Process Engineer

Real Pet Food Company; Gosford; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Real Pet Food Company is seeking a hands-on Process Engineer for our Somersby site on the Central Coast. You will drive continuous improvement across multiple production lines, working closely with Production, Maintenance, QA, and leadership to improve productivity and quality.

You’ll be on the factory floor, listening to operators, mapping processes and leading change management to ensure sustainable improvements that benefit people and processes alike.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering Continuous Improvement initiatives in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on Lean Manufacturing experience with practical improvement methods.
• Demonstrated change management and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Drive continuous improvement across three production lines with cross‑functional teams.
• Spend time on the factory floor to understand processes and capture insights.
• Influence stakeholders to adopt new, data‑driven ways of working.
• Lead change management, including training, communication and embedding changes.
• Understand operator needs and adapt solutions for real-world use.
• Map processes, identify critical control points and improve quality and safety.
• Use root-cause analysis (5 Whys, Fishbone, FMEA) for lasting solutions.
• Analyse production data and translate findings into actionable recommendations.

Skills

Continuous Improvement

Lean Manufacturing

Change Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Cross-functional Collaboration

Data Analysis

Education

Industrial Engineering degree

Mechanical Engineering degree

Job description

• Somersby, NSW - Work Close to Home on the Central Coast

• Great work life balance

• Small but mighty team

Great processes make great products. Great people make great processes work.

At The Real Pet Food Company, we’re passionate about creating fresher, more nutritious food for pets. We’re also passionate about finding better ways to work, improving performance and challenging the status quo.

We’re looking for a hands‑on Process Engineer to join our Somersby manufacturing site and drive meaningful, sustainable improvements across our production operations.

This role is about much more than analysing data, identifying inefficiencies and recommending technical solutions. It’s about getting out on the factory floor, understanding how things really work, listening to the people who do the work every day and bringing them along on the improvement journey.

You might identify the perfect solution on paper, but if the people responsible for implementing it don’t understand it, support it or see the value in it, it won’t deliver the results we need. Your ability to influence, collaborate and bring people with you will be just as important as your technical capability.

If you’re a Process Engineer who combines strong continuous improvement expertise with exceptional stakeholder engagement and change management skills, this is an opportunity to make a genuine impact.

What will you be doing?

Working across three production lines, including our Liver Room wet manufacturing operation, you’ll partner with Production, Maintenance, QA, Warehouse and Logistics, and site leadership to improve the way we manufacture our products.

Our site has a mix of modern automated equipment and manual processing, supported by operators with varying levels of experience. Understanding these differences — and developing solutions that work for the people, equipment and processes involved — will be critical to your success.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Driving continuous improvement: Identify, develop and implement initiatives that improve productivity, efficiency, yield, quality, safety and cost performance. Apply Lean Manufacturing principles to reduce waste, eliminate variation and improve how work gets done.

• Getting onto the factory floor: Spend time alongside operators, team leaders and maintenance technicians to understand processes from end to end. Observe how work is performed, ask questions, listen to feedback and identify opportunities that may not be visible from behind a desk.

• Influencing and building buy‑in: Engage stakeholders at every level of the business, from production workers and maintenance teams through to site leadership. Build trust, explain the rationale for change and influence people to support and adopt new ways of working.

• Leading change management: Take ownership of the change process, from consultation and stakeholder engagement through to communication, implementation, training and follow‑up. Anticipate resistance, listen to concerns, incorporate practical feedback and ensure changes are embedded and sustained.

• Understanding people and their pain points: Recognise that experienced operators and newer team members bring different levels of knowledge, confidence and experience. Adapt your approach, meet people where they are and develop solutions that make sense for the people who will use them.

• Mapping processes and identifying critical control points: Understand each stage of the production process and identify where performance, quality, safety or consistency can be compromised. This includes both technical and mechanical factors, as well as human behaviours, handovers, work instructions and process compliance.

• Solving problems at the source: Use structured root cause analysis techniques such as 5 Whys, Fishbone Diagrams and FMEA to understand why issues occur and implement practical, lasting solutions rather than temporary fixes.

• Using data to drive decisions: Analyse production data, identify trends and measure the impact of improvement initiatives. Translate findings into clear recommendations that stakeholders understand and support.

• Partnering across functions: Work collaboratively with Production, Maintenance, QA, NPD and other stakeholders to ensure proposed improvements are technically sound, operationally practical and aligned with quality and food safety requirements.

• Standardising and sustaining improvements: Develop and maintain SOPs, process documentation and training materials, ensuring new ways of working are understood, adopted and consistently followed.

• Supporting equipment and process optimisation: Work with internal teams, OEMs and contractors to improve equipment performance, production layouts, automation and the integration of manual and automated processes.

What will make you successful?

You’re an engaging, pragmatic and influential engineer who understands that continuous improvement is as much about people as it is about processes.

You have the technical capability to identify opportunities and develop solutions, but your real strength lies in how you bring others along. You’re consultative rather than prescriptive, confident enough to challenge existing practices, and open‑minded enough to recognise that the best solution may come from the people working on the production line.

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience delivering Continuous Improvement initiatives in a manufacturing environment, with examples of measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency, quality, yield, cost or waste.

• Hands‑on Lean Manufacturing experience, with the ability to apply practical improvement methodologies to real operational challenges.

• Demonstrated change management experience, including stakeholder consultation, communication planning, training, implementation, managing resistance and embedding sustainable changes.

• Exceptional influencing and relationship‑building skills. You can engage people at all levels, build credibility with frontline teams and gain genuine support for your recommendations.

• A collaborative and consultative approach. You listen before acting, welcome alternative perspectives, understand operational realities and adapt your recommendations when needed.

• A strong shop‑floor presence. You enjoy working alongside operators and maintenance teams, observing processes firsthand and turning their insights into practical improvements.

• A continuous improvement mindset, with the persistence to work through challenges, build consensus and ensure improvements deliver lasting results

Ideally, you’ll have 2-5 years’ experience in process engineering, manufacturing engineering or a similar role, preferably in FMCG or food manufacturing. Experience with short shelf-life food products, high-speed production, filling or packaging operations will be highly regarded.

A degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline is desirable, as is a Lean or Six Sigma qualification. Familiarity with HACCP, GMP, process documentation, data analysis tools and manufacturing automation will also be beneficial.

What does success look like?

Success in this role won’t be measured solely by the number of processes you improve or the efficiencies you deliver.

It will be measured by your ability to develop solutions that work in the real world — and to bring people with you along the way.

You’ll know you’re making an impact when operators understand why a process is changing, maintenance teams have been consulted on what’s practical, leaders are aligned on the outcomes, and the people responsible for the new process feel confident and committed to making it work.

You’ll build relationships across the site, earn the trust of the production teams and create a culture where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, raising concerns and contributing to better ways of working.

The gold star? Delivering measurable operational improvements while building the capability, confidence and commitment of the people who make those improvements sustainable.

Why join The Real Pet Food Company?

We believe pets deserve better nutrition, and our people are at the heart of making that happen.

At RPF, you’ll have the opportunity to make your mark in a growing business where continuous improvement, innovation and collaboration matter. You’ll work with people who care about what they do, have the opportunity to influence how we operate, and see the tangible impact of your work on our products, our performance and the pets we feed.

Our values guide how we work together:

Work as a Pack – collaborate, support each other and achieve more together.

Make Your Mark – take ownership and turn ideas into action.

Lead with Passion – bring energy, commitment and purpose to what you do.

Change the Game – challenge convention and find better ways forward.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity’s not a buzzword here, it’s in our DNA. Diverse perspectives shape our culture and make our work better. That’s why we’re committed to building inclusive teams that represent a variety of backgrounds and skills. If you need any reasonable adjustments, accessibility assistance or would like to note which pronouns you use at any stage of our hiring process, just contact us at accommodations: people&[e-mail]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please note: NO agencies will be considered during this process. We encourage you to refrain from submitting unsolicited profiles