Procurement Leader - Directs
Sydney, NSW, AU
At Lion, we brew and deliver some of Australasia's most loved brands – but behind every great product is a world-class supply chain. Our Procurement team plays a critical role in ensuring we have the right ingredients, packaging and strategic partnerships to keep our breweries and manufacturing sites running at their best.
We're looking for an experienced Procurement Leader – Direct Materials to lead our ANZ Direct Procurement team. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity where you'll shape category strategy, influence senior business leaders, and lead a talented team of four procurement professionals.
About the role
Reporting to the Head of Procurement, you'll lead procurement across our direct materials portfolio, including ingredients, packaging and manufacturing inputs. You'll balance commercial outcomes with supply resilience, sustainability and long-term strategic partnerships, helping ensure our operations continue to perform at their best.
This is a highly visible role that partners closely with senior leaders across Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Technical, Finance and Commercial, giving you the opportunity to influence business decisions that have a real impact across Australia and New Zealand.
What you'll be doing
- Leading and developing a high-performing team of Category Managers and an Analyst.
- Leading, coaching and developing a high-performing team, creating an environment where people can grow and perform at their best.
- Developing and delivering category strategies that create value, strengthen supplier partnerships and improve supply continuity.
- Leading major commercial negotiations across strategic supplier agreements.
- Driving cost optimisation, productivity initiatives and working capital outcomes.
- Managing procurement risk across a dynamic manufacturing environment.
- Partnering with senior stakeholders to support innovation, transformation and new product development.
- Using market insights and procurement analytics to inform better business decisions and continuous improvement.
We're looking for someone who combines strategic thinking with strong commercial instincts and enjoys leading people as much as delivering business outcomes.
You'll likely bring:
- Leadership experience in procurement, strategic sourcing or category management.
- Experience managing direct materials, raw materials, packaging or manufacturing procurement categories.
- Strong commercial negotiation and supplier relationship management capability.
- The ability to influence senior stakeholders and build trusted partnerships across the business.
- A passion for developing people and creating high-performing teams.
- Experience within FMCG, manufacturing or a complex supply chain environment will be highly regarded.
- Qualifications in Procurement, Supply Chain, Commerce, Engineering or a related discipline are preferred.