Senior Category Manager – Contingent Workforce & Professional Services

As Senior Category Manager, you’ll shape our contingent workforce and professional services procurement strategy, negotiate high-value commercial agreements and build strategic vendor partnerships that keep our development pipeline moving across Australia and Asia.

You’ll also help build a smarter, AI-enabled procurement function, using data, technology and new ways of working to drive better commercial outcomes.

We welcome applications from across Australia, with a preference for candidates based in Melbourne or Sydney.

What You’ll Do

• Category strategy: Develop and execute multi-year strategies for contingent labour (labour hire, temporary and fixed-term contractors, independent contractors) and professional services (engineering, technical, IT, legal, advisory and management consulting), aligned with NEXTDC’s growth, workforce strategy and capital program.
• Spend and market intelligence: Analyse category spend, demand drivers, rate benchmarks and supply-market dynamics across Australia and Asia to identify, quantify and prioritise savings, demand management and innovation opportunities.
• Strategic sourcing and negotiation: Lead end-to-end RFI, RFP and tender processes and high-value negotiations with labour hire providers, recruitment agencies, MSPs and consulting firms to secure the best total value, not just the lowest rate.
• Operating model: Design and lead the contingent workforce operating model, including preferred supplier panels, rate cards, margin and mark-up structures, and evaluation of MSP, VMS and direct sourcing options to consolidate spend and simplify the supplier base.
• Commercial frameworks: Develop commercial frameworks and procurement models with strategic third parties to support project execution and growth
• Compliance and risk: Own the category risk framework with People & Culture and Legal, embedding controls to prevent non-compliant engagements.
• Supplier performance: Manage strategic supplier relationships and performance through KPIs, scorecards, quarterly business reviews and improvement plans, resolving issues and disputes promptly and constructively.
• Stakeholder partnership: Work with Development, Engineering and Construction teams to ensure critical resourcing and expertise is secured and utilised efficiently across the company.
• Policy, process and technology: Develop and implement best-practice external talent engagement policies, processes and guidelines covering approvals, onboarding and offboarding, tenure limits, conversion and procure-to-pay, using procurement and workforce technology to improve control, speed and data quality.
• Value tracking and reporting: Define and report category performance metrics, including savings delivered, spend under management, compliance, rate variance, time-to-engage, tenure and supplier performance, to Procurement leadership and executives.
• AI-enabled procurement: Explore and adopt AI and automation throughout the category lifecycle, including spend analytics, market research, rate benchmarking, sourcing, contract review and supplier performance, sharing successful practices to build a best-in-class, AI-enabled procurement function.
• Regional expansion: Support NEXTDC’s growth across Asia by expanding supplier coverage and establishing compliant engagement models in new markets.
• Safety, sustainability and ethics: Embed NEXTDC’s safety, sustainability, diversity and ethical sourcing commitments into supplier selection and management, including opportunities for Indigenous and social enterprise suppliers.

What You’ll Bring

• Category leadership: Proven ability to develop and deliver category strategies that generate measurable, sustained commercial value.
• Commercial acumen and negotiation: Expert negotiation skills with strong financial and analytical capabilities, including analysing rate cards, margins and total external workforce costs.
• Contingent workforce expertise: Knowledge of Australian workplace regulations relevant to contingent labour, including the Fair Work Act, labour hire licensing and modern slavery obligations.
• Influence and stakeholder management: Ability to influence and challenge senior leaders when needed, translating complex commercial and risk issues into clear recommendations.
• Contracting: Strong understanding of services contract structures and commercial terms, including MSAs, panel agreements and SOWs.
• Data and insight: Advanced spend analysis, Excel and BI skills, with the ability to turn data into actionable insights.
• Technology: Working knowledge of e-procurement, ERP and VMS platforms.
• AI curiosity and learning mindset: Eagerness to learn and apply AI tools in daily work and become an AI-enabled operator. Hands-on procurement AI experience is advantageous but not essential.
• Change leadership: Ability to drive adoption of new processes and ways of working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including concise, executive-ready papers and recommendations.
• Personal attributes: High ownership, resilience, curiosity and unquestionable integrity.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Law, Human Resources or a related discipline.
• MCIPS qualification or working towards it is highly regarded.
• 5+ years of procurement or category management experience, including at least 3 years leading contingent labour and/or professional services categories in a large, complex organisation. Experience with similar labour arrangements in Asia will be highly valued.
• Proven track record of delivering significant savings and value across labour hire, contractor and consulting spend.
• Experience designing or transforming contingent workforce programs, including MSP/VMS, preferred supplier panels and SOW governance.
• Experience in data centres, critical infrastructure, construction, energy, telecommunications or technology is highly regarded.
• Experience operating across Asia-Pacific is desirable.

• Be part of a fast-growing, future-focused technology company
• Play a key role in supporting AI and digital infrastructure in Australia
• Thrive in a collaborative, inclusive, and values-driven culture
• Access career development and progression opportunities as we expand

Our mission is to continue building a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents the communities in which we operate.

Make NEXTDC your next move.