_{30th April, 2026}

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:

As CI Manager, you’ll manage an exceptional team, lead the continuous improvement roadmap and strengthen process control across our Castlemaine operations. Sitting within the Continuous Improvement function you’ll succeed through influence and aligning stakeholders, removing roadblocks and building a high-performance improvement culture.

This role balances hands on project delivery with hands-on BAU support, while also coaching and mentoring CI capability across the business.



Responsibilities:

• Champion and deploy the Ham & Bacon CI / Manufacturing Excellence roadmap, setting ‘what good looks like’ for process control and variation reduction
• Own the administration, monitoring and prioritisation of the Ham & Bacon renewal / CI / cost-down pipeline, maintaining clear actions, cadence and accountability
• Embed core CI systems into business cycles (e.g., renewal drumbeat & forecasting, OEE/rate/yield reviews, and structured problem solving)
• Facilitate cross-functional CI strategy sessions, whiteboard workshops and steering routines—using senior forums to remove constraints and unblock delivery
• Drive sustainable visual management and daily management practices, role-modelling Lean fundamentals 

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

• 5+ years’ experience in manufacturing operations and/or CI delivery, with a proven track record of quantitative results
• Strong Lean and/or Six Sigma background (Green Belt minimum; Black Belt highly regarded)
• Demonstrated ability to influence by bringing leaders together, and build strong relationships 
• Proven experience building CI systems and routines (pipeline governance, forecasting, OEE/rate/yield rhythms, KPI tracking) 
• Proven experience as a people leader, supporting delivery of 10+ concurrent projects
• Strong analytical capability to interrogate data quality, identify process variation drivers and translate insights into practical actions
• Comfortable working cross-functionally across Operations, Engineering, Technical, Quality, Finance, and R&D in a fast-paced FMCG/manufacturing environment
• Working knowledge of SAP and Excel; exposure to tools such as JMP/Tableau or similar visual/statistical platforms is advantageous

Applications

To apply for this opportunity, please submit your resume and cover letter by clicking on the ‘Apply’ button.

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 donpeopleandperformance@gwf.com.au

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.

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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