Category Manager

Interface Agency Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Interface Agency Australia is seeking a hands-on Category Manager to own the full procurement lifecycle for a heavy equipment portfolio with a multi-hundred-million dollar value. You will drive market research, sourcing strategies, tendering and negotiations, while coordinating with engineering, legal, and project teams to secure commercially sound outcomes.

The role requires proven end-to-end sourcing experience in complex procurement environments, with a bias toward equipment, heavy machinery,

Qualifications

• Experience delivering end-to-end sourcing and tender processes.
• Background in heavy equipment or large capital projects.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Experience collaborating with engineers, legal teams and project stakeholders.
• Ability to learn new processes quickly.
• Renewables or Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) exposure is a bonus but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Own the full procurement lifecycle: market research, sourcing strategy, tendering or direct negotiation, commercial evaluation, contract negotiation and handover to contract management.
• Manage complex supplier and stakeholder relationships across engineering, legal, major projects and operations.
• Work through technical, safety and design requirements to land commercially sound outcomes.
• Bring structure and momentum to an area of the portfolio that needs a confident, self-sufficient operator.

Skills

End-to-end sourcing

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Supplier relationships

Engineering collaboration

Job description

Looking for a procurement role where you own the whole process, not just one piece of it?

We're partnering with a major NSW energy company to find an experienced Category Manager for its heavy equipment portfolio. This is a hands‑on contract role in a team of nine, managing procurement across high-value, technically complex equipment within a portfolio worth more than $300m a year. With project activity expected to grow, this is a chance to make an immediate impact.

What you'll be doing

• Owning the full procurement lifecycle: market research, sourcing strategy, tendering or direct negotiation, commercial evaluation, contract negotiation and handover to contract management
• Managing complex supplier and stakeholder relationships across engineering, legal, major projects and operations
• Working through technical, safety and design requirements to land commercially sound outcomes
• Bringing structure and momentum to an area of the portfolio that needs a confident, self-sufficient operator

What you'll bring

• Proven experience independently delivering end-to-end sourcing and tender processes. You need to have owned the process, not supported one part of it
• Background in equipment, fleet, heavy or engineered equipment, infrastructure, indirects or another complex procurement environment
• Strong commercial acumen and confident negotiation skills
• Experience working closely with engineers, legal teams and project stakeholders
• The ability to quickly learn new processes and stakeholder structures, then run with them
• Utility-sector or large capital project experience isn't required. Exposure to renewables or Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) would be a bonus, but it isn't essential.

The details

• 6-month contract, with potential extension
• Start ASAP. Candidates available immediately or with up to 4 weeks' notice are preferred