Local & Indigenous Procurement Advisor

First Nations Jobs; Newcastle City Council; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

EAP Beyond Blue

Retail discounts

Job summary

Downer Energy & Utilities in Newcastle, NSW is seeking a Local & Indigenous Procurement Advisor. You will develop, implement and monitor procurement strategies to increase participation of local suppliers and Indigenous businesses on a major NSW infrastructure project, coaching suppliers through the process and building durable regional capability.

You'll partner with procurement, community and stakeholder teams to embed participation requirements in tenders, track performance and help suppliers

Qualifications

• 7+ years' demonstrable experience in local/Indigenous procurement, social value, or community engagement within major infrastructure or Tier 1 contractor environments.
• Established relationships with Indigenous communities and Aboriginal-owned businesses.
• Proven track record of building sustainable local partnerships that deliver long-term outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Support development and execution of Local Industry Participation and Aboriginal Participation Plans.
• Identify and build long-term relationships with local and Indigenous businesses.
• Map local capability and match to procurement opportunities across the project.
• Coordinate Meet the Buyer events and supplier briefings to grow the pipeline of local suppliers.
• Embed local/Indigenous participation requirements into tender documentation and evaluation criteria.
• Support suppliers through sourcing and contracting processes to reduce barriers to entry.
• Track performance against local procurement targets and identify opportunities to exceed them.
• Champion capability-building and mentoring initiatives for regional legacy.
• Ensure compliance with ICN Gateway and ISC certification requirements.

Skills

Local procurement

Stakeholder engagement

ICN Gateway

Data analysis

Relationship management

Education

Tertiary qualification in supply chain

Tools

ICN Gateway

Job description

Job Description

The Opportunity We are seeking a Local & Indigenous Procurement Advisor to join the Downer team at Newcastle, NSW. This is a procurement role at its core. The Local & Indigenous Procurement Advisor is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring procurement strategies that deliberately increase the participation of local suppliers and Indigenous businesses on a major NSW infrastructure project. This will involve building genuine, lasting relationships with those businesses that create real, long-term legacy opportunities beyond the life of the project. The Advisor will be the primary link between the project's procurement function and the local and Indigenous business community. This will amongst other things include shaping how packages are structured and sized, streamlining processes to reduce barriers to entry, and supporting preferential payment terms so local and Indigenous suppliers can compete on a genuinely level footing. Alongside this, the Advisor will coach and mentor local and Indigenous suppliers through the procurement process, building their capability and readiness to bid, deliver, and grow. The role works closely with commercial, community and stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and delivery teams to ensure local and Indigenous participation targets are not just met on paper, but translate into genuine, durable business relationships and outcomes that outlast the project itself.

What You'll Do

• Support the development and execution of the Local Industry Participation Plan and Aboriginal Participation Plan, aligned to client requirements and Downer and NSW Government policy
• Proactively identify, engage, and build long-term relationships with local businesses, small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), and Indigenous businesses in the region, with a focus on creating legacy opportunities that extend beyond the life of the project
• Map local and Indigenous business capability in the region and match it to upcoming procurement and contracting opportunities across the project
• Coordinate and host Meet the Buyer events, supplier briefings, and expression-of-interest (EOI) sessions in partnership with the community and stakeholder engagement team, specifically to grow the pipeline of local and Indigenous suppliers
• Work with procurement teams to embed local and Indigenous participation requirements into tender documentation, evaluation criteria, and contract award decisions
• Support local and Indigenous businesses through the sourcing and contracting process, including via the ICN Gateway, to reduce barriers to entry and improve their readiness to bid
• Track, analyse, and report performance against local procurement and Indigenous participation targets, and identify opportunities to exceed them
• Champion capability-building and mentoring initiatives that help local and Indigenous businesses grow beyond this project, creating a genuine regional legacy
• Ensure compliance with applicable frameworks, including ICN and ISC certification requirements

What We Offer

• Competitive remuneration with a significant ASX-listed company
• Structured career paths with the opportunity to work across different areas of the Utilities business, supported by a robust Commercial Operating Model
• A suite of health and wellness benefits and initiatives, including EAP Beyond Blue
• Retail discounts with major retailers, Dell, Good Guys, Samsung, Specsavers & ANZ
• The opportunity to work for a Tier 1 ASX-listed company with in-house capabilities that far exceed traditional contractor environments

What We're Looking For

• Tertiary or post-graduate qualifications in supply chain, commerce, social value, community development, sustainability, or a related field
• 7+ years' demonstrable experience in local/Indigenous procurement, social value, or community engagement within major infrastructure, PPPs, or a Tier 1 contractor environment
• Established relationships with, and a genuine understanding of, Indigenous communities and Indigenous-owned businesses
• Proven track record of building sustainable, long-term relationships with local and Indigenous businesses that deliver outcomes beyond a single project
• High-level experience using the ICN Gateway
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills, with the credibility to work directly with local and Indigenous business owners and community leaders
• Excellent analytical, reporting, and data management capabilities
• High level of written and verbal communication skills
• Resourceful, proactive, and hands‑on, with a problem‑solving mindset and strong organisational and time management skills
• Ability to work effectively in a high‑pressure, deadline‑driven environment

About Energy & Utilities Downers Energy & Utilities business unit is an integrated trans‑Tasman team, providing services and solutions that connect communities to essential networks and infrastructure. We design, build, operate and maintain today's critical assets and networks, delivering complete services across the water, electricity, telecommunications, industrial and power generation sectors. Our expertise spans in‑house technical smarts, specialist engineering, integrated OEM partners, and dedicated crews of qualified tradespeople. Downer Group is an employer that acknowledges and embraces the importance of our people's diverse experiences, talents, and cultures. As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from everyone.