Senior Category Advisor

Job description:

Senior Category Advisor

• $137,963 per annum + 12% superannuation
• Full time / Fixed term opportunity for 6 months
• Wadawurrung/Geelong based role (hybrid work from home – 3 days a week in office)

About the opportunity

The role is being offered on a fixed-term basis for six months to provide temporary backfill for an existing position.The Senior Category Advisor supports the Portfolio Manager, Core Operations Spend, to provide strategic procurement advice and deliver procurement activity across WorkSafe’s Core Operations spend categories. These categories include claims management, medical equipment and consumables, healthcare services, professional services, strategy, and occupational health and safety.

The role manages high-value and complex sourcing activities, supports category and supplier strategies, and provides trusted commercial and contractual advice to stakeholders across WorkSafe. The Senior Category Advisor also uses spend analysis and market research to identify opportunities, manage risk and improve value across the procurement lifecycle.

What You'll Do:

• Provide timely, accurate and evidence-based procurement and contractual advice to internal stakeholders.
• Manage complex request for tender and request for quotation activities, including commercial negotiations, while maintaining high standards of ethics and probity.
• Support the development and implementation of category management plans, including social procurement, demand management and other value opportunities.
• Analyse internal spend data and external markets to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Manage supplier and category risks and support compliance with WorkSafe’s procurement, governance and policy requirements.
• Act as a point of escalation for systemic contractual and commercial matters, including supplier performance issues and disputes.
• Support contract lifecycle activities, including extensions, exemptions, variations and terminations.
• Deliver agreed initiatives and benefits within the Core Operations Spend program of work, while maintaining accurate procurement, contract and benefits records.

Please ensure you review the Position Description here for additional information on accountabilities for this role.

About you

You are an experienced procurement professional with strong commercial judgement and a practical, customer-focused approach. You can manage complex sourcing activities and strategic projects, build trusted relationships, and provide clear advice to senior stakeholders in a complex and changing environment.

Additionally, you will possess the following skills and experience:

• Strong procurement and sourcing experience, preferably gained in a consulting, corporate or government environment.
• Demonstrated experience delivering major and complex procurement projects within required timeframes.
• Strong project management and change management capability.
• Well-developed commercial, conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated experience managing suppliers, contracts, procurement risk and governance requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship management skills, including the ability to influence and provide robust advice to senior leaders and executives.
• Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills.
• The ability to respond proactively and pragmatically to emerging or urgent business requirements.
• A relevant tertiary qualification.

Working with us

At WorkSafe, our goal is for every employee to feel connected, safe, and valued within their team, for teams to feel appreciated in the workplace, and for WorkSafe to be respected in the community.

We believe that a diverse workforce is essential for delivering the best outcomes for the Victorian community. We strongly encourage applications from all individuals, including First Nations people, people with disabilities, those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and individuals of all sexualities and genders.

What’s next?

Applications close 11:00pm 19 October 2026. Click the link to apply, and join us in making a difference to Victorian lives.

Only applications submitted via the WorkSafe Careers website will be considered.

Preferred candidates will be required to satisfactorily complete a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check and/or other checks as required for the position as part of the recruitment process.

Eligibility for ongoing employment with WorkSafe Victoria requires Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency.

Due to the volume of applications received, individualised feedback will only be provided to candidates who progress to interview stage.

To ensure a fair and open recruitment process, we request that you complete your written application and any online interviews without the use of AI tools. We want to understand your professional skills, experience and capabilities. We acknowledge that candidates may choose to use AI as part of background research.

For further enquiries please contact Talent Acquisition Specialist Sarin Khan via Sarin_Khan@worksafe.vic.gov.au