Position overview
- Permanent, Full-Time opportunity
- True hybrid working – work from home and our Mitcham office
- $192,621 Total Remuneration Package (inclusive of 12% superannuation)
The Role
The Partnering and Procurement Manager leads a high-performing team to deliver strategic commercial support in procurement and contract management, ensuring corporate frameworks set by Corporate Procurement are embedded and aligned. The manager is also required to strengthen the business’s strategic partnerships and drive consistent value from critical contracts setting clear direction, providing support and coaching.
You will drive performance reporting, benchmarking, and strategic initiatives to maximise value from asset lifecycle partnerships. Combining deep expertise with strong leadership and coaching skills, you will support decision-making across operations and capital delivery through commercial insights, while fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
About us
We’re on a mission to create a brighter future, where you can be a change maker at the actual source. We’re one of Australia’s largest water utilities with over 30% of Victoria’s population relying on us for their essential water and sanitation services.
Our award-winning culture fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and flexible environment that enables our people to thrive. Here, you’ll be inspired and challenged to grow alongside us.
We're committed to reconciliation and supporting the self-determined role for Traditional Owners/Custodians in water and land management.
Your key responsibilities
- Lead, develop, and motivate a multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality procurement, contract management and commercial performance services.
- Drive collaboration across internal teams and foster strong working relationships with external partners and vendors.
- Provide expert advice and oversight across procurement strategy, forward look planning, and contract management to ensure alignment with corporate governance and strategic priorities.
- Drive commercial value creation and risk mitigation across procurement and contracting activities.
- Support the development and consistent roll out of commercial frameworks, policies, and processes that enhance consistency, transparency, and effectiveness through collaboration with the Corporate Procurement division.
- Oversee the collection, collation and analysis of procurement and contract performance data to identify trends, insights, and improvement opportunities.
- Oversee benchmarking initiatives to compare commercial performance against industry standards and internal targets.
- Provide the Asset Services Leadership Team with visibility across contract performance to support good governance.
- Identify and implement initiatives that improve commercial practices and the end-to-end asset lifecycle performance, as relevant to the Asset Services Group.
- Drive innovation and continuous improvement in commercial reporting, systems, and tools.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with our contracting partners, including supporting the design and embedment of regular and effective multi-tiered governance forums.
What we’re looking for
- Qualifications in Commerce, Business, Engineering, Law, or related field.
- In depth knowledge and experience in strategic procurement, commercial management, and contract lifecycle management.
- Experience leading, coaching and developing high-performing teams.
- Strong stakeholder management, negotiation, influence and communication skills across multiple levels of an organisation.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and work collaboratively in a complex and evolving environment.
- Ability to identify trends and extract actionable insights to inform decision-making.
- Direct experience in water sector or utilities - highly desirable.
Why Yarra Valley Water?
We celebrate and encourage new thinking at every level. Creating opportunities for you to grow – both professionally, and personally. When you flourish, we all do.
- $192,621 TRP inclusive of 12% superannuation
- Flexible working arrangements where our people are empowered to design their days with their team. Read our hybrid playbook HERE.
- $650 home office set up allowance for eligible employees
- Free and secure on-site parking with on-site café at our Mitcham office
- 14 weeks paid leave parental leave
- 15 days paid personal leave, which can be used for caring, wellbeing, mental health, menstrual or menopause
- Request to swap certain public holidays for another day of paid leave
To read more about our benefits and culture, read our employee handbook HERE.
Did you know?
Research shows that men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, while women and other marginalised people tend to only apply when they meet all of them. So, if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily tick every box, please apply or get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.
How to apply
Applications should include a supporting Cover Letter and Resume.
Closing date: Tuesday, 5th August 2025
This position is available for Yarra Valley Water employees and external applicants.
We welcome applications from everyone, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, mature age and young job seekers, members of the LGBTIQA+ community and people of all cultural backgrounds. If you need this information in an accessible format or would like to discuss reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please call 03 9872 2542 or email dei@yvw.com.au. If you need any help with the application process or would like to discuss the recruitment process, please contact us via email recruit@yvw.com.au.
Successful applicants must be eligible to work in Australia and agree to provide information for pre-employment checks, if required for the position. This may also include a Police Check or AusCheck, where an offer will be subject to a satisfactory outcome of these checks.