Head of Procurement

Unitywater; Hervey Bay; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private health insurance

Salary packaging

Employee assistance program

Retailer discounts

Walk on Country experience

Study assistance

Professional memberships

Job summary

Unitywater is seeking a Head of Procurement to lead procurement strategy, strategic sourcing, contracts and supply chain across Southeast Queensland’s essential water utility. Reporting to the CFO, you will shape value, risk management and supplier partnerships to support infrastructure delivery.

You will build a high-performing team, drive transformation, influence executive decisions, and foster a commercial culture that delivers sustainable, long-term outcomes for growing communities.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading procurement, strategic sourcing, category management or supply chain functions within asset-intensive or infrastructure-focused organisations.
• Proven ability to develop and execute procurement strategies that deliver commercial value, manage risk and support organisational objectives.
• Strong leadership experience, with a track record of building high-performing teams, uplifting capability and driving organisational change.
• Exceptional commercial acumen, including complex sourcing, contract negotiation, supplier management and procurement transformation.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and drive outcomes across executive, operational and supplier groups.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving capability, with the ability to navigate complexity, identify opportunities and deliver long-term value.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Procurement, Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Law or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction of procurement, shaping sourcing, contract management and supply chain strategies that deliver value, mitigate risk and support business performance.
• Drive procurement transformation and capability uplift, modernising processes, systems and ways of working while increasing procurement maturity across the organisation.
• Influence major commercial and investment decisions, partnering with executive leaders to optimise supplier performance, manage risk and enable strategic business outcomes.
• Build a high-performing procurement function, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and commercial excellence.
• Shape the future of procurement at Unitywater, leveraging technology, market insights and strategic supplier relationships to create lasting value and support a growing region.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Strategic sourcing

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Risk management

Digital transformation

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Procurement/Business/Supply Chain/Law

Job description

• Shape procurement strategy reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer.
• Lead meaningful change across sourcing, contracts and supply chains.
• Access to flexible and hybrid working

About the role:

This is a rare opportunity to lead and shape the future of procurement within one of Southeast Queensland's largest and most essential service providers. As our Head of Procurement, you'll be responsible for driving Unitywater's procurement, strategic sourcing, contract management and supply chain strategy, ensuring we maximise value, manage risk and support the delivery of critical infrastructure and services to our growing communities.

Reporting to the CFO and leading a high-performing team, you'll influence decisions at the highest levels of the organisation, champion procurement transformation and build a commercial culture that enables innovation, strengthens supplier partnerships and delivers sustainable long-term outcomes. This role offers the unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by elevating procurement capability, maturity and impact across the organisation.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the strategic direction of procurement, shaping sourcing, contract management and supply chain strategies that deliver value, mitigate risk and support business performance.
• Drive procurement transformation and capability uplift, modernising processes, systems and ways of working while increasing procurement maturity across the organisation.
• Influence major commercial and investment decisions, partnering with executive leaders to optimise supplier performance, manage risk and enable strategic business outcomes.
• Build a high-performing procurement function, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and commercial excellence.
• Shape the future of procurement at Unitywater, leveraging technology, market insights and strategic supplier relationships to create lasting value and support a growing region.

About you:

Our One Unitywater behaviours - Create the Future, Care Together, and Own It - define how we work together at Unitywater. To contribute to this, you will demonstrate the following skills and qualities for the role:

Must have

• Significant experience leading procurement, strategic sourcing, category management or supply chain functions within complex, asset-intensive or infrastructure-focused organisations.
• Proven ability to develop and execute procurement strategies that deliver commercial value, manage risk and support organisational objectives.
• Strong leadership experience, with a track record of building high-performing teams, uplifting capability and driving organisational change.
• Exceptional commercial acumen, including complex sourcing, contract negotiation, supplier management and procurement transformation.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and drive outcomes across executive, operational and supplier groups.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving capability, with the ability to navigate complexity, identify opportunities and deliver long-term value.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Procurement, Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Law or a related discipline.

Nice to have

• Experience within the utilities, water, construction, mining, infrastructure or other asset-intensive sectors.
• Experience leading procurement transformation, capability uplift or procurement maturity programs.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise risk management, business continuity planning and procurement governance frameworks.
• Experience leveraging procurement technology, automation, analytics or digital transformation initiatives to improve outcomes.
• Postgraduate qualifications or professional procurement accreditations such as CIPS, MCIPS or equivalent.
• Experience presenting complex commercial recommendations and influencing decisions at Executive Leadership Team or Board level

Working at Unitywater:

• Flexibility: We value flexibility and support work-life balance with hybrid and flexible working, purchased annual leave and access to floating public holidays. Tell us what this looks like for you!
• Wellbeing: We offer several initiatives to support your wellbeing, such as discounted private health insurance, salary packaging, employee assistance program, and access to retailer discounts and benefits.
• Learning and Development: We offer a range of opportunities to feed your curiosity such as: Walk on Country experience, study assistance, and access to a dedicated learning program and professional memberships.
• Diversity: We celebrate, value and include people of all backgrounds, gender and expressions, sexualities, cultures, bodies and abilities. We invite you to join our dedicated employee networks focused on First Nations Reconciliation, LGBTQIA+, CALD, Gender, Life Stage, Disability and Accessibility.

About us:

Unitywater operates in one of Australia's most exceptional environments in terms of natural beauty, geographical and demographic breadth. We operate on Kabi Kabi, Jinibara and Turrbal Country, proudly providing safe and reliable water to customers in Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa. We are a water utility serving one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

We think a pretty good job starts here.

Applications close: COB Friday 6th November 2026

Unitywater respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways in which we live, work and operate, the Kabi Kabi, Jinibara and Turrbal peoples. We honour their enduring connection to these places and their deep cultural, spiritual and environmental knowledge and stewardship over the waterways that sustain us all. We pay our deepest respects to Elders past and present, who hold the wisdom, traditions and stories of their people.