Summary

• After a strong Q2 (to June 30), the market for both permanent and contract roles softened slightly over Q3.
• With just a few weeks into Q4, we’re already seeing a notable uptick in activity with more roles being released and an increased demand for contractors as organisations look to secure talent before the end of the year.
• Standout sectors include mining and government, as well as infrastructure and energy.
• In demand skills include strong (and demonstrated) data and analytical skills, digital fluency and ESG. Those candidates who can demonstrate strong soft skills, like an inquisitive mindset, adaptability, clear communication, critical thinking, and inclusiveness, continue to stand out.
• With 20+ years of commercial procurement experience, including roles with Westpac, Telstra and her current GM of Procurement position with Greencross Pet Wellness Company, we had the privilege of spending some time with Jey Sivarajasingam this month.

Market update

After a strong Q2 (to June 30), the market for both permanent and contract roles softened slightly over the quarter.

However, whilst Q3 was quieter than the same period last year (and also noting that Q3 is normally one of our busiest) we are already seeing a real increase in roles being released by clients, including an uptick in contract roles as organisations look to secure talent in the final part of 2025. Standout sectors include government, mining, infrastructure and energy.

In Demand Skills

• Data, analytics, digital fluency – The speed at which technology is being developed (and used) across all industries and sectors is phenomenal. Advances in areas like AI and automation are really impacting how many of us do our jobs and the roles we are recruiting for now are looking very different to even a year ago. So, associated in demand skillsets, including strong (and demonstrated) data and analytical skills and digital fluency, are set to remain in high demand.
• ESG – With increasing levels of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) maturity levels across many sectors and organisations, there is continued demand for candidates with ESG experience within a procurement function, including those candidates that can demonstrate the successful implementation of ESG initiatives that are aligned to broader business goals.
• Soft Skills – These skills are more important than ever as competition for jobs increases across all levels. In a softening economic environment, and with a growing pool of strong talent, it’s those candidates who can demonstrate strong soft skills, like an inquisitive mindset, adaptability, clear communication, critical thinking, and inclusiveness, who are really standing out. These qualities are becoming increasingly crucial across all levels and sectors (more on this below).

Transferable Talent

Securing good talent across most sectors has become fairly competitive in recent times, combined with greater scrutiny on hiring success rates. Various factors are at play here as markets develop, including the overall growth in procurement and supply chain talent pools across the market (both passive and active candidates) and an increase in the measurement and analysis of hiring success rates across many organisations.

As we touched on in a recent post, when faced with these hiring dynamics (including the risk of getting it wrong) many organisations will focus on finding candidates who have done the exact same role in the exact same industry.

However, organisations that are prepared to apply a more flexible hiring approach are really seeing the benefits. A focus on core baseline attributes, combined with factors like future potential/growth, cultural fit, and strategic value (combined with a real commitment to upskill any capability gaps) will often result in a much larger talent pool and the chance of snapping up some strong talent who often go on to become high performers and deliver real impact.

Senior Contracting Talent

We are seeing an increase in organisations who are engaging senior level professionals on a contract basis to complete a range of projects, often weighing up the benefits of engaging these experienced resources over 2/3 days p/w versus less experienced contractors who may be needed over 5 days p/w.

We’re currently working with some exceptional senior procurement and supply chain talent who prefer tackling projects part-time, typically 2 or 3 days a week, rather than full-time. The benefits to hiring organisations include minimal onboarding and immediate impact due to their commercial experience and typically strong stakeholder management skills.

SPOTLIGHT

With 20+ years of commercial procurement experience, including roles with Westpac, Telstra and her current GM of Procurement position with Greencross Pet Wellness Company, we had the privilege of spending some time with Jey Sivarajasingam this month.

We’re currently working with some exceptional senior procurement and supply chain talent who prefer tackling projects part-time, typically 2 or 3 days a week, rather than full-time. The benefits to hiring organisations include minimal onboarding and immediate impact due to their commercial experience and typically strong stakeholder management skills.

