Lead Procurement Officer

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Warabrook, New South Wales, Australia; Newcastle City Council; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career advancement

Work life balance

Wellness programs

Accessible leadership

Build new procurement function

Job summary

Ausenco is expanding its Newcastle office and seeks a Lead Procurement Officer to establish and lead a local procurement function. You will drive supplier evaluation, negotiate commercial terms, and support engineering and project delivery teams across mining and minerals sectors.

You will mentor a procurement team, coordinate with regional procurement, and contribute to continuous improvement of procurement tools and processes, while ensuring compliance and value delivery.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading procurement and contracting within EPC/EPCM environments.
• Proven track record building high-performing procurement teams.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management, with negotiation skills.
• High proficiency in MS Office; capable of data-driven decisions.
• Experience using Hexagon ERP and SmartPlant Materials preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead Newcastle's procurement function and support engineering teams.
• Negotiate best-value outcomes and manage supplier relationships.
• Oversee procurement of machinery and equipment for EPCM projects.
• Partner with Engineering, Construction and Cost Control on supplier evaluations and pricing.
• Foster a collaborative procurement culture within the Newcastle office.
• Delegate responsibilities to team members and support their development.
• Contribute to systems development and procurement process improvements.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Excel

ERP systems

Education

Diploma/Degree in related field

Tools

Hexagon ERP

SmartPlant Materials

MS Office

Job description

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Warabrook, New South Wales, Australia – Newcastle NSW

Ausenco is a fast-growing company with big ideas. We redefine what's possible in some of the world's most complex projects and toughest environments. Delivering innovative, value-add consulting, project delivery, asset operations and maintenance solutions is what we do. From 21 offices in 9 countries, with projects in over 80 locations worldwide, we create sustainable outcomes for our people, clients and communities.

Our team is growing, and we're excited to recruit a Lead Procurement Officer to join our rapidly expanding Newcastle office.

This is a unique opportunity to establish and lead a new procurement function in Newcastle. With more than 50 employees already based in our growing office, the time is right to bring procurement leadership closer to our local engineering and project teams. While this role will have strong support and mentorship from our high-performing APAC/Africa Regional Procurement team across Brisbane and Perth, it will play a critical role in building local capability, enhancing stakeholder support, and driving procurement excellence across the region.

This position offers the opportunity to lead, develop and grow a procurement team while supporting high-profile clients and projects across the mining, minerals and industrial sectors.

About the role

• Lead and develop Newcastle's procurement function, providing local support to engineering and project delivery teams while driving procurement excellence across the region.
• Lead a team responsible for negotiating best value outcomes, performing strategic analysis and supporting project execution plans.
• Manage the procurement of machinery and equipment for EPCM projects, ensuring compliance with procurement schedules, bidders lists, package lists and live project data while maintaining strict adherence to procurement procedures.
• Support project initiatives by partnering with Engineering, Construction and Cost Control teams and providing direction in supplier evaluation, selection, purchasing and subcontract agreement negotiations, analytics and pricing reviews.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, creating a highly collaborative procurement environment within the Newcastle office.
• Delegate appropriate responsibilities and assignments to team members while fostering their professional growth and development.
• Contribute to ongoing systems development and continuous improvement initiatives to further mature Ausenco's procurement tools and processes.

About you

• Extensive experience managing procurement and contracting activities within EPC and EPCM environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and building high-performing procurement capabilities.
• Exceptional interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, including negotiation and relationship building.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
• Proven experience in the use of Hexagon ERP systems, with SmartPlant Materials experience highly regarded.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail, decision-making capability and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience in the mining and minerals sector will be highly regarded.
• Capable of leading negotiations with suppliers and contractors to finalise commercial terms and conditions in coordination with Finance, Legal and Tax teams.
• A proactive and entrepreneurial approach, with the ability to establish and grow a function within a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Tertiary qualified Diploma/Degree in related field desirable.

Why Ausenco?

We support individual growth and aim to allow you to work in a way that plays to your strengths. In addition to a competitive remuneration package we offer:

• Career advancement - Be supported in your ongoing development with technical training, mentoring programs and frequent networking opportunities.
• Work Life Balance - Be empowered to enjoy your life outside of the office with flexible working hours, work from home arrangements and modern leave policies including paid parental leave and floating public holiday programs.
• Holistic approach to wellness - Take a proactive approach to your overall wellbeing. Access confidential services as a courtesy of Ausenco including online health and fitness programs, financial coaching and confidential counselling services.
• Accessible leadership team - Work with highly reputable market leaders who value your contribution.
• Build something new - Enjoy the rare opportunity to establish and shape a local procurement function, supported by experienced regional leaders and a collaborative global organisation.

Our people don't settle for the status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to help set a new standard in sustainability, we'll help you find your place. This means working with you to develop a unique career path and skillset to match your ambition.

We're proud of the work we do, and we do it within a culture that is open, honest and cooperative. We have a history of attracting visionary people who embrace challenges and deliver creative solutions for every project, and your voice is an important part of the conversation.

As a global company we embrace and encourage diversity in its fullest sense - gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, experience, nationality, colour, language, religion, location, disability, education, skills, working styles and time availability. Our work environments are based on mutual trust and respect for the rights and opportunities of every individual.