region. The organisation operates within a complex and highly regulated environment, with a strong focus on governance, value-for-money procurement, and continuous improvement.

• AO8 contract opportunity.
• $96.22 per hour plus superannuation.
• Temporary full-time assignment from September 2026 to March 2027.
• Gold Coast-based position.
• Opportunity to lead a critical procurement category portfolio.
• Exposure to senior executive stakeholders and strategic decision-making.
• Collaborative and high-performing procurement environment.
• Valuable government procurement experience within a complex organisation.

If you are an experienced procurement leader with strong category management and sourcing expertise, we encourage you to apply for this exciting Gold Coast-based government opportunity.