Procurement Officer

Lower Murray Water (LMW) is a water corporation providing services to around 80,000 urban and rural customers along the Murray River. Our service region lies within the traditional lands of First Nations Peoples, starting from Barapa Barapa (Koondrook) and flowing downstream through Latji Latji (Mildura) to Ngintait at the South Australian border. LMW operates both urban and rural water businesses supporting domestic and commercial customers as well as large-scale irrigation operations. As a leader within the region, LMW contributes to regional prosperity with social, environmental, and economic benefits.

Lower Murray Water is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Procurement Officer with experience in procurement and contract management. The role supports time-critical procurement activities, contract administration, reporting, and financial administration.

The Procurement Officer provides timely, professional, and strategic procurement and contract management advice to staff across LMW. They develop and implement processes for the procurement of goods, services, construction and works.

You will be responsible for a range of vital procurement activities, ensuring all processes align with the LMW Procurement Policy. You will contribute to preparing and managing tenders, working with suppliers, and ensuring operations are compliant and cost-effective.

This role requires a skilled procurement professional with experience in government settings and a strong understanding of probity, governance, and legislative compliance. The successful candidate will monitor end-to-end contract processes—particularly in construction and professional services.

Key capabilities include high-level written and verbal communication, critical analysis, and the ability to manage multiple procurement activities within defined timeframes. A proactive and organised approach to stakeholder engagement is essential, along with the ability to navigate Victorian Government procurement frameworks and rapidly acquire relevant policy knowledge.

• Lead the uplift of procurement capability and processes across LMW
• Develop and maintain procurement policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure LMW meets VGPB, Vic Construction Policy and other legislative, regulatory and statutory obligations, and contribute to strategic procurement plans
• Monitor compliance to ensure all procurement activity across LMW applies policies, procedures, practices and probity to comply with procurement processes
• Provide advice to all levels of staff on procurement processes and assist with the review of documents and support staff in using the finance management system
• Create and deliver training and support for staff to increase capability and procurement compliance
• Complete timely procurement reporting to management and external bodies

• Previous experience in a procurement role, particularly in a government setting with a strong understanding of procurement probity and governance
• Experience or the ability to rapidly acquire knowledge of the Victorian Government legislation, policies, procedures, legislation and frameworks as it relates to procurement and contract management
• Experience in end-to-end contract management (especially in construction and professional services) including the development of contract documentation
• Advanced communication (written and verbal) skills, detail-oriented with experience in developing and implementing governance documentation and administrative systems relevant to contract management and procurement
• A high level of critical analysis and problem-solving skills with the ability to escalate issues
• Be highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple procurement activities at once while meeting established objectives and defined deadlines
• A proactive approach to developing and maintaining key relationships, and ability to gain cooperation with internal and external stakeholders

We encourage you to apply even if you don't tick all the boxes. You may have other skills and experience which make you a great fit for LMW.

• A friendly and inclusive culture
• Flexible working options to support a healthy work-life balance
• A dynamic workplace where every day offers new and exciting ventures
• Health and wellbeing initiatives including an Employee Assistance Program
• A strong focus on career and leadership development
• Attractive salary and employment benefits under our Enterprise Agreement

Working at LMW will inspire you to be passionate, innovative and dynamic. The skills and abilities you bring to the role will be valued, and we are committed to fostering a high-performing culture through coaching, development and learning opportunities.

To apply for this role, please complete an application form including responses to the following questions:

• Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?
• Why do you want to be the Procurement Officer at LMW?
• What skills and experience will you bring to the role?
• Share an example of a procurement process you have led or been involved in and how you ensured success.
• To apply for this role, you must have the right to work in Australia.

A full position description is available on our website.

Appointment to this position is subject to a national criminal history check and fit-for-work evaluations including drug and alcohol screening. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify an applicant; each case is assessed on its merits.

We pride ourselves on an inclusive and diverse workforce and celebrate that everyone at LMW is unique. If you require any help with your application, accessibility or reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process please contact our Diversity & Inclusion Officer – Steph on 0498 400 052.