Continuous Improvement Manager

The Cake Syndicate Pty Ltd; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinrise is a growing food manufacturer in Australia seeking a Continuous Improvement Manager to lead end-to-end improvements across bakery operations. You will connect operational and digital data to drive practical decisions, build scalable operating systems and ensure new automated assets achieve safety, quality, service, cost and capacity benefits.

This high-impact role requires hands-on leadership on the factory floor, data & analytics, cross-functional transformation and executive

Qualifications

• Minimum five years' experience leading measurable continuous improvement in manufacturing.
• Proven cross-functional improvement delivery beyond production.
• Strong analytical capability including data extraction, cleansing, visualization, and financial validation.
• Experience using automated equipment data and OEE to improve performance.
• Experience commissioning or ramping up highly automated equipment, with GMP/HACCP knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end continuous improvement across the bakery business.
• Transform value streams by reducing lead times, constraints and waste.
• Turn data into action with KPI dashboards and data ownership.
• Embed a Lean operating system with standard work and problem solving.
• Govern the improvement portfolio with scope, baselines and milestones.
• Lead change and build capability across teams and leadership.
• Ensure safety, quality, traceability and regulatory compliance in changes.

Skills

Continuous improvement leadership

Analytical capability

Data extraction

OEE experience

Problem solving

Education

Engineering/Operations/Supply Chain degree

Tools

Automated equipment data

Manufacturing digital systems

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.

As Continuous Improvement Manager, you will lead end-to-end continuous improvement across the Bakery business. You will connect operational and digital data with practical decision-making, build sustainable operating systems and ensure new automated assets achieve their full safety, quality, service, cost and capacity potential. This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who can move confidently between the factory floor, data and analytics, cross-functional transformation and executive conversations. You will build a prioritised improvement portfolio, coach teams to solve problems independently and deliver measurable, sustained benefits across planning, production, warehousing and customer service.

What You Will Do

• Transform value streams: Lead end-to-end improvements that reduce lead time, constraints and waste, while simplifying processes, hand-offs and decision ownership.
• Turn data into action: Establish trusted KPIs, accountable data ownership, accessible dashboards and a single view of performance to support faster, better decisions.
• Optimise automated lines: Use OEE, downtime and loss data to improve availability, throughput, changeovers and reliability, and safely ramp up new assets against approved targets.
• Embed a Lean operating system: Build consistent performance routines, standard work, structured problem solving and controls that sustain improvements and prevent recurring losses.
• Govern the improvement portfolio: Define scope, baselines, milestones, risks and benefits, and provide transparent reporting on delivery, savings, capacity and replication.
• Lead change and build capability: Secure cross-functional ownership and coach leaders and frontline teams to confidently use data, Lean methods and digital tools.
• Build safety, quality and compliance into every change: Ensure improvements are risk-assessed, controlled and validated, strengthening food safety, quality, traceability and regulatory compliance.

What You Will Bring

• At least five years' experience leading measurable continuous improvement, operational excellence or transformation initiatives in manufacturing, FMCG, supply chain or another complex operating environment.
• A track record of delivering cross-functional improvements beyond production alone.
• Strong analytical capability, including data extraction, cleansing and visualisation, statistical analysis and validation of financial benefits.
• Practical experience using automated equipment data, OEE, downtime and loss analysis, or manufacturing digital systems to improve performance.
• Proven ability to facilitate complex problem solving and deliver improvement projects and programs across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong change leadership, influencing and coaching skills across frontline, functional and executive levels.
• A relevant tertiary qualification in engineering, operations, supply chain or a related discipline.
• Highly regarded: Experience commissioning, ramping up or optimising highly automated manufacturing equipment, together with knowledge of food manufacturing requirements such as GMP, HACCP, traceability and controlled change.

How You Will Lead

You bring a courageous, commercially minded approach to improvement. You can make the numbers meaningful, challenge accepted ways of working and create practical solutions that teams own. You build trust, provide clarity, foster accountability and bring people together when challenges arise.

Why Join Us?

An opportunity with us would mean:

• 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. At Kinrise, it is not just about what we do and the great products we make, but how we work together. Kinrise is built on the foundation of five core values - we are driven, we are real, we care, we are proud and we are different. These values guide our decisions and how we behave every day. We strive to make a positive impact on each other, our communities and our consumers. We believe that how we achieve our results is as important as the results we achieve. As leaders in Australian food manufacturing, it is the living of our values that will build our reputation as a great place to work and a great Australian business with the consumer at the core.