Chief Engineer & Automation Strategy Leader

Kinrise; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinrise is a fast-growing Australian food manufacturer seeking a Head of Engineering and Automation to translate business strategy into a prioritised program across Kinrise. You will develop a 3–5 year roadmap to improve safety, quality, and efficiency and lead initiatives from business case through commissioning and benefits realisation.

You will collaborate with Operations, Safety, Quality and Finance, building engineering standards and leading capability across sites while moving between

Qualifications

• Recognised degree in mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, automation or related field.
• Desirable: project management or asset management training (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP, Lean, Six Sigma).
• Desirable: machinery safety, hygienic design, automation controls knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Kinrise's engineering, automation and manufacturing technology strategy.
• Lead capital planning and oversee major automation projects > $100,000.
• Establish reliability and asset-management standards across sites.
• Define standards for controls, safety, documentation and energy efficiency.
• Lead change management and stakeholder engagement for major tech shifts.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Technical judgement

Commercial & financial acumen

Problem solving

Influence senior leaders

Change leadership

Communication

Leadership & governance

Safety commitment

Education

Engineering degree (mechanical/electrical/mechatronics/automation)

Job description

Kinrise is a growing, privately owned powerhouse in Australian food manufacturing with some of Australia’s most loved and innovative brands. We describe ourselves as a ‘start up with scale’ and have a burning ambition to grow our business. Formed in 2018 the Kinrise portfolio covers Biscuits, Breakfast, Baking, Bakery, and Snackfood categories and has 40+ years making iconic Australian food, with a rich Australian heritage that’s grounded in family origins.

This Head of Engineering and Automation is a high-impact leadership role responsible for translating business strategy into a prioritised program of engineering, automation and capital initiatives across Kinrise.

You will develop and deliver a 3–5 year engineering and automation roadmap, identifying opportunities to improve safety, quality, food safety, manufacturing capacity, reliability, OEE, labour productivity and operational efficiency.

You will lead major initiatives from opportunity identification and business case development through design, procurement, installation, commissioning, operational handover and benefits realisation.

Working closely with Operations, Safety, Quality, Finance and site leadership, you will provide technical and commercial leadership while building consistent engineering, automation, reliability and asset-management standards across Kinrise.

This role is ideal for a senior engineering or automation leader who can move confidently between strategy, technology, capital investment and operational execution.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering & Automation Strategy

• Develop, maintain and deliver Kinrise’s engineering, automation and manufacturing technology strategy.
• Translate business strategy into a prioritised and costed roadmap across manufacturing sites.
• Define automation opportunities across production, processing, material handling and packaging.
• Balance immediate operational priorities with long-term capability, technology lifecycle, capacity and sustainability requirements.
• Provide recommendations to senior leadership on investment priorities, sequencing, dependencies and risk.

Automation & Manufacturing Technology

• Establish and maintain a pipeline of engineering and automation opportunities across Kinrise sites.
• Identify and deploy appropriate technologies including robotics, automated material handling, machine vision, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, instrumentation and manufacturing data systems.
• Ensure automation solutions deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, traceability, throughput, reliability, labour productivity, waste or operational control.
• Establish standard technical architectures, control philosophies, equipment specifications and preferred technology platforms.
• Manage automation lifecycle and obsolescence risks.
• Ensure automation solutions integrate effectively with existing equipment, utilities, production processes and business systems.

Capital & Project Delivery

• Lead development of the annual Kinrise capital plan in alignment with strategic priorities and site requirements.
• Review and technically endorse major capital expenditure proposals.
• Lead and oversee major capital and automation projects valued above $100,000.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely to approved scope, schedule, budget and technical performance requirements.
• Oversee suppliers, systems integrators, OEMs, contractors and consultants.
• Ensure project risks, scope changes, decisions and benefits are effectively managed and communicated.
• Support operational readiness, commissioning, ramp-up and successful handover of completed projects.

Reliability & Asset Management

• Establish and maintain consistent reliability and asset-management standards across Kinrise.
• Define expectations for planned, preventive and predictive maintenance, critical spares, asset hierarchies and failure analysis.
• Establish asset criticality assessments and ensure risks to safety, quality, service and production continuity are addressed.
• Ensure project designs consider reliability, maintainability, cleanability, technical support and whole-of-life cost.
• Build technical capability across site engineering and maintenance teams through standards, coaching and communities of practice.

Engineering Standards & Governance

• Develop and maintain Group engineering, automation and equipment standards.
• Define preferred equipment, controls, components, software platforms and suppliers where standardisation creates value.
• Ensure standards address machinery safety, hygienic design, food safety, electrical and mechanical design, controls, documentation, cybersecurity, maintainability and energy efficiency.
• Maintain appropriate technical documentation, drawings, specifications, control programs and asset information.
• Establish technical assurance and design-review requirements based on project value, complexity and risk.

Sustainability & Resource Efficiency

• Ensure engineering and automation initiatives consider energy, water, waste, packaging, emissions and resource efficiency.
• Incorporate sustainability benefits and lifecycle costs into investment recommendations.
• Measure completed initiatives against agreed environmental and resource-efficiency outcomes.

Stakeholder & Change Leadership

• Build strong relationships across Business Units, manufacturing sites and functions.
• Create shared ownership of engineering and automation outcomes.
• Lead communication, consultation and workforce transition activities associated with major technology and process changes.
• Engage employees and technical specialists in design reviews, testing and implementation.
• Develop a capable supplier ecosystem and build internal capability so improvements are sustained after project completion.

Skills And Attributes

• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate long-term manufacturing needs into practical and sequenced action.
• Strong technical judgement across engineering, automation, project delivery, reliability and manufacturing operations.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including capital governance, lifecycle costing and investment evaluation.
• Highly developed problem-solving, root-cause analysis, risk assessment and decision‑making capability.
• Ability to influence senior leaders, site teams and technical specialists without relying solely on formal authority.
• Ability to challenge constructively, make disciplined trade‑offs and maintain accountability for outcomes.
• Strong project, program, contractor, supplier and resource‑management capability.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical and commercial matters to different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, build capability and earn trust across functions and sites.
• Commitment to safety, food safety, quality, integrity and the Kinrise Values.

Qualifications

• Recognised degree qualification in mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, automation, manufacturing, process or another relevant engineering discipline, or an equivalent qualification and experience.
• Additional training or certification in project management, continuous improvement or asset management, such as PRINCE2, PMP, Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent, is desirable.
• Training or demonstrated capability in machinery safety, functional safety, hygienic design, automation controls or operational technology is desirable.

Why Join Us?

• An opportunity to work with leading Australian-made brands and products
• An exciting role in a growing business with a great history and an ambitious growth agenda
• Supportive and collaborative team culture

Kinrise is committed to creating an environment that welcomes all, celebrates our diversity in all its forms and fosters an environment of inclusion. We recognise that our unique differences are what sets us apart and how we succeed as a team. We are an equal opportunity employer.