Head of Procurement and Finance Shared Services (Deputy Chief Procurement Officer)

Key Responsibilities

Position Purpose

The Head of Procurement and Finance Shared Services (Deputy Chief Procurement Officer), reporting to the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Procurement Officer, is responsible for the effective delivery of strategies, programs and services that support CFA’s overall strategy (as outlined in Our Community, Our CFA: 2020 and beyond) through overseeing

• Provision of procurement governance and shared support services to CFA business areas, ensuring value for money and alignment with Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) procurement policies;
• Efficient and effective financial governance and compliance monitoring for CFA; and
• The organization’s support to brigades and groups in achieving effective financial planning, management and compliance to attain brigade and corporate objectives.

A key member of the Finance and Procurement and broader Strategic Services executive team, the position contributes to strategic, tactical and professional advice and input to direction setting and decision making across the relevant business units and provides professional leadership and counsel across the wider CFA organization. It facilitates functional and operational Finance and Procurement interdependencies across the organization and plays a critical role in the effective delivery of strategies, programs and services that enhance procurement and financial governance.

As an executive, the Head of Procurement and Finance Shared Services (Deputy CPO) will actively participate in the strategic development of the organization, provide leadership and foster collaboration across all functions/departments/portfolios, and act with the utmost professionalism, integrity and trust as guided by our values. Some key challenges for the Head of Procurement and Finance Shared Services (Deputy CPO) are:

• Building collaborative and productive shared service relationships and providing leadership across the organization at all levels
• Building capability and capacity so that CFA has the policies, strategic plans and mechanisms in place and operating to enable efficient and effective procurement in compliance with VGPB and other mandated requirements
• Ensuring support for excellent financial management and compliance by brigades in collaboration with other teams supporting brigades
• Building capability and capacity to support volunteers with their fundraising endeavors while ensuring compliance with donor intentions and compliance with grant obligations (including appropriate acquittal mechanisms)
• Ensuring that CFA has the policies and strategic plans in place and operating to identify, manage, generate and use own source income to support CFA’s strategy and desired outcomes
• Providing leadership to enable CFA to achieve its desired financial and brand outcomes with regards to donations and fund-raising.

Procurement and Contract Management 

• Oversee the development, implementation and regular maintenance of the policy suite in respect of procurement and contract management.
• Provision of effective procurement and contract management support and training to CFA business areas.
• Ensure appropriate Secretariat support for CFA’s Procurement Authority Board (PAB).
• Maintenance of CFA’s contract register and reporting.
• Compliance and alignment with VGPB procurement policies
• Measure of success:
  • Value for money
  • VGPB alignment and compliance
  • Meet the Accountable Officer’s requirements as per the Standing Directions 2018 under the Financial Management Act 1994
  • Effective contract management

Brigade Finance

• Drive Finance and Procurement engagement with brigades and groups and their management teams along with other key stakeholders.
• Advocate, influence and lead the development and delivery of strategic plans to meet identified financial planning and management needs of brigades and groups by collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure an appropriate financial management framework for brigades and groups to meet the Accountable Officer’s requirements as per the Standing Directions 2018 under the Financial Management Act 1994.
• Lead, drive and support the improvement of financial management compliance amongst brigades to ensure an efficient, consistent statewide process, including commissioning investigations into potential non-compliance.
• Oversee and lead the development, implementation and regular maintenance of the policy suite in respect of brigade finances and ensuring their alignment with CFA’s broader policies and objectives.
• Identify and manage the delivery of training and capability development needs of brigades and groups and relevant internal stakeholders in respect of financial matters.
• Oversee the delivery of strategic advice on all financial matters pertaining to brigades and groups.
• Measure of Success:
  • Effective brigade financial governance
  • Brigade, Chief Officer and VFBV feedback
  • Percentage of Regulation 61 returns collected
  • Completion of all high-risk rated inspections
  • Downwards trend in noncompliance rates from inspection criteria

Donations and Fundraising

• Oversee the development, implementation and regular maintenance of the strategy and policy suite in respect of donations and fundraising (including by third parties).
• Oversee the delivery of strategic advice on all matters pertaining to donations and fundraising (including grants) by brigades.
• Establish and maintain a suite of tools to assist volunteers to fundraise including online and physical fundraising activities.
• Support the Trustees to manage and conduct business (and ensure compliance) of the CFA & Brigades Donations Fund including obligations with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and grantors (including acquittals).
• Oversee and lead the development and implementation of an appropriate workflow and reporting system to manage and authorise a pipeline of fundraising activities by brigades.
• Measure of Success:
  • Effective support to stakeholders in respect of donations and fundraising

