AD, Supplier Relationship Management

Join us at Optus as an Associate Director, Supplier Relationship Management, where you’ll play a pivotal role in building and strengthening strategic partnerships across our most critical suppliers. This role is focused on creating value through strong relationships, executive influence, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. 

This is an outstanding opportunity to shape how Optus partners with suppliers, drive shared outcomes, and uplift the way we work together across the organisation. 

What You’ll Do | Your day to day will consist of 

• Lead and facilitate structured Business Reviews (monthly, quarterly, bi‑annual, annual) with suppliers and internal stakeholders, focusing on relationship health, strategy alignment, performance, innovation, and future priorities. 

• Build and maintain strong executive‑level relationships with supplier leaders, key account teams, and Optus senior stakeholders to enable open dialogue, trust, and long‑term partnership. 

• Act as a connector across Optus, bringing business units together with suppliers to identify enterprise‑wide opportunities, align objectives, and unlock shared value. 

• Partner with stakeholders to develop strategic engagement plans with key suppliers, including relationship goals, collaboration opportunities, governance rhythms, and value realisation initiatives. 

• Facilitate regular performance and relationship assessments using agreed scorecards and benchmarks, providing constructive feedback and working collaboratively with suppliers on continuous improvement. 

• Support business units in navigating commercial, delivery, or relationship challenges, applying sound judgement and influence to achieve balanced, sustainable outcomes. 

• Identify and foster innovation partnerships, technology collaboration, and joint initiatives that support Optus’ strategic priorities and enhance market competitiveness. 

What You Bring | What makes you perfect for the role? 

• 8–10 years’ experience in roles that involve managing complex stakeholder and supplier relationships, such as supplier management, commercial operations, vendor governance, consulting, program leadership, or similar environments. 

• Demonstrated success in building trusted relationships across senior internal stakeholders (GM level and above) and external partners, with the ability to influence. 

• Proven capability designing and operating governance frameworks, business review forums, and relationship management models in complex, matrixed organisations. 

• Strong commercial judgement and negotiation skills, with experience balancing business outcomes, partnership health, and long‑term value creation. 

• Outstanding communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with confidence leading executive‑level discussions and translating complex topics into clear, meaningful conversations. 

• Analytical and structured in your thinking, with the ability to use insights, data, and performance metrics to guide decision‑making and relationship priorities. 

• A collaborative mindset with a demonstrated ability to bring diverse groups together to drive alignment, momentum, and shared outcomes. 

• Experience in telecommunications, technology, or complex B2B environments is beneficial, but not essential — we’re open to diverse backgrounds where relationship leadership and stakeholder impact are core strengths. 

The good stuff…. | What’s in it for you? 

• Competitive remuneration and colleague discounts. Make life easier (and more affordable) with $80 monthly credit and 25% off Optus products and outstanding shopping discounts with our retail partners. 

• Flexible working arrangements with opportunities to work three days in the office, two days remote or home. 

• Vibrant and collaborative office campus that includes cafes, convenience store, chill out zones, GP, post office, gym and on-site childcare centre. 

• Competitive leave policies, including additional 'Connected’ days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever’s important to you. 

• We support growing families with inclusive, carer-neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks. 

• Direct your own development and build future-ready skills with Optus U’s industry-focused micro-credentials, developed with La Trobe and Macquarie Universities. 

• Build meaningful connections through colleague-led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+). 

• Put your wellbeing first with free access to counselling and support services, 24/7 — in-person, by phone, SMS, or video. 

• Free Optus bus from Macquarie University Metro Station (every 6-8 minutes); morning and afternoon. 

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email AccessibleRecruitment@optus.com.au or call 1800 309 170.  

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity