Process Innovation Lead

Birch & Waite Foods Pty Ltd; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Birch & Waite Foods Pty Ltd is recruiting a Process Innovation Lead in Sydney. You will guide the transition from development to manufacturing, building capability across Innovation, Operations and Quality.

The role involves leading a team of Innovation Process Technicians, driving trials, and ensuring successful scale-up and transfer on a new Villawood site. You’ll report to the Head of Innovation and work across Marrickville, Revesby and Villawood, with travel between sites to support batch

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading cross-functional teams in a food manufacturing context.
• Experience coaching and developing technical staff.
• Experience running or supporting scale-up, transfer or factory trials.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the Innovation Process Technicians across multiple sites.
• Build cross-skilling and succession depth to avoid single points of failure.
• Drive scale-up, product transfers and data capture for quality sign-off.
• Collaborate with Operations, Planning and Quality to lift capability.
• Oversee pilot plant establishment for testing new products and processes.
• Own handover to Operations with robust SOPs and controls.
• Act as the main liaison between Innovation and Operations.

Skills

Leadership

Team coaching

Factory trials

Food manufacturing

Education

Food Technology or Chemical Engineering degree

Job description

Process Innovation Lead

New Role: Seeking an Innovation-to-Manufacturing Leader

At Birch & Waite, we don't just make chef-quality sauces, dressings, mayonnaise and desserts. We create products that help Australians make everyday meals extraordinary.

Process Innovation Lead

Birch & Waite | Sydney (Marrickville & Revesby, moving to Villawood) | Full-time

New Role: Seeking an Innovation-to-Manufacturing Leader

As our business continues to grow, with a new site in Villawood on the way next year, and our product portfolio expands, we're creating a brand-new role, Process Innovation Lead, to help us scale that growth without ever compromising on quality.

This is a leadership role for someone who brings out the best in people.

We're looking for a leader who builds capability. Someone who coaches a team to run trials with confidence, brings Innovation, Operations, Planning and Quality together around a shared goal, and earns trust on the factory floor.

You’ll lead change and influence across teams, with the technical credibility to hold your own in the room and the manufacturing know-how to make it work on the line.

Whether you're a food technologist with strong manufacturing capability, or an operations or process professional with a solid understanding of food, we'd love to hear from you.

Reporting to our Head of Innovation, you'll lead, coach and develop a team of Innovation Process Technicians, building a team where scale-up and transfer know-how is shared, not held by one person.

This role will initially be based across our Marrickville and Revesby sites, expanding to our new Villawood site next year, so flexibility to travel between locations is essential.

You’ll be responsible for

• Leading, coaching and developing the Innovation Process Technicians, setting clear goals and giving regular, constructive feedback
• Building cross-skilling and succession depth so trial and transfer work never relies on any one person
• Growing your team's independence, so technicians plan and run trials with confidence
• Sharing scale-up and process knowledge with Operations and Quality to lift capability beyond your immediate team
• Leading factory trials and product/process transfers from concept to full-scale production, capturing the data needed for quality sign-off and resolving issues fast
• Bringing Innovation, Operations, Planning and Quality together around clear plans, and engaging stakeholders early to keep everyone aligned and informed
• Contributing to upfront product and process design, optimising for cost, quality and scale-up success from day one
• Owning the handover to Operations, with SOPs, process controls and documentation completed and signed off, no loose ends
• Acting as the primary link between Innovation and Operations, supporting plant performance, quality investigations and cost-improvement projects
• Establishing and managing our pilot plant to test new products, processes and ingredients for effective scale-up

You’ll thrive here if you…

• Get energy from coaching others to independence and building team capability
• Lead through influence, building trust and alignment with stakeholders from operators to senior leaders
• Are highly organised and consistent at turning plans into delivered outcomes
• Are energised by leading change and helping others see the benefit
• Love being on the factory floor as much as in a project plan
• Want to make a real impact on products Australians enjoy every day

What you’ll bring

• A tertiary qualification in Food Technology, Food Process Engineering or Chemical Engineering
• Direct experience leading, coaching and developing a team, with evidence of building team capability over time
• Experience running or supporting factory trials, scale-up or product transfers
• A solid understanding of food manufacturing, food safety and quality requirements
• Enough technical depth, such as a food technology, food science or engineering background (or equivalent experience), to earn the respect of technical teams
• A scientific, structured approach to trials, data capture and analysis
• A track record of leading projects or change across functions

Bonus points if you have

• Experience with wet food products, such as chilled mayonnaise, dressings and sauces
• Understanding of HACCP and relevant legislative requirements

Life at Birch & Waite

People are at the heart of everything we do.

We believe the best ideas come from collaboration. You'll join a supportive team that's passionate about innovation, quality and continuous improvement, where your ideas are valued and your work has a real impact.

As we continue to grow, you'll have the opportunity to build and develop a team, lead exciting projects, and help shape the future of one of Australia's leading food manufacturers.

Values-led organisation:

Together | Committed | Creative | Authentic

Whether you're a food technologist with strong manufacturing experience and a flair for developing people, or an operations leader who loves food innovation, we'd love to hear from you. Join us as we continue to create extraordinary food experiences for Australians every day.

Ready to lead what's next?