Careers at TAFE NSW

TAFE NSW Life-Changing Careers

Category Manager

Location negotiable across NSW (subject to campus availability)

Permanent Full Time Opportunity

$216,638 salary package - includes base salary ($190,867), plus employer’s contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading

At TAFE NSW, we are dedicated to life-changing impact.

That’s why we offer world-class training and education that delivers the skills needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Life-changing impact starts with an incredible team that sees their career as an opportunity to transform someone’s world. Whether that’s inspiring students, supporting each other, or helping our communities and industries flourish. 

We live by TAFE NSW values: Customer Focus, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence. They define who we are, how we work, and inspire our performance.   

We invest in our people

At TAFE NSW, you will discover a diverse, dynamic, and collaborative environment, where you can innovate, create value, and do meaningful work.

We provide you with tools, ongoing training and professional development, health and wellbeing programs, and a 35-hour working week with a variety of flexible working options.

About the role

This is an opportunity to make your mark in a senior procurement role where your commercial expertise, relationships and decision-making will have real impact. As Category Manager, you’ll lead complex sourcing and procurement activities, partner with stakeholders across TAFE NSW and develop commercial solutions that deliver value while effectively managing risk.

You’ll oversee a diverse pipeline of procurement activities and take the lead on high-value and high-risk market engagements, supplier relationships and contract management. Whether you’re negotiating with suppliers, influencing stakeholders or identifying opportunities to improve the way we work, you’ll play an important role in achieving strong commercial outcomes for TAFE NSW.

About you 

You’re a commercially minded procurement professional who enjoys solving problems, building relationships and bringing people together to achieve great outcomes. You’re confident navigating complex procurement activities and can turn data, market insights and business requirements into clear, practical commercial strategies.

You’ll bring strong influencing and negotiation skills, sound judgement and a collaborative approach. Most importantly, you’re someone who can see the bigger picture while still keeping an eye on the detail, balancing value, risk, governance and customer needs to deliver results.

To be considered, applicants must meet all essential requirements outlined in the position description and hold either relevant qualifications or significant experience in procurement and category management. 

To find out more about the role, click to view the Role Description

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

TAFE NSW is committed to building a culturally safe and inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage you to apply. If you require adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact our Talent Acquisition Advisor listed below.

To apply for this role, click 'apply now' and provide:

• Your current resume
• Copies of your qualifications, where applicable (upload as one PDF file). Certified copies preferred; these will be required if successful for the role
• A response to the below targeted question. Please use a Word document for your response and attach the document to your application using the "Supporting documents" upload section. 

Targeted Question:

Describe a category strategy that you have developed and implemented for Facilities Management or a comparable services category.

In your response, explain:

• How you assessed the organisation's requirements, spend profile, risks and supply market.
• The key opportunities and challenges you identified.
• How those insights informed your category strategy.
• The approach you took to engage stakeholders and gain support for the strategy.
• The outcomes achieved, including commercial, service, sustainability, risk or operational benefits.

A career of life-changing impact awaits you. Apply now!

Applications close 11:55pm AEDT, Thursday the 22nd October, 2026

General recruitment and adjustment enquiries: Contact Talent Acquisition Advisor, Peta Handley, Peta.Handley@tafensw.edu.au

Role-specific enquiries: Contact Kate Scott, Assoc Director Procurement Strategy & Delivery, via email at kate.scott27@tafensw.edu.au

For support with preparing your application and understanding the recruitment process, visit our Application Process page, and explore the helpful resources available through I Work for NSW.

This is a child-related position. Successful candidates must hold a valid NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) prior to commencing. TAFE NSW will also conduct an Australian National Criminal Record Check on the preferred applicant as part of the pre‑employment process.

To be eligible for a position at TAFE NSW, you must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident of Australia, or a New Zealand citizen with a current New Zealand passport.

A talent pool, valid for 18 months, may be created for this position and used to fill future vacancies.

Location is negotiable across our TAFE NSW campuses. Please note that preferred campus location is not guaranteed and is subject to campus availability at the time of offer.