Senior Category Specialist

Alchemy Recruitment Consulting; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Alchemy Recruitment Consulting in Brisbane, QLD is seeking an experienced Senior Category Specialist to lead end-to-end procurement in an asset-intensive environment. This is a hands-on senior role with a focus on commercial judgement and negotiation.

You will report to a Category Manager, develop sourcing strategies, manage complex procurement events from strategy to award, and mentor staff in the portfolio. This 8-month contract offers a dynamic, governance-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience.
• Postgraduate qualification in procurement, logistics or business administration would be highly regarded.
• Strong experience developing and implementing category management plans for complex contracts in asset-intensive industries.
• Experience across site operations, construction, and goods and services contracts.
• Advanced data analytics to turn spend, supplier and market data into insights.
• Proven ability to influence suppliers and stakeholders at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Develop sourcing strategies, category plans and procurement plans across the portfolio.
• Lead analysis of spend demand, supplier performance, contract and market data to build category insights.
• Manage and deliver complex project procurement events from strategy through to tender, evaluation and award.
• Negotiate with suppliers and contractors during tenders and post-award on pricing, deliveries and specs.
• Develop procurement plans to support capital and opex project activity.
• Identify and manage commercial, contractual, operational, financial and supply chain risks.
• Deliver best value while maintaining governance and compliance with state procurement policies.
• Mentor and guide Category Specialists and staff within the portfolio.

Skills

Category management

Data analytics

Contract management

Negotiation

Stakeholder influence

Project management

Education

Undergraduate degree

Postgraduate qualification in procurement, logistics or business administration

Job description

Alchemy Recruitment Consulting – Brisbane QLD

Are you an experienced Category Specialist who thrives on leading complex procurement in an asset-intensive environment?

A large, high-profile organisation is seeking a Senior Category Specialist for an 8-month contract, starting as soon as possible.

Reporting to a Category Manager within the Strategic Procurement team, you’ll provide end-to-end management of procurement projects across portfolios that may include projects procurement, mining, repairs and maintenance, and ICT and corporate services. You’ll partner with stakeholders across the business to deliver strong commercial outcomes in line with governance and state procurement policy requirements.

This is a senior, hands-on role where commercial judgement, data-driven decision-making and confident negotiation are essential.

The Role

You’ll take ownership of end-to-end category and procurement activity, including:

• Developing sourcing strategies, category plans and procurement plans across the procurement portfolioLeading the analysis of spend demand, supplier performance, contract and market data to build fact-based category insights.
• Managing and delivering complex project procurement events, from strategy through to tender, evaluation and award
• Negotiating directly with suppliers and contractors during tenders and after award, including on pricing, deliveries and specifications
• Developing procurement plans and strategies to support capital and opex project activity
• Identifying and managing commercial, contractual, operational, financial and supply chain risks
• Delivering best value for money outcomes while maintaining strong governance and compliance with state procurement policies
• Managing the transition from strategic project procurement to operational implementation
• Supporting business process improvement and influencing stakeholders through change
• Mentoring and guiding Category Specialists, Category Advisors and support staff within the portfolio.

About You

To be successful in this role, you’ll ideally bring:

• Strong experience developing and implementing category management plans for complex contracts in asset-intensive industries such as utilities, mining or manufacturing
• Experience across site operations, construction, and goods and services contracts
• Advanced data analytics skills, with the ability to turn complex spend, supplier and market data into actionable insights
• Extensive contract management experience, and broad experience with different contract precedents and styles
• A substantial working knowledge of commercial and contract law as it applies to contracting
• A sound understanding of applicable government and legal requirements.
• Strong project management skills, including managing scope, time, cost and risk.
• A proven track record of influencing suppliers, senior management and stakeholders at all levels.
• An undergraduate degree (or equivalent experience) is required.
• A postgraduate qualification in procurement, logistics or business administration would be highly regarded.

The Opportunity

This is a great opportunity to step into a senior procurement role within a large strategic procurement team, where you’ll lead complex, high-value procurement and make a visible commercial impact across the organisation.

If you’re a commercially sharp, analytical procurement professional who can hit the ground running, we’d like to hear from you.