Financial Governance and Compliance

• Oversee the development, implementation and regular maintenance of the policy suite in respect of financial management.
• Ensure the maintenance and execution of CFA’s financial compliance framework, tax compliance obligations and CFA’s annual Financial Management Compliance Framework submission.
• Oversee the maintenance of CFA’s financial risk register and fraud risk register (as it pertains to Finance and Procurement).
• Develop and implement plans and strategies to improve financial governance and reduce fraud risks.
• Measure of Success:
  • Effective financial governance and compliance
  • Meet Accountable Officer obligations under the Financial Management Act 1994, including all tax compliance obligations

Finance Shared Services

• Transform CFA’s fragmented finance operations into a centralized, transparent shared service that ensures consistent oversight of brigade finances, fundraising, grants, and high‑volume transactions, driving economies of scale, efficiency, and enabling future expansion of the shared finance model.
• Establish shared finance services as a centre of excellence with strong customer orientation.
• Deliver service catalogue, define RACI for accountability, and leverage technology (ERP, automation, dashboards) to drive efficiency and value-add.
• Build mechanisms to regularly gather customer feedback.
• Implement pilot programs in targeted teams, controlled rollout, refine processes, and options for scalability.
• Measure of Success:
  • Clear accountability, coordinated governance, standardized controls, and transparent oversight of F&P policies, procedures, and audit findings (internal and external)

Strategic Leadership and Delivery

• Provides strategic direction, influence and thought leadership to the in the development and implementation of strategy to achieve the CFA’s vision, mission and goals.
• Contributes to the annual performance planning process, ensuring successful delivery of organizational wide programs across CFA and all governance requirements are met for the board.
• Review and improve organizational effectiveness by developing processes, overseeing employees, establishing a highly motivated work environment, and creating innovative approaches for improvement.
• Measure of Success:
  • The CFA strategy is translated with meaning and purpose, for actionable impact across CFA
  • Demonstrated high standard of behavior in line with the CFA values and leadership qualities

Health, Safety, & Wellbeing Leadership

• As an individual, and a member of the Finance and Procurement executive team, actively leads and models a safety-first culture, promoting wellbeing and taking action to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all members at all times.
• Measure of Success:
  • Zero tolerance culture
  • Increase in the health, safety and wellbeing of members
  • Improved management of risks to health, safety and wellbeing

Qualification & Requirements

About You

• You are an experienced and inspiring executive with a strategic mindset, capable of translating vision into action and motivating others to deliver results. You hold tertiary or postgraduate qualifications in procurement, finance, business, or a related discipline, or have equivalent senior leadership experience.
• You bring extensive experience leading procurement and/or finance functions at a senior, accountable level, with a proven ability to drive organisational and cultural change. You are commercially astute, with a strong track record of improving procurement, contract management and financial governance outcomes.
• As a collaborative and consultative leader, you build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, balancing diverse needs to deliver community-focused outcomes. You demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills, influencing effectively across all levels, and provide clear direction to achieve results efficiently. You also possess contemporary knowledge of public sector procurement and finance governance and a strong commitment to supporting volunteers and organisational teams.

Leadership Qualities

• Drives Vision & Purpose with a strategic mindset
  • Articulates CFA’s vision and purpose in a compelling way that is relatable and motivates others to take action to drive this.
  • Actively drives and develops strategies and ideas that shows a clear connection between vision and action, considering the changing environment and challenges faced.
• Ensures Accountability & Drives Results 
  • Self and others accountable to meet commitments whilst consistently achieving results, even under complex and changing circumstances
• Collaborates
  • Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• Balances Stakeholders with a community focus
  • Builds strong stakeholder relationships internally and externally by balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders to deliver community centric services.
• Manages execution to get the best outcome 
  • Directs work in an effective an efficient way by providing direction, delegation and removing obstacles to get work done.

Knowledge & Experience

• Tertiary and/or post graduate qualifications in a relevant procurement, finance or business-related discipline, or commensurate experience in a range of senior responsible procurement/financial positions.
• Extensive experience and achievement at a senior, accountable level in the management and leadership of a procurement and/or financial function.
• Effective leadership and management capabilities with a consultative and collaborative approach and proven experience managing organizational and culture change.
• Strong commercial ability and acumen and a proven record of improving procurement and contract management outcomes.
• Exceptional high level interpersonal skills, in particular the ability to negotiate and influence effectively with multiple stakeholders at all levels.
• Superior customer focus and demonstrated ability to deal with and support volunteer brigades and management teams, or similar.
• Contemporary knowledge and application of best practice procurement/finance governance and compliance practices in the generation and use of public monies in public sector organizations.

Benefits

No information available.