BVCS Material Qualification Principal

Our Opportunity

Work Location: Perth Office - Fortescue’s Perth office is located on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk people.

Roster: Monday to Friday 

Reporting to the Manager Inventory and Logistics, the Best Value Country Sourcing (BVCS) Material Qualification Principal will be responsible for assessment, trial, testing, qualification and implementation management for equipment, bulk materials and components, with a specific focus on materials that represent an opportunity to reduce Fortescue’s operational costs while preserving reliability in day-today operations. Spanning all Metals Operations sites, and working closely with Site teams, C&P and Asset Management, this role is a critical enabler of structured and disciplined value improvement to Fortescue’s mining operations, ensuring that all materials, Equipment, components, spares and consumables used across Fortescue’s operational assets are technically compliant, safe, value improving and sustainable, while championing the opportunity for consistent and scaled rollout of successful initiatives across Fortescue’ Metals Operations sites.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate sourcing initiatives for alternative materials and suppliers in collaboration with Global Strategic Sourcing team to improve asset reliability and reduce life-cycle costs.
• Work closely with Contracting and Procurement teams (including Strategic Sourcing and Category Management) to ensure qualified materials are embedded in contracts, approved vendor lists, technical data and ERP systems.
• Ensure rundown of legacy materials to reduce working capital burden and ensure any new inventory strategies are optimised and fit for purpose, in collaboration with inventory team.
• Support quality and reliability management, issue and manage non-conformances with global vendors
• Support the GM Asset Management with strategic decision-making related to material standardisation, obsolescence management, and reliability improvement.
• Maintain a comprehensive database of qualified materials (Equipment, components, spares and consumables), associated testing data, and supplier performance metrics.
• Develop and deliver training and capability-building programs for site engineers, maintainers, and supply personnel on material qualification, testing, and sustainability practices.
• Implement governance structures for traceability, documentation, and approval of materials within Fortescue’s asset management systems.

Qualifications and Experience

• Extensive experience in maintenance, or asset management preferably within mining or heavy industry, with experience across fixed plant, Heavy Mobile Equipment and operational support infrastructure.
• Proven ability to develop and manage material (Equipment, components, spares and consumables) qualification and testing programs that enhance operational performance and reliability.
• Strong understanding of material (Equipment, components, spares and consumables) performance in mining environments (abrasion, corrosion, fatigue, and thermal resistance etc.).
• Ability to interpret technical standards (AS/NZS, ASTM, ISO) and align qualification processes with Fortescue’s governance frameworks.
• Tertiary qualifications in Mechanical Engineering, Quality management or Reliability Engineering, will be preferred.
• Strong alignment with Fortescue Values
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence both technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in cross-functional relationship building and leadership across maintenance, engineering, category management, global sourcing (BVCS), procurement and supply teams.
• Experience with material traceability systems, reliability databases, and SAP or equivalent enterprise asset management tools.

About Us

Be part of something big. Fortescue is leading the world with our plan to decarbonise our iron ore operations, projects that harness renewable energy and the development of technology that will change our planet forever.

Our Commitment

Fortescue celebrates individual strengths and team members are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Our global workforce drives and promotes an inclusive culture, both within our organisation and throughout the communities we interact with. Diverse backgrounds include First Nations Peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community, gender, neurodiverse, cultural diversity, all age groups, and those with an intersectional or multiple diverse characteristics. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

https://fortescue.com/careers 

Internal Candidates / Current Contractors please apply via Success Factors Careers Portal. For further information on how to apply please visit the Fortescue Hub. 

Fortescue reserves the right to close applications early should a suitable pool of candidates be identified. Fortescue will never contact you to ask for payment of any kind, whether directly or through a third party.