Graduate Continuous Improvement & Capital Projects Engineer

DON; Castlemaine; On-site; AUD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

DON in Castlemaine, Victoria is seeking a Graduate Continuous Improvement & Capital Projects Engineer to kick-start your engineering career by applying Lean Six Sigma and project delivery in a manufacturing setting. You'll collaborate with Operations, Engineering and CI teams to drive safety, quality, reliability and capacity improvements.

Through on-the-job learning, you'll work on real capital equipment projects from problem definition to installation and handover, with mentorship and hands-on

Qualifications

• Degree in an engineering discipline completed within the last two years.
• At least one year of relevant experience in manufacturing or similar.
• Interest in continuous improvement and Lean methods for project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Support continuous improvement initiatives across operations.
• Assist capital projects from planning to handover.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations and CI teams to improve safety, quality, reliability and capacity.
• Contribute to risk assessments, cost estimates and business cases for projects.
• Prepare project documentation and support capital equipment installations and commissioning.

Skills

Continuous Improvement

Lean Six Sigma

Project Delivery

Team Collaboration

Education

Engineering degree (relevant)

Job description

Graduate Continuous Improvement & Capital Projects Engineer

04th November, 2026

Build your engineering career at DON while supporting projects that improve safety, quality, reliability and performance across our operations.

About Us
GWF is one of the largest food manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand, employing around 6,000 people across 60 sites. GWF’s product range is diverse and includes leading brands of breads, baked goods, smallgoods, flour, milled products, and animal feed. GWF’s business units include Tip Top, DON, Yumi's, MAURI and Jasol.
DON’s heritage goes back to the late 1800’s. Since the beginning, we have been passionate about crafting great-tasting meat products that Australians love. We produce ham, bacon, salami, smallgoods, and fresh pork.

About the Role:
As our Graduate Continuous Improvement & Capital Projects Engineer, you’ll have the opportunity to put your engineering knowledge into practice while building your skills in a manufacturing environment at DON. Through on-the-job learning, you’ll develop your problem-solving skills, explore new technologies and support continuous improvement initiatives and capital projects that make a practical difference to our operations.
In this role, you’ll work alongside our Operations, Engineering and Continuous Improvement teams to help improve safety, quality, cost, reliability and capacity across the site. You’ll get hands-on exposure to Lean Six Sigma tools and real capital equipment projects, from defining the problem and exploring options through to installation, commissioning and handover.

Responsibilities:

• Live the values of Safe, Courageous, Trusting and Collaborative
• Support projects and business as usual activities
• Support operational functions to identify and drive continuous improvement, using data and structured problem solving
• Help prepare project documents such as problem statements, cost estimates, risk assessments and business cases
• Support capital equipment projects through installation, commissioning, training and handover

About you:

• A degree in a relevant Engineering discipline, completed in the past two years, and at least one year of relevant experience
• A genuine interest in continuous improvement, lean methods and project delivery in a manufacturing environment
• Energy and enthusiasm for the overall vision and direction of the company
• Ability to build positive working relationships across teams
• A data-driven mindset with a practical, hands-on approach

Please note:

At DON and George Weston Foods, we are an equal opportunity employer. We embrace inclusion and diversity and celebrate what makes us unique. We are committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and the provision of a safe and healthy work environment.

Applicants for this position will be required to undertake pre-employment screening tests including a pre-employment medical which includes a drug and alcohol test. Proof of eligibility to work is required for all successful applicants.

GWF has a duty of care and a legal responsibility to promote, monitor and maintain a safe working environment for the protection of all of our people in our workplaces. As per our GWF Workplace COVID-19 Safety and Vaccination Policy we strongly encourage all new employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless exempt and note that some roles are subject to customer mandates in relation to COVID-19 vaccination.