New Product Development- Food Technologist

Hey Food Tech (experienced in meat and ready meals ): Beaches over Brollies (always)

Trade your wellies for flip flops, your woolly jumpers for togs and move to Perth. We are a family-owned business, with an opportunity (for the right person) at our operations in Rockingham WA. We are looking for someone who is committed and wants a change (but not found the right opportunity yet) to be our match. It is a long way to go and a big deal to move across the world so we thought we would just point out some important things to consider. The place is spectacular, not just our factory but the city, the immediate surrounds and the entire state is amazing. The work is great too. We are not the kind of business that will promise you silly things;we won’t tell you that we will be your second family.What we will say (and hopefully it will help you understand a bit about us) is that some of our colleagues have worked for us their entire working lives. We like that kind of fit and hope that could be you.

Perth boasts more sunny days than any other Australian capital city. Our Rockingham operations is a short hop skip and a jump to a beautiful coast and our site is located outside the CBD and so we don’t have snarly jams to get to work. We have a diverse team working here and approx. 300 people from all walks of life inside and outside of the processing facilities. 

First established in 1910, Milne Agrigroup is a family owned and family run company. We are big believers in our product and our people. We have been at the forefront of developing high welfare FMCG products here in Western Australia for decades now and across our businesses we have dedicated ourselves to not just producing but innovating in our areas of expertise. Our multi award winning meat division is a large part of that innovation and for that part of the business innovation is not just about quality, it is about responding and adapting to our consumers ever evolving palate and plate with a sharp and focused eye on provenance, quality, care and sustainability.

We are committed to the sustainable growth of our beloved brands. We have markets in Western Australia and export, and we are looking for an experienced Food Technologist who will work with us as we keep pushing the boundaries of what it means to be experts in high quality pork and poultry products. We know that difference and diversity build better products, workplaces and teams. We are looking outside the places we usually look to recruit as part of that process. 

Other reasons to join us

Prime Location: working in Rockingham with access to staff parking and public transport. Plus, Rockingham boasts an unusually large percentage of people from UK.

Exclusive benefits: enjoy staff discounts on a range of our products available in our Staff shop.

Fuel up at work: let our in-house Barista brighten up your mornings with café quality coffee in our staff canteen.

Growth and flexibility: we value work/life balance and offer flexible working hours where possible.  For those eager to scale, we can also offer longer term career advancement opportunities. 

Objectives of The Role

This is a full-time position at our Rockingham site reporting to our GM New Products.  The role will involve product development from concept all the way through to launch for key product development projects. 

Responsibilities include:

• Working within the development team on new product development briefs for branded range development

• Ensuring new products are commercialised on time, at cost and to appropriate functional, quality and regulatory standards

• Partnering with the Operations team and being the technical lead in planning and executing products from prototype development through to factory trial and commercialisation

• Communication and escalation of project progress/issues to sponsors & other stakeholders e.g.: product and process risks, project milestones, roadblocks and recommendations 

• Developing, trialling, validating and implementing changes to formulations, products and processes to meet customer and project requirements

• Coordination of factory trials to ensure product and process feasibility, which will include liaising with production, laboratory and technical services staff

• Driving product and processes improvements to achieve cost and waste reduction, capacity and quality targets and collaboration with various stakeholders

• Quality improvement through identifying and implementing improvements in product design and processes while maintaining product consistency and quality

• Designs in quality and understand product key quality attributes

• Specifications management including raw materials, packaging and finished product specifications and quality attribute standards in both company and customer databases

• Maintain records for R&D tax concession claim and complete accurate and timely information for Stage gate documentation

What We Need from You

The must-haves include:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science/Technology or related field and previous experience in a food product development role+

• A deep passion for culinary excellence, with a track record of creating innovative and well-balancedflavourful products.

• A well developed and sophisticated palate to contribute to new product panel discussions, product design and flavour profile development.

• Experience in developing and commercialising products and processes in a variety of chilled and frozen food products within retail, food service or other manufacturing environments.

• Exceptional skills in menu development, food presentation, and quality control

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross functional business partners including commercial and manufacturing teams to ensure timely and quality execution of multiple projects

• Sound knowledge of FSANZ requirements and labelling requirements

• Show a clear commitment to continually developing knowledge and skills

• Competence in Microsoft Office suite

• Ability to quickly learn new concepts and adapt to change

• Experience in managing multiple projects and sound project management skills

• Self-motivated and enthusiastic with a positive attitude

 

Desirables include:

• Experience with value added and cooked meats and meals

• Experience with cooking/packing machinery

Joining the Group

Staff benefits include:

• Friendly and supportive work culture

• Long term career opportunities

• Free onsite parking

• Discount on products

Our team is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to creating a workplace environment where staff feel supported, empowered, respected and valued. We seek to provide equal opportunities for all regardless of ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation and life stage and we encourage you to apply.  Our workplaces are vibrant and diverse communities and we are committed to making reasonable adjustments that will support our commitment to inclusivity.