The SunRice Group is an Australian ASX-listed branded food group, comprising multiple businesses, assets and operations across Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, the United States, The Pacific Islands and Asia. SunRice was built by the Australian rice industry over many decades and today is one of Australia’s leading branded food exporters, with approximately 2,000 employees and operations in 11 countries.

SunRice is a great place to work, providing a real opportunity for passionate people to make a difference.

About The Role

If food gets you out of bed in the morning - and you love seeing ideas turn into products consumers enjoy - this one’s for you.

We’re on the lookout for an experienced Product Development Technologist to join our R&D team on a 12-month FTC , working across our Chadstone office and Heidelberg manufacturing site. This is a strategic and hands-on role where you’ll be right in the action - in the development kitchen & on the factory floor; developing products, running trials and partnering with key stakeholders to bring great food to life.

Key Responsibilities Will Include

• Leading end-to-end product development, reformulation and optimisation projects
• Designing, running and analysing bench, pilot and factory trials
• Supporting scale-up, first productions and on-site manufacturing troubleshooting
• Owning formulations, specifications and technical documentation
• Ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, labelling and customer standards
• Managing shelf-life validation, risk assessments and technical change control
• Partnering with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to deliver outcomes
• Identifying continuous improvement opportunities across products and processes

About You

You’re passionate about food and proud of the products you help bring to life. You’re driven, proactive and comfortable taking ownership - someone who can think on their feet, use initiative and navigate competing priorities without losing sight of the detail.

You enjoy being hands-on, value strong stakeholder relationships, and can translate technical insight into practical manufacturing solutions.

You Will Bring

• A degree in Food Science or a related discipline
• Strong experience in product development within FMCG or food manufacturing or retail
• A Solid understanding of food safety, quality and regulatory requirements (FSANZ, PIFs, etc.)
• A collaborative, team-first mindset with confident stakeholder management skills
• A practical, solutions-focused approach and the ability to juggle multiple projects
• Curiosity, resilience and a genuine love of developing great food

What’s In It For You

At SunRice Group, we believe great work starts with feeling supported, valued and inspired. When you join our team, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, growth and everyday life.

• SunRice Product Allowance : Take home a taste of what we do best. You’ll receive a weekly allowance of SunRice Group products, so you can enjoy and share the food we’re proud to make.
• Leave: Enjoy competitive leave benefits, including volunteer leave and the option to purchase additional leave when you need extra flexibility.
• Wellness Reimbursement: Your wellbeing matters. Twice a year, you’ll be reimbursed for fitness memberships or other health and wellbeing initiatives that help you feel your best

If you’re looking for a role where you can make an impact, stay close to the product, and work with people who genuinely care about what they do, we’d love to hear from you.

All correspondence will be dealt with in strict confidence.

SunRice is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. SunRice will consider qualified applicants for employment based on their merit, individual skills, qualifications and other appropriate criteria relevant to the role for which they are applying.