Quality Business Partner - Ham

Don; Castlemaine; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Study Assistance

Health and wellness initiatives

Discounted products

Training and development programs

Global career opportunities

Volunteer days

Job summary

DON, a leading Australian meat and diversified food manufacturer, is seeking a Quality Business Partner to join the onsite Quality team in Castlemaine. You will partner with Operations Leadership to embed food safety, GMP and quality across a key manufacturing stream, ensuring product safety and compliance.

In this hands-on role you will manage day-to-day quality priorities, respond to issues, support audits, traceability and continuous improvement, and provide practical training to raise

Qualifications

• Experience in a quality role within food manufacturing, ideally across smallgoods, dairy, beverage or perishable FMCG.
• Sound knowledge of food safety, GMP, HACCP, quality systems and relevant regulatory, certification and customer standards.
• Experience supporting audits, traceability, product holds, non-conformances and quality documentation.

Responsibilities

• Partner with operational leaders to embed food safety, quality and GMP best practice across the value stream.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, certification, customer and internal standards; identify risks and drive practical solutions.
• Manage product holds and releases, supplier and ingredient non-conformances, contamination incidents and escalated quality issues.
• Prepare for and support site, certification and customer audits; conduct regular GMP audits and close-out actions.
• Support traceability activities, quality documentation and reporting against site targets.
• Provide quality support for new product development, factory trials and cross-functional projects.
• Develop and deliver practical training across food safety, quality assurance, hygiene and sanitation.
• Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Quality role experience

Food safety

Audits & traceability

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Team-first

MS Excel/Word

SAP/quality systems

Continuous improvement

Onsite capability

Education

Food Science degree

Microbiology degree

Tools

SAP

Quality systems

Job description

• Own quality outcomes across a key Castlemaine manufacturing stream
• Partner with operations to strengthen food safety, GMP and compliance
• Drive audits, improvement projects and practical quality solutions

About Us

GWF is one of the largest food manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand, employing around 6,000 people across 40 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 1800s. 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.

We take great pride in our skills, techniques, and brands, which have evolved over more than a century. We've grown from a small family business to become one of Australia’s largest food manufacturers, now part of the GWF group.

DON is also a leading Australian employer with offices and facilities in metropolitan and regional locations across the country. We take pride in being a responsible employer and a great place to work. We offer a safe and supportive environment where everyone can achieve their full potential.

About the Role

We are seeking a Quality Business Partner to join our onsite Quality team in Castlemaine. Partnering closely with the Operations Leadership Team and other functions, you will provide practical quality and technical leadership across a key manufacturing stream, helping ensure the safety and quality of products manufactured onsite.

You will work across the factory to manage day-to-day quality priorities, respond to emerging issues and strengthen food safety, GMP, compliance and continuous improvement. This is a hands-on, highly collaborative role for someone who can build trusted relationships, influence constructively and remain adaptable as operational priorities change.

Responsibilities

• Partner with operational leaders and teams to embed food safety, quality and GMP best practice across the value stream
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, certification, customer and internal standards, identifying risks and driving practical solutions
• Manage product holds and releases, supplier and ingredient non-conformances, contamination incidents and escalated quality issues
• Prepare for and support site, certification and customer audits, conduct regular GMP audits and coordinate the close-out of actions
• Support traceability activities, quality documentation and accurate reporting against site targets and priorities
• Provide quality support for new product development, factory trials and cross-functional projects
• Develop and deliver practical training across food safety, quality assurance, hygiene and sanitation
• Work with internal teams and external suppliers to investigate issues, complete root-cause analysis and implement sustainable corrective actions
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities that simplify processes, strengthen controls and support operational efficiency
• Provide flexible support across other manufacturing streams when required

Why Join Us

Our Purpose is to craft food that brings out 'the good'.

When you work at DON, not only will you be part of a community crafting iconic products that people love, you will also enjoy a safe and supportive environment where you can be your authentic self, advance in your career if you choose to, be recognised and rewarded for your contributions, and make a positive difference in the community.

We also work hard to ensure the programs and benefits we offer are competitive and reflect the needs and preferences of our people. They include (among others):

• Flexible work arrangements
• Community partnerships and initiatives, including 2 volunteer days per year
• Options to purchase additional leave
• Discounted products
• Training and development programs
• Global career opportunities
• Various recognition programs and rewards, including an end-of-year celebration
• Health and wellness initiatives
• Study Assistance

About You

• Tertiary qualification in Food Science, Microbiology or a related discipline
• Experience in a quality role within food manufacturing, ideally across smallgoods, dairy, beverage, wine or another perishable FMCG environment
• Sound knowledge of food safety, GMP, HACCP, quality systems and relevant regulatory, certification and customer standards
• Experience supporting audits, traceability, product holds, non-conformances and quality documentation
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence constructively across operational teams
• Practical problem-solving capability and sound judgement when responding to quality or operational issues
• A flexible, team-first approach and confidence managing competing priorities in a fast-changing manufacturing environment
• Strong computer literacy across Microsoft Excel, Word and business systems; SAP or quality-system experience will be highly regarded
• Experience contributing to continuous improvement, process optimisation or cross-functional factory projects
• Willingness and ability to work onsite in Castlemaine on a full-time basis

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. So we can get to know you in the best possible way, we're happy to adjust our recruitment process to support your accessibility needs. Please let us know your needs in providing a positive, barrier-free recruitment process via email to [e-mail]

Applicants for this position may be required to undertake pre-employment screening tests including a pre-employment medical including drug and alcohol test and a security / background check which may also include a criminal record check. 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.