Chief Supply Chain Officer — Transport-Assets Portfolio

The mandate

A listed Australian transport portfolio sources fleet parts, tolling and control equipment, signalling components, maintenance services, energy and operating consumables through a network designed for a different demand pattern. Supplier concentration, long lead times and geopolitical exposure now conflict with concession-renewal promises on availability, local capability and lifecycle investment. The board is creating a Chief Supply Chain Officer role to redesign resilience before commitments are negotiated.

The perimeter covers approximately A$21,600 million in projects and operating assets and 750 employees and material partners. Accountability includes supply strategy, procurement, planning, inventory, logistics, supplier development, category management, responsible sourcing, supply risk and talent. Asset leaders own service and engineering owns technical approval. The CSCO owns supply feasibility, lifecycle economics and recovery across the portfolio.

Transport demand has shifted unevenly. Some assets need higher service and spares coverage, while others hold slow-moving inventory tied to ageing equipment. A central savings target cannot resolve these differences. The supply network must reflect service consequence, obsolescence, replenishment variability and the ability to substitute safely.

Concession renewal requires evidence that future service can be supported. A promised availability level is not credible if parts, software rights or specialist technicians remain concentrated in one source with no recovery route.

Why this seat is open

This planned new appointment is part of the next operating model and has no predecessor. The board has allowed four to six months to compare transport, infrastructure and adjacent-sector leaders before the next capital and talent cycle. Existing procurement and asset teams retain their responsibilities until the portfolio remit is activated.

What you will own

• Redesign categories and supply routes by service consequence.
• Expose sub-tier, technology, logistics and geopolitical concentration.
• Align inventory and obsolescence with asset lifecycle and demand.
• Embed deliverable supply cases in concession renewals.
• Develop local suppliers without weakening technical qualification.
• Build procurement, planning, logistics and resilience successors.

Category strategies will begin below the contracting supplier. For control systems, fleet or infrastructure components and specialist maintenance, the team will trace original manufacture, software, tooling, certification, repair rights and technical labour. Risk will combine capacity, quality, cash, cyber, labour and country exposure. Multiple distributors dependent on one upstream source will not be counted as diversification.

Inventory policy will use criticality and variability. The CSCO will distinguish service-protection stock, planned lifecycle holdings, repair loops, consumables and obsolete material. Settings will account for shelf life, interchangeability, minimum orders and transport routes. Cash targets cannot remove critical cover without an explicit operational risk decision, while sentimental stock for retired systems will not escape challenge.

Demand planning will connect maintenance, renewals, projects and operating changes. Asset plans will identify equipment removals, upgrades, seasonal or event peaks and known fleet or infrastructure campaigns. Suppliers will receive credible ranges and decision dates. Forecast error will be examined by source rather than averaged across unrelated categories.

Renewal propositions will include a supply-resilience schedule. Promised performance, local content, lifecycle replacement, energy and technology support must reconcile with qualified sources and inventory. The CSCO will identify conditions requiring long-term agreements, dual source, strategic stock, supplier development or design change. Unsupported supply optimism will be removed from the commercial case.

Supplier development will be evidence-led. Local firms need transparent qualification, forecast opportunity, technical assistance and responsible conduct expectations. Engineering remains independent in approval. The portfolio will measure delivered quality, repair capacity and sub-tier development rather than nominal local invoice value.

The first 12 months

Within 90 days, the CSCO will map the 50 most consequential supply dependencies, validate inventory exposure and assess leadership. The sponsor will receive immediate recovery, sourcing, stock and renewal decisions.

By month eight, ten critical categories should carry tested recovery strategies, two concession renewals should use verified supply cases and obsolete or excess inventory should have controlled disposition plans. At least three qualified local-source milestones should be completed without reduced quality.

At year-end, critical-source recovery coverage should exceed 90%, premium freight fall 20% and working inventory improve 10% without lower service availability. Ninety-five per cent of renewal supply milestones should remain on schedule, with no material commitment dependent on an unverified sub-tier or support assumption.

What the board will measure

• Transport service protected from critical supply disruption.
• Inventory cash improved without hidden availability exposure.
• Concession promises supported by qualified sources and rights.
• Responsible local capability with genuine technical depth.
• Strong supply leadership and cross-asset succession.

The person

You are a Chief Supply Chain Officer, transport procurement executive or asset-network leader with 18–22 years of experience. You have carried at least A$12,550 million in accountable scope and led no fewer than 750 people. Your experience includes long-life assets, technical spares, inventory and geographically exposed supply networks.

The board will test a nominal dual source you rejected after tracing sub-tier dependence, an inventory reduction that preserved service and a renewal or lifecycle plan changed by supply evidence. You must combine engineering respect with commercial and planning authority. Pure tendering experience will not meet the threshold.

This onsite Sydney appointment requires supplier, warehouse, maintenance, project and authority travel.

Compensation and terms

Base compensation is A$520,000–700,000 plus annual incentive and LTI. Measures include resilience, service, inventory, renewal delivery, supplier capability and succession. Long-term awards follow standard vesting and the final supply perimeter.

Confidentiality

The portfolio, concessions, suppliers, inventories and renewal positions remain confidential. More information follows qualification and an undertaking. Rounded values and blended categories protect the client's identity.