Assistant Director, Procurement and Contracts

About the branch

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Branch is responsible for the Corporate functions of the agency including financial management, legal, human resources (HR), ICT, security and property. The Branch is also responsible for the ongoing management of the Shared Services arrangements to support the important work of the PWSS.

About the team

Our Corporate team is at the heart of ensuring the PWSS runs smoothly and efficiently. As a small team we thrive on collaboration and adaptability, managing a broad range of responsibilities that are essential to the agency's success. The team offers an exciting, fast-paced environment where every member has the chance to take ownership of projects and drive positive change. The Corporate team plays a pivotal role in shaping the agency's future.

About the role

The Assistant Director, Procurement and Contracts will play a strategic leadership role in embedding robust, compliant, and fit for purpose procurement and contract management practices across the PWSS. This role is central to enhancing the team's operational maturity, and ensuring procurement activities are well-governed, transparent, and aligned with organisational priorities. Working closely with colleagues across the PWSS, including the Chief Financial Officer, the role will support procurement across the PWSS while championing continuous improvement, fostering capability uplift, and supporting the development of practical tools and guidance that enable staff to confidently manage procurement and contract processes. The successful candidate will bring a deep expertise in relevant legislative frameworks and a collaborative mindset, helping to build sustainable systems and practices in a dynamic, resource-conscious environment.

The key duties of the position include

- Leading the delivery of procurement activities including planning, documenting, implementing, monitoring and reporting in line with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act), the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and related rules and guidance.

- Providing quality, consistent and timely best practice procurement and contracting advice to PWSS staff enabling informed decision-making and value-for-money outcomes, and preparation of contract and approval documentation and contract management, including how to guides, intranet content, forms, and templates.

- Designing and maintaining procurement and contract registers tailored to the needs of PWSS, and resetting procurement records management processes to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and compliance.

- Leading procurement activities as required, including drafting contracts and s23 approval documentation, seeking legal advice as required.

- Ongoing monitoring and management of high value contract outputs to ensure contract requirements and standards are achieved by providers.

- Ongoing monitoring of expiry dates and subsequent actions required, including extensions, management of contract ends and/or replacement of existing contracts.

- Supporting day-to-day management of all PWSS Procurements.

- Engaging with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to respond to complex enquiries and third party arrangements.

- Developing compliance and Executive reporting and quality assurance activities that strengthen oversight and support continuous improvement.

- Preparing mandatory reporting for executive clearance and formal publication.

- Maintaining accurate records, including generating reports to track performance and identify areas of improvement.

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