Q. How did you get into procurement?

Like many others in the industry, I came into procurement by chance. My first corporate role was as a Contracts Administrator with AMP, while I was still at Uni and figuring out what I wanted to do. I quickly realised how much I enjoyed the commercial environment — the mix of business, negotiating, stakeholder management and problem solving really appealed to me. From there, I never looked back. It turned out to be one of those sliding doors moments that set the direction for my career.

Q. You’ve worked across a range of industries. Are procurement challenges unique to each industry, or have you seen similar themes?

While every industry has its own unique challenges, I’ve found that procurement is ultimately built on a core set of transferable skills.

Often, the knowledge and experiences you gain in one sector can be adapted to solve problems in another. Flexibility is key, if you’re open minded in your approach, you can tackle most challenges using what you’ve learned before.

I was fortunate early in my career to gain exposure to a variety of sectors, starting in IT, engineering (building trains), payments, telecommunications, banking and now in retail & services. That diversity gave me a solid foundation and, in hindsight, made it easier for me to move between industries throughout my career.

Q. What opportunities and challenges do you see emerging in procurement over the next 6 to 12 months?

Procurement has evolved significantly. We’re no longer just seen as a process and cost reduction driven function; I see Procurement as strategic enablers of change. Procurement is being brought into the fold much earlier to help shape decisions that align with broader business goals.

Aligning Procurement KPI’s with broader organisational metrics e.g. positive customer outcomes, operational and financial efficiencies, ESG targets, innovation, risk reduction and growth targets helps to embed the Procurement mindset across the organisation and therefore unlocking maximum value.

Procurement needs to act as a source of insights not just execution. We are constantly navigating trade offs between commercial outcomes, speed to market, ESG value & risk management and even though we are not the end decision makers, we are providing recommendations to help with decision making, so we have a real sway here – Procurement people are influencers.

A challenge that I see currently across many organisations is balancing the trade offs between commercial value vs ESG value. These aren’t competing values, they are interdependent with each other. Not giving enough consideration to ESG value is a commercial risk. I think Procurement can really influence in this space by challenging assumptions and co-creating better outcomes with the business owners.

Q. What are your views on developments in AI and automation tools, and their impact on procurement?

This is such an exciting space and I am lucky to be working in an organisation where innovation is in the forefront of everything that we do.

We are currently exploring how AI and automation can improve our end to end procurement processes. AI and automation frees up procurement by removing a lot of process driven aspects of our roles and therefore focus on being a more thought provoking function.

AI will help us with our data management, enable insight generation and help with compliance. Visibility through data and insights enables proactive decision making. It will give us more time to think bigger and differently, challenge the business norms, improve financial fluency, make decisions more efficiently and be more proactive – to really focus on the fun stuff.

Give people space to experiment with AI tools, accept that there may be some failures but ensure that people fail safely and that the team can then co-create new ways of working.

Q. What’s your approach to building high performing procurement teams?

I’m lucky to lead an absolutely fantastic Procurement & ESG team! Each of them bring a different perspective to the team and are just superstars.

For me, it starts with a mindset. I look for people with critical thinking skills, curiosity, and the drive to take ownership. You don’t need to be the subject matter expert from day one; what matters is the willingness to learn, ask questions, and find solutions.

People who are courageous, think creatively, are comfortable to work with imperfect information but have the right judgement and commercial instinct to recommend ideas and decisions. Things have and are always changing, we want people who are excited by that.

Retaining great people is just as important as hiring them. For me, leadership is about creating an environment where talented individuals can stretch, develop, and thrive. I focus on ensuring my team is engaged in work that challenges them and builds their capability, while also recognising and valuing their unique contributions.

I believe high-performing teams are built on continuous learning, trust, and transparency. That means fostering a culture where people feel safe to bring their whole selves to work — to share ideas, take risks, and grow. My goal is to create a space where everyone feels empowered, supported, and inspired to do their best work.

