Category Manager

In Melbourne, water is essential to our way of life.

As caretakers for Melbourne's water cycle, we care for water, life and land throughout Melbourne: both its people and its biodiversity.

Each time you drink from the tap, flush a toilet, run through a backyard sprinkler, or kayak down the Yarra we're there. Primed and ready, quietly delivering some of the world's cleanest water for over five million residents and wildlife that call Melbourne home, just as we have for over 130 years.

If you value making it count, diving in with curiosity, and doing what's right, you're in the right place.

Reporting to Procurement Manager - Categories, this is a pivotal role within the procurement team. As the Category Manager – ICT you will acts as a business partner between Procurement and each business area related to the ICT categories of Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) spend categories across the Melbourne Water external spend environment.

The role is also responsible for the development of the ICT spend Procurement Strategy pipeline and Category Management Plans to support sourcing initiatives, market insights and identification of procurement efficiency opportunities.

• Develop and manage strategic category management across the ICT categories in order to identify and maximise addressable spend procurement efficiencies, value generation, and market insight strategy for the procurement process, and to build the overall effectiveness of the Procurement and Contract Management function.
• Contribute to the development and management of the annual and 5 year (Price Determination) procurement strategic opportunities plan for the ICT categories.
• To work in collaboration with the Sourcing Delivery team and Contract team to maximise strategic considerations to support procurement sourcing and contract management and performance activity.
• Optimisation of the supply base through leveraging (i.e. aggregations, consolidation, bundling, rationalising or re-engineering) solutions for the ICT categories and in consultation with internal stakeholders, develop category plans and vendor strategies that effectively address business needs, improve supplier performance and ensure value for money is achieved.
• To support the education, awareness and training obligations across the organisation in relation to Procurement and Category Management strategies, including formal Melbourne Water training programmes.

For more information, please refer to the Role Mandate

• Demonstrated communication skills across senior stakeholders and vendor environments.
• Extensive experience driving strategic outcomes and collaboration with peers and management.
• Experience of working, fostering, embedding and growing a continuous value delivery and procurement efficiency programme.
• Extensive experience in a commercial or public sector environment with knowledge and experience in public sector procurement and VGPB desirable.
• Extensive experience in the partnering and delivering across ICT categories

For this role you will need to hold a Supply Chain and Logistics or Information Technology degree or equivalent, alongside a preferred Tertiary qualification in commercial management and MCIPS qualification.

At Melbourne Water, we care deeply about water and the life it sustains.

Our team is inspired by passion and purpose, with an unwavering commitment to safety. We are on a mission to protect every Melburnian's way of life, one drop at a time.

We don't just talk about flexible working - we live it. Our culture of purpose, safety, results, and learning flows through everything we do. We're dedicated to doing what's right, and this commitment extends to the meaningful work we do in a supportive and inclusive culture that encourages you to make the most of your talents.

Our long-standing commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ individuals, people living with disability, mature age and young jobseekers from all cultures can apply with confidence knowing they are safe, affirmed, and celebrated.

If you're curious, action-orientated, outcomes-focused, and passionate about public resources, community, and the environment, we'd love to receive your application and learn if you could be a great fit.

Click the 'Apply Now' button below and complete our online application form.

Closing date: Tuesday 9th September 2025 at 11:55pm AEST