Purchasing Lead

Purchasing Lead

About Austal

Austal is Australia's global shipbuilder, Defence prime contractor and maritime technology partner of choice, designing, constructing, and supporting defence and commercial vessels for the world's leading operators. The company operates in Australia, the USA, Philippines, and Vietnam.

Austal is delivering multiple naval shipbuilding and sustainment programs for the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Border Force, and the Department of Defence, employing approximately 1,000 people in facilities in located Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.

Austal has entered into a landmark Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement (SSA) with the Commonwealth of Australia, launching a new era of continuous naval shipbuilding within the Henderson Defence Precinct and across Western Australia. As Australia's Strategic Shipbuilder, Austal will start by delivering eighteen Landing Craft Medium and eight Landing Craft Heavy vessels for the Australian Army.

The SSA will drive significant growth across our industry and workforce, as we deliver existing and future programs under a long-term partnership. Through effective collaboration with our supply chain partners, Austal is driving innovation, developing sovereign capability, and creating lasting opportunities for Australian industry and workers.

To support this growth, we are building a highly skilled team to engage with local industry and supply chains, and contribute to complex, large-scale projects that reflect Austal's proven capabilities and trusted performance.

About the Opportunity

As the Purchasing Lead for Austal Defence Australia (ADA), you'll be responsible for overseeing daily procurement operations, ensuring timely and compliant purchasing aligned with company policies and project needs. The role focuses on team leadership, supplier performance, ERP accuracy, and driving continuous improvement to achieve best-value outcomes.

This is your opportunity to contribute to projects of national significance.

What's Involved

• Oversee end-to-end purchasing operations and ensure compliance with policies.
• Lead and support a team to meet procurement KPIs and deadlines.
• Maintain ERP data accuracy and resolve escalated supplier issues.
• Drive process improvements and align purchasing with strategic goals.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to confirm requirements and manage supplier performance.

Desirable Skills / Experience / Attributes:

• Leadership experience in procurement (5+ years, including team management).
• Strong grasp of procurement, supply chain, and commercial principles.
• Skilled in ERP systems and data/documentation accuracy.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and multitasking abilities.
• Relevant qualifications (Diploma or higher in related fields).
• Eligible for defence security clearance.

Why Austal

• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• A supportive and dynamic work environment.
• Opportunities for career advancement within our growing organisation.

Our global team is guided by a universal set of values that describe the focus of our efforts. Our goal is for all our decisions and actions to reflect these core values. We believe that putting our values into practice creates the greatest benefits for our shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and communities in which we serve.

Excellence - Customer Focus - Integrity - Team Work

At Austal we are committed to providing a safe and inclusive work environment for all. We believe that achieving greater diversity will enhance our operations and as such we actively encourage Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders, people of all backgrounds, ages, sexual orientation, and those with Disability to apply.