Q. What advice would you give professionals aspiring to move into a Head of Procurement or Director-level role?

I’ve been really lucky to have worked with some great and supportive leaders who have helped me to get where I am now. Everyone’s journey is different, but there are a few key things that can make a difference:

• Build your network, both inside and outside your organisation. Strong relationships can help promote your value and open up new opportunities.
• Surround yourself with people who support your goals.
• Put yourself in environments where your values are aligned as this is where you will thrive.
• Seek out opportunities where you can continue to grow and demonstrate your impact beyond your immediate team.
• Always back yourself.

Q. What career advice would you give to your younger self?

Find an environment where you can thrive. If you’re not feeling valued, challenged, or supported then make a change.

The culture of a company is so important. Before accepting a role, take the time to understand whether your values are aligned. When there’s alignment, you’ll do your best work.

Always surround yourself with good people who care enough to give you feedback. Feedback is gold.

Also, be bold and be brave, even if you are the most junior person in the room. Ask the questions, share your views, people want to hear them!

A FEW MOVERS IN THE MARKET

Congratulations to everyone who moved into new roles over the last few months, including:

• Mark Herrero who was appointed CPO at NSW Department of Education.
• Jeremy Hutchinson who moved from Lend Lease to Chief Procurement Officer at Transgrid.
• Adele Sale who moved from CPO (Direct) at Dyson to Director of Procurement – AI at Microsoft in London.
• Kwabena Bediako who moved from NSW Department of Customer Service into a CPO role with NSW Treasury.
• David Macdonald who moved from his CPO role at Major Transport Infrastructure Authority to a VP Procurement position at Optus.
• Karina Sharp who has been promoted to Global Head of Procurement and Supply Chain at Nanosonics.
• Nikki Symonds who transitioned from Chief Procurement Officer at Origin Energy to Senior Director Corporate Technology at Airtrunk.

MARKET OBSERVATIONS – DEMONSTRATING THOSE IMPORTANT SOFT SKILLS

We have been saying this for a while but candidates who can demonstrate a range of soft skills are really standing out. However, we often talk to candidates who have many of these skills but struggle to demonstrate them during the hiring process.

Common shortfalls that we see include listing soft skills in the resume summary without articulating specific examples and/or failing to give enough practical examples during the interview process. Equally, most hiring teams will ask for candidates that have a range of soft skills but do not explore these well enough during the hiring process.

However, some of the things that we are seeing candidates do well in this area include:

• Focus on your achievements – Stand out resumes focus on a few really good (and specific) examples of key achievements in each role, including the issue/challenge, the candidate’s involvement (what they did) and tangible outcomes. When hiring teams are looking at a CV it’s amazing how many soft skills are demonstrated through these key achievements (and much more powerful than just listing these skills in a resume summary).
• Come prepared to the interview – It is common for hiring teams to explore some of these softer skills through the interview process (most would have been in an interview at some point and been asked these types of questions – e.g. ‘give me an example of a time when…’). Rather than frantically searching for inspiration in the interview, strong candidates spend the time beforehand going through a range of achievements and situations that can demonstrate good responses to most of these skills and come fully prepared and ready to go through these during the interview process (again – explaining the situation/challenge, what they did and what the outcome was).
• Interview style – Remember, it’s not just about what you have in your resume or your answers to interview questions when demonstrating these skills. Candidate interactions throughout the hiring process also play a big part in demonstrating your soft skills too – e.g. how well you listen to the interviewer(s), the clarity of your responses, the questions you ask them and the relationships you form with different people throughout your interactions.
• Get feedback – Recruiters can help you prepare for all of the above situations so certainly reach out to them for help and guidance. It is also really important to ask for feedback after you have applied for roles where you may have been unsuccessful. Whilst it can be incredibly disappointing to miss out on a great role, if you have been unsuccessful because certain skills were not demonstrated well enough then this is the best time to make the necessary changes to your resume or approach.

Thank you all for your continued support and look forward to speaking to you all very soon.

Ilsa and the team.