Senior Procurement & Category Specialist

Ambulance-Victoria; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging options

Generous personal leave entitlements

Accrued days off for full-time roles

Free on-site parking

Job summary

Ambulance Victoria (AV) is seeking a Senior Procurement & Category Specialist to drive end-to-end procurement, tendering and category management across AV. The role delivers value, commercial leadership, and governance compliance within the Victorian Government framework.

Based at AV’s Blackburn HQ with hybrid options, the successful candidate will shape category strategies, manage complex sourcing, and influence stakeholders to achieve best-for-purpose outcomes.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree or relevant industry certification (or progress toward).
• Experience in strategic sourcing and category management.
• Ability to lead complex procurement and sourcing projects with governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end procurement, tender, and sourcing activities with stakeholders.
• Provide strategic procurement leadership across AV and ensure value for money.
• Develop category and sourcing strategies aligned to AV priorities and market conditions.
• Build relationships with internal teams to balance quality, risk, and value.

Skills

Strategic procurement

Category management

Sourcing & tender leadership

Commercial negotiations

Stakeholder management

Education

Postgraduate degree or professional certification

Job description

Occupation: Accounting, finance and procurement

Reference: AV/1954839

At Ambulance Victoria (AV) we are proud to share our commitment to saving and improving lives by providing outstanding care for our patients. This is our promise to every patient, and it sits at the heart of everything we do. No matter what corporate or support role you play in delivering our critical services to Victorians, you will join a team dedicated to bringing our vision to be a world leading ambulance service to life.

We are seeking a Senior Procurement & Category Specialist to provide end-to-end procurement, tender, and category management expertise, including leading complex sourcing and tender processes, developing procurement and category strategies and governance documentation, and provide commercial, procurement, and probity advice across AV.

This is a full-time, ongoing position. While WFH/Hybrid options are available, it is essential that the successful applicant maintains a presence at our headquarters in Blackburn (soon to be Doncaster) in line with our hybrid working model.

Reporting to the Senior Manager Strategic Procurement, this role leads the development and execution of category strategies and sourcing activities that deliver value, manage commercial, and supply risks, and ensure compliance with AV and Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) requirements and other policy and legislative obligations. Responsibilities include (not limited to):

• Lead end-to-end procurement, tender, and sourcing activities, including complex commercial negotiations with suppliers and stakeholders across the AV portfolio, delivering value for money, sustainable commercial outcomes, and fit-for purpose solutions


• Provide strategic procurement, category, and commercial leadership across AV through influencing, subject matter expertise, and collaboration to achieve organisational objectives


• Develop and implement category and sourcing strategies aligned to AV priorities, expenditure requirements, and market conditions


• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders to understand business requirements and provide trusted specialist commercial and procurement advice to influence and support stakeholders in achieving an effective balance of quality, risk management, and value for money outcomes

To be considered for this position candidates will have the completion of a postgraduate degree or relevant industry certification (or progress toward) with high level relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of training and sound experience.

Other requirements include (not limited to):

• Significant demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, and category management to deliver value for money and sustainable commercial outcomes


• Demonstrated knowledge and application of contemporary procurement practices, procurement governance, probity, and value-for-money principles, with the ability to deliver compliant, transparent, and well-governed procurement processes, preferably within a Victorian Government or similarly regulated environment


• Demonstrated ability to lead complex procurement and sourcing projects, managing competing priorities, timelines, risks, governance requirements, and stakeholder expectations to deliver high-quality outcomes aligned with organisational priorities


• Highly developed commercial acumen, financial and analytical capability with experience leading complex commercial negotiations


• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships, understand complex business requirements, constructively challenge stakeholders, and secure buy-in for category strategies, sourcing approaches and commercial outcomes


• Demonstrat ed leadership through subject matter expertise, collaboration and influence, ability to build commercial capability, and drive continuous improvement

Working at Ambulance Victoria

• Salary packaging options


• Generous personal leave entitlements


• Accrued days off for full-time roles


• Free on-site parking

We believe our people are our greatest resource and the sustainability of our workforce depends on how well we utilise our people's skills and abilities and whether our staffing reflects the diversity of the Victorian community. If you are ready to be an integralpartin bringing our values of Care, Accountability, Respect and Excellence to life at AV, we want to hear from you!

By applying for a position, you agree to undertake an assessment of any Secondary Employment or outside interests, in line with AV's Secondary Employment procedure. This is required to ensure there is no perceived or actual conflict of interest for AV should you be successful and commence in the role.

Successful applicants will need to be willing to complete pre-employment screening including references, misconduct, and Police Checks.

This position is classified AV5 under the Ambulance Victoria (Management and Administrative Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2025. The position description can be found on the AV Careers website.

Applications close Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 11.59pm

For further information, please refer to ‘Applying for a position with Ambulance Victoria’. For any further queries please contact recruitment via [e-mail] or 03 9840 3653.

At all levels of our organisation a diverse and inclusive workforce allows us to deliver the Best Care to the Victorian community, and helps create a healthier, more productive workplace for our people. In the event you require a reasonable adjustment to support your application for this role, please contact us at [e-mail] and a member of our Recruitment & Selection team will be in touch.