Manager – Process Ownership & Improvement (Procurement)
- Drive global procurement process ownership and improvement
- Collaborate with diverse range of stakeholders
- Exciting new opportunity
- Based in Perth
About The Role
All progress begins with pioneers. At Rio Tinto it begins with you.
The Manager, Process Ownership and Improvement is a senior leadership role focused on building and leading a new Global Procurement Process Ownership and Improvement Team. This role is pivotal in defining, optimising, and driving procurement content improvement globally, ensuring alignment with future procurement systems (S4HANA) and AI enabled content initiatives.
As a leader within the Global Procurement organisation, you will shape your team structure, nurture existing team members, and develop new talent while establishing a culture of procurement excellence. You will also spearhead a three-year best-practice content improvement strategy, collaborating closely with key stakeholders to enhance governance frameworks, refine procedural guidelines, and ensure seamless integration of improved procurement processes into procurement professionals' ways of working.
Reporting to the Senior Manager Policy, Process and Performance, you will be entrusted with the following accountabilities.
Core Accountabilities
Build and Lead the Procurement Process Ownership and Improvement Team
- Refine team structure, roles, and responsibilities to support strategic objectives.
- Establish clear goals, performance targets, and a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
- Establish and maintain a team who are responsible for overseeing end-to-end procurement practices, with a primary focus on Source-to-Contract while considering downstream Purchase-to-Pay implications.
Thought Leadership and Collaboration
- Serve as a key thought leader, shaping best practices in procurement excellence within a global organisation.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement process improvements, leveraging tools and technologies to streamline workflows and eliminate inefficiencies.
- Collaborate closely with planning, change management and procurement partnering professionals to ensure successful adoption of new processes, tools, and ways of working within the procurement function.
Implement Global Procurement Content Improvement Strategy (3-Year Plan)
- Design and implement a refined procedural framework based on current ways of working while ensuring alignment with future S4HANA changes.
- Conduct a comprehensive review of global procurement content to assess its usage, maturity, and effectiveness in driving procurement excellence and managing risk.
- Develop and implement a priority roadmap for content improvement and transition over 6, 12, and 36 months.
- Establish a governance framework for continuous improvement and change management, in close collaboration with other SRG teams.
- Ensure procurement content is structured and optimised for AI-readiness.
Lead a Team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to Enhance Global Procurement Content
- Oversee the ongoing improvement of current procurement materials, templates, and guidance.
- Manage updates and process changes for Ariba templates.
- Maintain relevant procurement contract materials with the legal resource framework.
- Maintain learning materials and templates related to Source-to-Contract processes.
- Continuously optimise procurement content for improved accessibility through the Ai enabled Procurement Portal.
What You’ll Bring
To be successfully considered for this role, you will ideally have
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain, or process improvement roles, with a strong track record of delivering operational improvements.
- Strong leadership skills, with the proven ability to build and manage a high-performing team.
- Expertise in Source-to-Contract processes and procurement frameworks, including the Purchase-to-Pay interface.
- Proven experience in procurement process improvement, content strategy, and governance.
- Expertise in global procurement frameworks, policies, and digital tools (e.g., Ariba, SAP).
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with a collaborative mindset.
- Experience with AI integration and content optimisation is a plus.
What We Offer
- A work environment where safety is always the number one priority.
- Flexible working from home arrangements as per operational requirements.
- 18 weeks of gender-neutral and equal paid parental leave, with continued superannuation contributions whilst employees are on unpaid or half paid parental leave.
- A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive program.
- Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family.
- Attractive share ownership plan.
- Company provided insurance cover.
- Extensive salary sacrifice & salary packaging options.
- Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions.
- Ongoing access to family-friendly health and medical wellbeing support.
- Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave).
- Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more).
- Local relocation packages offered for Australian residents only.
Where you’ll be working
Rio Tinto Global Procurement ensures resilient supply chains that deliver value to the Rio Tinto Group through the strategic sourcing and buying of goods and services for our operations. Playing a fundamental role, value is achieved through effective supplier partnerships, innovation, easy and standardised processes, e-technology, corporate social responsibility and increased commercial advantage.
Application Deadline 4th April 2025 (COB WST)
(Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)
Please note, in order to be successfully considered for this role you must complete all pre-screening questions.
Rio Tinto does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruiters or employment agencies. Rio Tinto will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee relating to unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles. Rio Tinto reserves the right to hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Rio Tinto.
About Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and materials company. We operate in 35 countries where we produce iron ore, copper, aluminium, critical minerals, and other materials needed for the global energy transition and for people, communities, and nations to thrive.
We have been mining for 150 years and operate with knowledge built up across generations and continents. Our purpose is finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs – striving for innovation and continuous improvement to produce materials with low emissions and to the right environmental, social and governance standards. But we can’t do it on our own, so we’re focused on creating partnerships to solve problems, create win-win situations and meet opportunities.
Every Voice Matters
At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, the LGBTI+ community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds.
We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome – they are essential to our success. We treat each other fairly and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or anything else that makes us different.
