About the Department

The role of the Department of Education is to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives. It does this by supporting lifelong learning and healthy development, strengthening families and helping to equip people with the skills and knowledge for a 21st century economy and society.

About the Victorian School Building Authority

The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) is part of the Department of Education. Established in 2016, it oversees Victoria's largest school building program since the state introduced free public education in the 1870s. 

The VSBA upgrades and expands existing schools and plans, designs and builds new schools to meet enrolment demand. We also support schools to maintain their buildings and grounds by offering expert advice and coordinating maintenance programs and grants.  

With Victoria recently introducing two years of funded kindergarten, the VSBA is also working with the early childhood sector on a massive kindergarten construction program. 

About the Division

The Asset Management Division is responsible for setting VSBA's strategic asset direction, developing and implementing programs that address accessibility, inclusion and accommodation initiatives, and building school capacity to manage assets.

The Division supports the effective management of school assets under the shared responsibility model. The Division seeks to ensure that all responsible parties are equipped with the information, tools and capability to effectively manage school assets, as well as implementing asset management reform projects that will enhance the asset management system under which we operate

Relevant programs within the Division include the Asset Management Branch, School Asset Management Support Branch, Facilities Branch, Maintenance Delivery Branch and the Programs Branch.

About the Role

The School Cleaning Unit (SCU) in the Facilities Branch is responsible for supporting all Victorian Government Schools with the delivery of School Cleaning arrangements. This includes the delivery of an area-based cleaning model in Melbourne metropolitan schools and a strengthened compliance and monitoring framework for regional schools.

The primary purpose of this role is to undertake the procurement activities within the School Cleaning Unit.

As a senior member of the SCU reporting to the Director of the Facilities Branch, you will provide strategic, tactical, and governance support to procurement operations staff. This may include direct leadership of a team, where you will be expected to lead, inspire, and increase the capability of the team members in facilitating and developing procurement practice and data analytics.

To be successful in this role, you will :

• Facilitate end-to-end procurement across identified goods and services categories to ensure optimum procurement outcomes.
• Lead sourcing projects across the Victorian government, encompassing requirements gathering, business case development, tender preparation, evaluation, supplier negotiation, and implementation. This includes collaborative engagement with stakeholders to achieve effective procurement results.
• Effectively apply government procurement policies and legislative requirements to develop and implement category management strategies that deliver value for money outcomes, including probity and transparency, and the application of Victoria's Social Procurement Framework.
• Develop effective and collaborative relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior management, departmental colleagues, Chief Procurement Officers and other key staff from government departments, suppliers and industry bodies.
• Support the planning, development, and implementation of systems, tools, analytics, and reporting to facilitate the delivery of best-practice procurement outcomes.

All VSBA staff have a shared responsibility to meet the same service standards outlined in the VSBA Customer Service Charter.  Our goal is to make every interaction with the VSBA a positive one for our customers, colleagues and key partners regardless of our individual role or team.  

Attributes

Do you possess strong expertise in procurement and leadership, with the ability to lead and motivate a team, foster a positive workplace culture, and enhance capabilities? Can you effectively represent the team in cross-jurisdictional project teams, industry briefings, conferences, and other relevant? Your proficiency in verbal and written communication, demonstrated by your ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders to foster collaboration and achieve outstanding procurement outcomes, is essential. You will also possess advanced analytical and conceptual skills necessary to innovate solutions for complex challenges.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Previous experience in a similar role
• A tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline
• Recognised procurement professional with extensive experience managing the end-to-end sourcing and contract management process, developing and implementing effective category strategies and leading or participating in complex negotiations to drive effective procurement outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of Victorian Government procurement policies
• Demonstrated knowledge of applying procurement systems, tools and data analytics to support decision-making, manage risk and maximise value-for-money outcomes.

Further Information

For more details regarding this position, please see the attached position description.

This is a full-time fixed-term role to 30/6/2026.

Applicants are encouraged to include a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria and a resume.

The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at www.education.vic.gov.au.

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Nicky Larsen nicky.larsen@education.vic.gov.au

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g. large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on Tuesday 17 September 2024.