Head of Procurement

**Head of Procurement - Corporate & Projects**
- Lead a team delivering end-to-end procurement across corporate and project portfolios.
- Champion procurement’s role in business planning and performance.
- Hybrid opportunity (3 days per week in office, Melbourne CBD based).
- V/Line’s purpose is to connect Victorians through safe, reliable, and accessible transport. We believe in giving all Victorians opportunities through travel and transport - connecting them to jobs, education, family and friends, services, tourism and trade._
- V/Line is experiencing significant growth and we’re delivering more services, more trains, cheaper fares, and huge projects. With more than 3700 weekly train and coach services, an expansive freight network and unprecedented rail investment, millions of Victorians depend on us to deliver. You could be one of our 3100 committed team members who are up to the challenge._

**About the role**

As the Head of Procurement - Corporate & Projects, you will play a critical leadership role in delivering end-to-end procurement value across V/Line’s corporate and project portfolios. You will play a key role in supporting the organisation’s transition to a business partnering model by strengthening stakeholder relationships, embedding procurement into strategic planning, and uplifting the procurement service offering across the business to drive greater value and alignment with organisational goals.

You will be accountable for overseeing the full procurement lifecycle within the business function—including sourcing, contract management, supplier relationship management (SRM), governance, and value delivery. Your leadership will ensure that procurement activities are strategically aligned, performance-driven, and compliant with regulatory and policy frameworks.

Key responsibilities include:

- ** Strategic Partnership**:Serve as the primary procurement liaison for business stakeholders, managing escalations, removing bottlenecks, and ensuring procurement is embedded in planning and performance processes.
- ** Portfolio Oversight**: Prioritise and allocate resources to manage procurement activities effectively, ensuring alignment with business goals and performance targets.
- ** Supplier Relationship Management**: Lead the development and execution of SRM strategies, including supplier segmentation, performance management, and innovation enablement. Support strategic supplier interactions and ensure quality assurance of procurement plans.
- ** Capability Building**: Drive a high-performance culture by coaching and developing sourcing and SRM teams, fostering empowerment, and supporting professional growth.
- ** Market Intelligence & Innovation**: Stay ahead of regulatory, industry, and supplier trends to inform procurement strategy and identify opportunities for innovation and value creation.
- ** Strategic Deal Support**:Provide quality assurance for major deals, support critical negotiations, and co-develop procurement strategies with teams and stakeholders.
- ** Brand Elevation**:Champion the procurement function within the business and across the broader corporate services landscape, enhancing its reputation and strategic influence.
- ** Supplier Education**: Lead initiatives to educate and engage the supplier network, supporting diversity, inclusion, and regional development goals.

**About you**

You are a strategic and experienced procurement leader who thrives in complex environments. With a strong focus on value creation, continuous improvement, and stakeholder collaboration, you bring a forward-thinking approach to procurement leadership.
- Extensive experience in senior procurement roles within large or complex organisations.
- Proven ability to manage diverse procurement categories and lead cross-functional teams.
- Demonstrated experience in managing and developing high-performing teams of five or more employees, with a focus on capability building and fostering a collaborative culture.
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to analyse cost vs. risk trade-offs and shape deal economics.
- Deep understanding of the end-to-end procurement lifecycle, including Strategy, Source to Contract, Supplier Relationship Management, and Procure to Pay processes.
- Experience establishing and managing contracts, KPIs, and SLAs in line with VGPB or similar standards.
- A track record of driving procurement innovation, continuous improvement, and best practice—particularly in Social Procurement and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
- Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to engage stakeholders and suppliers to deliver mutual value and shared risk.
- A progressive, pragmatic, and adaptive approach to change and continuous improvement.
- The ability to align procurement initiatives with broader business strategy and priorities.
- Experience operating in politically and industrially sensitive environments undergoing significant change.
- A commitment to building team capabil