Process Engineer

The role
We're hiring a Process Engineer to design, control and improve the processes behind everything we make — fermentation, brining and acidification, hot-fill sauce manufacture, pasteurisation, filling and packing. Our products depend on tightly controlled chemistry: pH, salt and acid concentrations, temperature and time. Your job is to make those processes repeatable, safe and efficient as volumes grow, and to lead the engineering work that takes new products from bench to full-scale production. You'll report directly to the founder.

What you'll do

• Define, document and control critical process parameters for fermentation, acidification (pH management), pasteurisation and hot-fill, and verify them against our registered food safety program
• Design and validate processes for new products; manage scale-up from trial batches to commercial runs
• Analyse yield, waste, cycle time and cost per unit; identify and implement process improvements
• Run root-cause analysis on batch deviations and quality issues and put corrective actions in place
• Specify, commission and maintain processing equipment; plan preventative maintenance and line changeovers
• Own batch records, traceability and recall-readiness from raw-material intake to dispatch
• Plan production scheduling across the brand lines against wholesale, distributor, retail and events demand
• Write and maintain SOPs and train production staff against them
• Report process and production KPIs to the Director

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in engineering — chemical, process, food, production or industrial — or an equivalent qualification
• At least two years' experience in a process or production engineering role in food, beverage or related manufacturing; fermentation, acidified or thermally processed foods highly regarded
• Working knowledge of HACCP-based food safety systems, process validation and batch traceability
• Confident with process data — measuring, analysing and acting on it
• Able to work hands-on and autonomously in a small, cross-trained team
• Full Australian working rights, or eligibility for employer sponsorship

What we offer

• $80,000 + superannuation, full-time ongoing role with annual review
• Direct line to the founder — your process decisions are implemented in weeks, not years
• A growing Melbourne food brand that takes food safety, documentation and craft equally seriously

To apply: submit your CV and a short cover note. Applications close 30 October 2026.