Senior Procurement Specialist

Department of Education; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Education is seeking a Senior Procurement Specialist to lead strategic sourcing initiatives and drive procurement excellence across the organisation. You will engage internal stakeholders, develop end-to-end sourcing strategies, and manage high-value procurements for schools within the Victorian public sector.

The role requires strong collaboration, compliance with procurement policies, and a commitment to delivering value.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification required.
• 5+ years of procurement sourcing experience in high complexity, high value procurements.
• ICT procurement experience is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Provide commercial and procurement expertise, advice and assistance to internal stakeholders.
• Assist business areas to deliver sourcing activities end-to-end; include strategy development, tender documentation, evaluation, negotiation and award.
• Undertake procurements on behalf of schools and manage buying panels for schools.
• Develop procurement strategies and category management under direction of the Procurement Manager.
• Provide input for reporting and market benchmarking to assess risks and opportunities.
• Lead division strategic projects and ensure best value for the Department.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Procurement compliance

Vendor management

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification

Tools

ICT procurement

Job description

Join our collaborative Procurement Sourcing team as a Senior Procurement Specialist, where your expertise will help drive strategic procurement outcomes across the Department. You will lead strategic sourcing initiatives, foster strong stakeholder engagement, and deliver procurement excellence that supports organisational objectives.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Procurement sourcing team and to demonstrate your strong procurement expertise and experience. The Procurement sourcing team is an energetic, proactive and collaborative team of procurement professionals who deliver the following activities;

• provide commercial and procurement expertise, advice and assistance to internal stakeholders;
• assist business areas to deliver sourcing activities end-to-end; incorporating strategy development (with business area subject matter experts), development of tender documentation, evaluation of proposals, negotiation and award;
• undertake procurements on behalf of schools and set up and manage buying panels for schools;
• develop procurement strategies, and management of procurement categories under direction of the Procurement Manager that will leverage opportunities and benefits for the Department;
• provide advice, input and intelligence on procurement activity to the Procurement Manager for reporting purposes;
• apply critical thinking to benchmark, research and assess the market, determine risks, analyse competition;
• analyse trends and new opportunities, to ensure best value is achieved for the Department;
• working on Division strategic projects in line with Division objectives;
• undertake duties as required for procurement related matters.

Employment type: VPSG5 | Ongoing, Full-Time Role

Location: Melbourne CBD

Capabilities

This role requires a can-do attitude along with strong procurement sourcing experience, an exceptional client focus along with strong organisation and planning skills and a commitment to procurement compliance and best practice.

Your capacity for collaboration, driving continuous improvement, and cultivating genuine relationships will be pivotal for your success.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualification in a related field
• 5+ years of procurement sourcing experience with experience in high complexity, high value procurements
• Highly regarded:ICT procurement experience

The Department supports flexible work arrangements. This role requires a minimum of 3 days working in the office per week.

About the Department

The role of the Department of Education is to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives. It does this by supporting lifelong learning and healthy development, strengthening families and helping to equip people with the skills and knowledge for a 21st century economy and society. The department supports a culture of leadership, learning and renewal in all workplaces with opportunities for career development and advancement.

About the Division

Procurement Division supports the Department's core functions and strategic priorities by ensuring excellence in goods and services procurement practices.

Procurement Branch supports and advises on goods and services procurements undertaken by schools and business areas across the Department. Procurement sourcing teams undertake procurement planning and strategy development, as well as leading sourcing activities end- to-end. The Branch is also responsible for the delivery of procurement training to school and corporate staff; implementation of the whole-of-Victorian-Government procurement reform program and policies and a range of corporate compliance and reporting functions.

The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at www.education.vic.gov.au.

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Cassandra Boyd - Procurement Manager via (03) 9057 4*** or **************@education.vic.gov.au.

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on Thursday, 29 October 2026.