Category Manager - Indirects - IT & Corporate Services

Category Manager

• Indirect procurement (corporate services) / End-to-end category management
• Make a difference supporting significant IT transformation projects
• Genuine opportunity to shift from process to solutions driven procurement
• Hybrid role – North Sydney office location

About us

Pacific National (PN) is the largest private provider of diversified rail freight services in Australia. We haul a variety of freight including coal, intermodal containers, steel, and a range of bulk commodities and materials that keep the region’s economy, businesses and households running. We are a company built on solid foundations and we are incredibly proud of the essential role we continue to play supporting Australia’s supply chain. At Pacific National, we take great pride in delivering our best every day and have a relentless focus on customer service and place safety above all else.

We operate nationally with approximately 3,500 staff in over 90+ sites across Australia. We respect and care for the communities in which we operate and continue to evolve our community engagement and strengthen relationships through partnerships and investment. We are focused on reducing the carbon emissions of our business, while also enabling the reduction of carbon emissions in the broader supply chain to support the National targets.

About the role

As Category Manager, you will create a competitive advantage for Pacific National by partnering with key leaders and stakeholders to develop and execute procurement strategies and plans across the portfolio. While leading and delivering end-to-end category management, be part of a change in switching from reactive to pro-active sourcing by using best practice tools and processes to deliver innovative supply solutions.

Reporting to the Procurement Manager - Indirects, you will develop, implement and manage the category management lifecycle for a diverse portfolio of Pacific National’s Indirect categories (with a particular focus on IT, HR and general corporate services). This is a hybrid role giving you flexibility to work remotely and from our North Sydney office.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing forward focussed category strategies and plans based on market and industry analysis, engaging stakeholders, and aligning to business priorities
• Identifying and formulating solutions to solving complete supply markets and unlocking greater value and performance throughout the category lifecycle.
• Constructing detailed cost models/purchase price analysis and leverage subject matter expertise to optimise value to PN
• Identifying opportunities to rationalise suppliers and develop strategies to increase supplier efficiency and effectiveness whilst managing risk; seek endorsement from stakeholders
• Establishing and maintaining supplier relationships to influence and shape supply markets, access greater innovation, drive continuous improvement and gain competitive advantage for PN
• Becoming a trusted partner in the sourcing of goods and services and a recognised subject matter expert in relevant spend categories
• Developing reporting and transparency of category plan compliance and performance

As part of a collaborative, cohesive and supportive procurement team, this is a great opportunity to play an important role in delivering Pacific National’s strategic objectives by supporting a range of enterprise-wide Indirect procurement projects across the country.

About you

If you are an energetic, solution focused procurement professional with end-to-end category management experience we want to hear from you. You will thrive having the autonomy to research market best practice to understand current and future state trends and collaborate with suppliers to develop creative, cost-effective supply solutions for your stakeholders. You will be a natural communicator with strong negotiation and influencing skills. You will also have:

• Proven experience with end-to-end category management, within a large, complex business, ideally supporting operational teams
• Experience in Indirects categories, with Information Technology procurement critical
• A self-starter, with the ability to build trust, influence and engage a diverse group of stakeholders including operational stakeholders
• Problem solving skills and the ability to find innovative ways to create value within a fast-paced environment
• Strong ability to think strategically, formulate and communicate recommendations to stakeholders
• Experience in the use of procurement systems (especially Coupa) would be highly valued

The benefits

At Pacific National we value diversity, inclusion, and the contribution of each team member. Our values underpin our commitment to create an inclusive culture where everyone is accepted and valued for who they are, enabling everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.

When you join the Pacific National team, you’ll be encouraged to take ownership of your career and we’ll be there to support you with a range of exciting initiatives including:

• Industry leading programs focussed on your growth and career development
• Paid parental leave up to 14 weeks, with superannuation - after only 6 months service
• Parental benefits for birth, surrogacy, adoption, foster care, and kinship care
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Flexible working arrangements (subject to business needs)
• A focus on your mental health and wellbeing through our PeerConnect program
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program, administered by Benestar, offering confidential counselling services for employees and their eligible family members, paid for by us at no cost to you
• Access to Unmind, a digital platform that gives you access to tools, training and exercises that will support your mental wellbeing
• Discounted fitness and wellbeing benefits with membership to WhereFit, our wellbeing benefits partner
• Novated leasing and discounts on selected health insurance funds, travel, retail brands, vehicles and more

We are proud to be a WORK180 Endorsed Employer for women, and you can visit our Work180 page Pacific National | WORK180 Endorsed Employer to find out more including a list of all of our benefits and policies. 

We are seeking applicants who share our values: Make it simple, Share More, Kindness, Gratitude, Curiosity, and Own it. These values help us achieve strong connections with everyone we work with and play an important part in motivating us all to do our best work.

Do you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process?

If you need an adjustment in the recruitment process, please outline at the time of your application.

Closing date

Applications close on the 26^th of May 2024

Next steps

Are you ready to be part of our future?

To apply, please click on the 'Apply' button below and follow the prompts.

To find out more about Pacific National, our benefits and opportunities we offer, visit our careers page: www.pacificnational.com.au/careers        

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of​ the land on which we work, live and rail.​ We pay respect to Elders past, present, and future and to the​ continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices​ of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.