Head of Category Management

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.    

You can find out more about our Ministers, leadership and entities here: Department of Government Services.   

About the Group 

The Operations Group delivers frontline customer services to Victorians and the public service. It maintains the foundational digital infrastructure and platforms that support efficient, secure and reliable service delivery.  

About the Role  

The Head of Category Management is responsible for overseeing a procurement team responsible for managing Whole of Victorian Government State Purchase Contracts (SPC’s) and to provide solutions to achieve best value for the Victorian Government. The role has an overarching purpose to optimise government expenditure through the use of SPC’s. The role is responsible for the well-being and development of staff and the management of daily workload priorities and ad-hoc projects, identifying continuous improvements for greater efficiency. 

Key Accountabilities 

• Lead end-to-end procurement and category management to achieve optimal commercial outcomes. 

• Lead and develop high-performing teams, fostering a positive culture and capability growth. 

• Support strategic direction and organisational objectives across DGS. 

• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, government departments, suppliers and industry stakeholders. 

• Drive best-practice procurement through effective systems, tools, analytics and reporting. 

About You   

To be successful in this role, you will need to possess the following attributes: 

• Significant public sector procurement experience, with proven ability to operate in accordance with delegated authority, consistent with departmental and government policies. 

• Ability to set a clear strategic direction, understand organisational and external influences, and translate strategy into practical operational outcomes. 

• Strong ability to build stakeholder buy-in, negotiate effectively and influence complex decisions to achieve desired outcomes. 

• Experience of working with financial software and procurement systems and tools is desirable. 

• Tertiary qualifications in procurement, commerce, law or related disciplines is highly desirable. 

This role is ongoing and is only open to applicants with relevant rights to work in Australia.   

For more information, please see the  Position Description 

How to apply   

Apply before the advertised closing date 11:59pm on 27 August 2026. All applications should include:    

·       a resume; and    

·       a cover letter which addresses the key selection criteria (within three pages).  

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 role is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.  Preferred applicants will be required to undertake pre-employment screening. 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.