We are a manufacturing business based in Ararat, specialising in aerospace, defence, and commercial electrical wiring harnesses, and we're seeking a Tender & Contract Manager to join our team!

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced tender and contracts professional to play a critical role in risk management, contractual integrity, and sustainable business growth. Leading end-to-end tender submissions and contract governance across Aerospace, Defence, and Commercial sectors, this role offers genuine scope to shape processes, lead a small team, and contribute directly to the business's commercial strategy.

About Us

We are a manufacturing business based in Ararat, specialising in aerospace, defence, and commercial electrical wiring harnesses, delivering high-quality, commercially robust, and compliant submissions across highly regulated sectors.

What you'll be doing?

- Leading tender submissions: Managing the preparation, coordination, and submission of RFQs, RFPs, and tenders, ensuring all submissions are compliant, complete, and delivered on time.
- Coordinating cross-functional input: Working closely with Engineering, Operations, Procurement, Finance, and Quality & Training teams to bring tenders together, and maintaining tender schedules, registers, and status reporting.
- Managing the contract lifecycle: Supporting contract governance processes, capturing and reviewing contract amendments, variations, extensions, and change requests, and maintaining contract management templates and procedures.
- Reviewing commercial risk: Reviewing customer contracts, terms, and conditions to identify commercial, legal, and delivery risks, and supporting negotiation of contract terms in line with commercial strategy.
- Ensuring compliance: Ensuring all tender and contract activities comply with Aerospace and Defence regulatory requirements, including AS9100, ISO9001, AS 27001, DISP, ITAR, and EAR obligations, and supporting internal and external audits.
- Coordinating stakeholders: Acting as the central coordination point between departments during tender and contract phases, and engaging directly with customers where clarification or commercial alignment is needed.
- Supporting pricing strategy:



Assisting with pricing models, overseeing customer re-cost activities, and supporting cost breakdowns and NRE recovery to ensure alignment between quoted pricing and contractual deliverables.
- Driving continuous improvement: Developing and refining tendering and contract management processes, maintaining proposal libraries and standard content, and implementing metrics to improve tender win rates.
- Contributing to strategy: Supporting the development of contracting and commercial strategies, and contributing insights and lessons learned from tender and contract activities.
- Leading the team: Managing and supporting Sales Customer Leads, providing guidance on priorities, workload, and performance expectations, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Who are they looking for?

- Tender and contract experience: A minimum of 3 years' experience in tender management, contract administration, commercial management, or business development within a complex manufacturing, defence, aerospace, infrastructure, or engineering environment.
- End-to-end tender leadership: Demonstrated experience leading complex responses to RFQs, RFTs, RFPs, EOIs, and Defence procurement submissions.
- Contract negotiation experience: Proven experience reviewing, negotiating, and administering commercial contracts valued above $500K, up to $10M or more.
- Risk management capability: Demonstrated experience identifying, assessing, and mitigating commercial, contractual, and operational risk.
- Strong contractual knowledge: A solid understanding of contract law, commercial frameworks, contract governance, and contractual obligations.
- Regulated industry experience: Experience working within regulated industries requiring formal compliance frameworks.
- High attention to detail: A structured and disciplined approach,



with solid written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities: Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Tertiary qualification (desirable): A tertiary qualification in Business, Law, Engineering, or a related discipline is desirable, though not essential.
- Defence Prime exposure (desirable): Experience working within Aerospace and Defence Primes, or similar complex service-based contracts, along with familiarity with Defence procurement frameworks, flow-down requirements, and government contracting.
- ASDEFCON/Commonwealth experience (desirable): Experience preparing responses aligned to ASDEFCON, Commonwealth procurement requirements, or equivalent contractual frameworks.
- Australian citizenship and clearance eligibility: Australian citizenship is required, along with the ability to obtain and maintain a Defence Security Clearance (Baseline or NV1 preferred), and the ability to work within controlled Defence and Aerospace environments.
- Travel flexibility: Some travel to customer sites, primarily in Melbourne and surrounding areas, is required, with company pool cars available for use.

Why you should consider this opportunity?

We offer an attractive remuneration package and other benefits, such as:

- A salary of $110,000-$130,000
- RDOs (rostered days off)
- Mandatory Christmas closure period
- The opportunity to lead a critical function within a highly specialised and growing Aerospace, Space and Defence business
- Genuine scope to shape tender and contract processes and contribute to commercial strategy
- Use of company pool cars for required travel

How to apply

Ready to join this role? Click Apply now to submit your resume and share your availability and expected salary with us, along with a brief outline of your experience leading responses to RFQs, RFTs, RFPs, EOIs, or Defence procurement submissions.

We welcome applications from candidates who hold Australian citizenship and are eligible to obtain the required security clearance for this role.

All information received will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only for employment-related purposes.

📌 Tender and Contract Manager (Ararat)
🏢 Important Company of the Sector
📍 Ararat