Senior Process Engineer

Ali Kavanagh
MELBOURNE VIC 3000Full time

Listed 1 Oct 2026

Closes 31 Oct 2026

12-Month Contract | Melbourne | Defence & Advanced Technology

Are you an experienced Senior Manufacturing, Process or Production Engineer looking for your next challenge in a complex, high-performance environment?
We are partnering with a leading organisation operating in the Defence and advanced manufacturing sector to secure a Lead Process Support Engineer. This is an opportunity to join a critical programme supporting the delivery of highly engineered products while leading process improvements, technical problem-solving activities and operational excellence initiatives.


This role offers the chance to work with multidisciplinary teams, influence manufacturing performance, and drive continuous improvement across quality, delivery, cost and productivity outcomes.

As the Lead Process Support Engineer, you will act as a key technical authority, supporting production operations through process optimisation, root cause investigation and implementation of engineering improvements.
You will work closely with manufacturing, quality, supply chain and engineering teams to resolve complex production challenges while leading initiatives that improve efficiency, quality and product performance.

Why You'll Love This Role
  • Provide technical leadership and real-time support to manufacturing operations
  • Lead investigations into production issues, non-conformances and quality alerts
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, quality and operational performance
  • Develop, implement and improve manufacturing processes, procedures and engineering standards
  • Conduct root cause analysis and corrective action activities
  • Support First Pass Yield and production performance improvements
  • Oversee process validation, testing activities and engineering change implementation
  • Review and improve control plans, PFMEAs and manufacturing documentation
  • Collaborate with quality, supply chain and production teams to achieve programme objectives
  • Mentor and coach engineers, technicians and operational personnel
  • About You
  • You will bring a strong background in manufacturing, production or process engineering environments and have proven experience driving operational improvements.
    You'll likely possess:
    • Extensive experience in process, manufacturing, production or industrial engineering
    • Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence methodologies
    • Experience with root cause analysis, problem solving and corrective actions
    • Exposure to quality frameworks including SPC, PFMEA, Control Plans and process validation
    • Strong stakeholder engagement and leadership capability
    • Experience supporting complex, safety-critical or regulated manufacturing environments
    • Excellent communication and influencing skills


What you'll get in return

  • Attractive daily rate contract
  • Melbourne-based opportunity
  • Long-term programme work with strong pipeline visibility
  • Opportunity to contribute to nationally significant projects
  • Collaborative and highly skilled engineering environment


What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV to Ali.Kavanagh@hays.com.au

If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

Please click here to apply.