Purchasing Operations Lead

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action VIC; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangements

Job summary

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action VIC in Melbourne is seeking a Purchasing Operations Lead to guide purchasing and accounts payable across the Commercial, Logistics and Resources Branch. You will ensure data quality, lead a four-person team and resolve supplier queries to support emergency management readiness.

You will work in a hybrid environment, delivering month-end reporting, improving processes and ensuring compliance with financial delegations during peak fire seasons.

Qualifications

• Senior experience in purchasing and accounts payable.
• Leadership of a four-person team.
• Proven experience with Oracle and Excel, plus Victorian Government procurement framework.

Responsibilities

• Lead purchasing and accounts payable workflow, including invoicing and approvals.
• Manage a team of four staff and foster a service-focused culture.
• Provide practical advice on purchasing, receipting, and supplier queries.
• Investigate complex payment, invoice, and inventory issues.
• Use data to identify trends and improvements.
• Support month-end processes and forecasting inputs.
• Strengthen internal controls and audit readiness.
• Contribute to system and process improvements.
• Support urgent financial processing during emergencies.

Skills

Purchasing

Accounts payable

Invoice management

Financial coding

Leadership

Excel

Oracle

Analytics

Tools

Oracle

Job description

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action VIC – Melbourne VIC

Lead reliable purchasing and payment services that keep essential operations moving.Are you an experienced purchasing and accounts payable leader who enjoys solving problems, supporting people and keeping important services moving?
This is a great opportunity to lead a small, service-focused team that plays a practical and important role in supporting Forest Fire Management Victoria and broader emergency management operations across Victoria.

As the Purchasing Operations Lead, you will oversee reliable, timely and compliant purchasing and accounts payable services for the Commercial, Logistics and Resources Branch within Bushfire and Forest Services. You will ensure data is of the highest quality, reliable and readily available. You will manage workflow, support accurate financial processing, resolve supplier and invoice issues, strengthen controls and help improve the way services are delivered.
You will work in a collaborative environment where procurement, logistics, fleet, inventory and finance teams come together to support operational readiness, day-to-day service delivery and peak fire season requirements.

About the role
In this role, you will:

• lead purchasing and accounts payable workflow, including invoice triage, coding, approvals, payment readiness and issue resolution
• manage and support a team of four staff, building a positive, collaborative and service-focused culture
• provide practical advice to operational teams on purchasing, receipting, invoices, supplier queries and compliance requirements
• investigate and resolve complex payment, invoice and inventory ordering issues
• use financial and operational data to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement
• support month-end processes, reporting, accruals and forecasting inputs
• strengthen internal controls, record keeping, audit readiness and compliance with financial delegations
• contribute to continuous improvement in systems, processes, templates and guidance
• support urgent financial processing and operational requirements during emergency management activity and peak fire season.

About you
You will bring strong purchasing and accounts payable experience, sound judgement and a practical approach to improving how work gets done. You are comfortable working with detail, managing competing priorities and helping others understand what is needed to get things moving.

You will also bring:

• experience in purchasing, accounts payable, invoice management, supplier queries, financial coding and reporting
• leadership experience, including managing workflow, coaching staff and supporting team performance
• confidence using finance systems, particularly Oracle, and Microsoft Excel
• an understanding of Victorian Government procurement, financial processing and compliance requirements
• strong analytical skills and the ability to turn data into practical insights
• a collaborative style and the ability to build trusted relationships across teams.

A forklift licence, or willingness to obtain one, and a valid driver’s licence with willingness to travel within Victoria may be required.
Why join us?
You will be part of a branch that works across procurement, logistics, fleet, inventory and emergency management support, helping ensure the right resources are available when and where they are needed.
We offer:

• meaningful work that supports Victoria’s emergency management readiness
• a collaborative and practical workplace culture
• opportunities to lead and improve service delivery
• hybrid work arrangements, where operational requirements allow
• the chance to support teams working on important public land, fire and emergency management outcomes.

Specialist/Technical Expertise/Qualifications

• Demonstrated senior experience in purchasing and accounts payable functions, including invoice management, purchase orders, supplier queries, financial coding, reporting and compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• Proven people leadership capability, including managing workflow, supporting team performance, coaching staff and building a positive, service-focused team culture.
• Proven experience using Oracle finance systems and Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables and basic data analysis techniques to monitor workflow, identify issues and support reporting.
• Proven experience working within the Victorian Government procurement framework, with a strong understanding of purchasing, compliance and financial processing requirements.
• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to interpret financial and operational data, identify trends or anomalies, and provide practical insights to support decision-making.
• A forklift licence, or willingness to obtain one, and a valid driver’s licence with willingness to travel within Victoria may be required to support operational and inventory activities.

This is an ongoing position. The work location for this position is Kyle Road, Altona North with hybrid work arrangements available.

Applications close 11.59pm on Monday, 2 November 2026.

Other relevant information:

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing position is only available to an Australian/New Zeland citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

An inclusive, culturally safe and flexible workplace

DEECA fosters an inclusive workplace culture and is committed to a fair, accessible, and equitable recruitment process.

We strongly encourage Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander people to apply. We recognise the strengths, knowledge and perspectives First Nations people bring and DEECA is committed to a culturally safe and respectful workplace. If you need support to participate, please contact ***************@deeca.vic.gov.au.

We support flexible working arrangements, including hybrid work, varied hours, part-time work and job sharing. For more information about our recruitment processes, visit applying for a role with us.