About us
The Department of Government Services (DGS) was established on 1 January 2023 to improve everyone's experience of doing business and interacting with the Victorian government. We bring important day-to-day services together in one department to make things easy and seamless for Victorians and businesses. We are doing this by connecting and digitising our systems and platforms across state and local government as well as streamlining our corporate and procurement services.

Group/Division/Branch

The Government Procurement Group provides:

• Whole of government procurement solutions to achieve best value for the Victorian Government;
• Whole of government policy development and implementation of the State's Intellectual Property requirements;
• Procurement policy leadership supporting the Victorian Government Purchasing Board; and
• Management of the Standard Motor Vehicle Policy, VicFleet operations and the finance lease facility for government departments and agencies.
• DGS corporate procurement operations and support.

The Victorian Government is committed to social and sustainable procurement. It recognises the ability of government procurement contracts to make a difference to the lives of all Victorians. Victoria's Social Procurement Framework creates opportunities for government buyers and suppliers to deliver social, economic and environmental outcomes that benefit the Victorian community.

The Government Procurement team members play a key role in servicing internal and external stakeholders. It is a flexible and agile environment and having the ability to work across several areas in the group is critical.

The Procurement and Category Management (PCM) team develops, implements and manages whole of Victorian government procurement strategies, initiatives and relationships impacting on whole of Victorian government spend on non-ICT goods and services.

The PCM team manages a diverse range of projects and initiatives with a wide-ranging mix of stakeholders from across Victorian government departments and agencies, industry groups and suppliers of goods and services.

About the role
The Senior Category Manager is responsible for managing and/or sourcing goods and services State Purchase Contracts (SPC). SPCs are head contracts used by a broad range of Victorian government stakeholders and the role requires strong stakeholder engagement and collaboration skills as well as technical procurement and contract management capability.

This position has the following responsibilities:

• As a senior member of the team, provide strategic, tactical and governance support to procurement staff which may include direct leadership of a team where you will be expected to lead, inspire and increase the capability of the team members in facilitating and developing procurement practice and data analytics.
• Lead complex whole of Victorian government sourcing projects including requirements gathering, business case development, tender preparation, evaluation, supplier negotiation and implementation whilst collaboratively engaging with key stakeholders to deliver effective procurement outcomes.
• Effectively apply government procurement policies and legislative requirements to develop and implement complex category management strategies that deliver value for money outcomes including probity and transparency as well as the application of Victoria's Social Procurement Framework.
• Develop effective and collaborative relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders including senior management, departmental colleagues, Chief Procurement Officers and other key staff from government departments, suppliers and industry bodies.
• Support the planning, development and implementation of systems, tools, analytics and reporting to facilitate the delivery of best practice procurement outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to provide innovative and effective approaches to procurement practices in order for the Department of Government Services to deliver excellent procurement outcomes and to continuously deliver process improvements.
• Demonstrates leadership and promotes a culture within the team supportive of learning and development, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Participates in strategic planning and decision making and identifies and responds to new and emerging strategic issues impacting on the operating environment.
• Provide support to the Government Procurement Group and the department on a range of matters as required.

About you

We are seeking applications from candidates with demonstrable experience in:

• Strong leadership skills and ability to create a positive workplace culture, foster initiative and develop team capability. Ability to represent the team in cross jurisdictional project teams, industry briefings and conferences and other relevant platforms.

• Recognised procurement professional with extensive experience leading the sourcing process for high value and complex goods and services contracts to deliver excellent commercial outcomes.

• Extensive experience in the development and implementation of category strategies for complex categories and the management of significant contracts including maintaining effective supplier relationships, undertaking commercial analysis to support decision making, management of risk and maximising value for money outcomes.

• Demonstrated experience in planning and executing high value and complex commercial negotiations using a variety of techniques to deliver optimal commercial and contractual outcomes that realise sustainable value for both the buyer and the supplier organisations.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills with proven ability engage with a diverse range of stakeholders and build collaborative and effective relationships to deliver outstanding procurement outcomes.

• High level analytical and conceptual skills with the ability to deliver innovative solutions to resolve complex problems.

For specific responsibilities please review the attached position description.

This position is only open to applicants with relevant rights to work in Australia.

How to apply

Apply before the advertised closing date 11:59pm on 14 March 2025. All applications should include:

• a resume; and
• a cover letter which addresses the key selection criteria (within three pages)

In accordance with the Jobs and Skills Exchange Policy, Victorian Public Service employees are required to apply via the JSE for primary consideration access.

Other relevant information

The department is committed to providing and maintaining a working environment which is safe and without risk to the health of its employees and clients and consistent with the department's obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OH&S Act), to support this DGS has a COVID-19 Vaccination policy which strongly recommends all DGS employees be fully vaccinated.

Preferred candidates will be required to complete a Pre-employment Declaration and Consent Form. Employment of successful candidates will be subject to a National Police Check.

DGS actively promotes diversity, inclusion and an equal opportunity workplace. We welcome applicants from all diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. All roles at DGS can be worked flexibly, however it may differ from role to role.