R&D Technologist

Kinrise is a growing, privately owned powerhouse in Australian food manufacturing with some of Australia’s most loved and innovative brands. We describe ourselves as a ‘start up with scale’ and have a burning ambition to grow our business. Formed in 2018 the Kinrise portfolio covers Biscuits, Breakfast, Baking, Bakery, and Snackfood categories and has 40+ years making iconic Australian food, with a rich Australian heritage that’s grounded in family origins.

Role type: Maximum term (parental leave replacement) up to 10 months.

In our R&D Technologist role, you will help develop new products and improve existing products for quality and cost savings across the Branded, Private Label and Corporate portfolios.

What You Will Do

• Concept to Launch: Lead end-to-end technical development of new and existing products from concept to commercialisation.
• Recipe Development: Prototype and formulate recipes aligned to NPD briefs, nutrition targets, claims, and cost constraints.
• Feasibility Assessments: Evaluate incoming product briefs for technical feasibility and provide constructive stakeholder feedback.
• Trial Management: Plan, coordinate, and lead kitchen, pilot, and factory trials to support product scale-up.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Production, Procurement, QA, and Commercial teams for successful launches.
• Technical Documentation: Manage formulations, specifications, Bills of Materials (BOMs, SAP), batch sheets, and labelling compliance.
• Regulatory Compliance: Develop nutritional panels, ingredient lists, and artwork in strict accordance with FSANZ regulations.
• Ingredient Innovation: Source and evaluate new functional ingredients and suppliers to drive innovation.
• Project Management: Lead cross-functional timelines using a Stage-Gate framework to deliver projects on time.
• Optimisation & Value: Drive continuous improvement, shelf-life testing, cost-optimisation, and value engineering initiatives.

What We Are Looking For

• Education: Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related discipline.
• Experience: Minimum 3+ years of product development experience within FMCG manufacturing.
• Bakery Expertise: Prior experience in bakery is highly regarded.
• Scale-Up Knowledge: Proven understanding of product formulation, industrial scale-up, and commercial manufacturing.
• Software Skills: Proficiency in creating Product Information Forms (PIFs) and using FoodWorks or similar labelling software, Coles Fusion, WW Sphere, and related systems.
• Regulatory Acumen: Strong working knowledge of FSANZ food standards and labelling requirements.
• Trend Awareness: Deep passion for food, nutrition, and trends such as high-protein, low-sugar, and functional ingredients.
• Commercial Mindset: Solid financial acumen with experience managing recipe costings and ingredient value optimisation.
• Soft Skills: Highly organised, agile multi-tasker with exceptional stakeholder management, proactive communication skills, and strong attention to detail.

Most importantly, you are a real team player who is as passionate as we are at bringing deliciousness to life!

Why Join Us?

Kinrise is a fast paced, agile business that focuses on your talents and challenges you to perform at your best. An opportunity with us would mean:

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An opportunity to work with leading Australian-made brands and products

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An exciting role in a growing business with a great history and an ambitious growth agenda

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Supportive and collaborative team culture