Company description:

Simplot Australia is a food manufacturing and agriculture business encompassing potato, vegetable, seafood, and sauce operations that supply a wide range of frozen, shelf-stable and chilled products to Australia and New Zealand's major retail and food service customers.

As a leading provider of quality, nourishing and sustainable food, we are focussed on creating food Australians and New Zealanders love by maximising value from the best Australian-grown produce and global seafood. Our iconic brands have been an integral part of Australian life for generations, and include the likes of Leggo's, Birds Eye, Edgell, John West and Chiko.

We have five manufacturing sites in Australia and six sales sites and employ almost 2000 people across these operations. We are an integral part of the global J.R. Simplot Company.

Job description:

Culture and Benefits

At Simplot, we are fuelled by our purpose: We Contribute to Feeding Our World. We imagine a better future and set goals to reach it. We are committed to working as one Simplot and are guided by our shared values:

- Respect for Resources
- Spirit of Innovation
- Passion for People

We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. We care about creating an environment that promotes safety and wellbeing and where our people feel supported, respected and empowered. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all our team members.

Simplot is passionate about cultivating a future where good ideas and inspiring possibilities have the chance to grow. We want our team members to build exciting and fulfilling careers with us and offer professional and personal growth opportunities.

The Perks

- Flexible working arrangements and a variety of engaging Health and Wellbeing programs
- Diverse Leadership Development Programs and Professional Development Support
- Employee Reward and Recognition Program
- Bonus incentives
- Discounted Health Insurance and Gym Memberships
- Sensory Club Program - Enjoy and taste our new product launches and access to our Culinary cooking sessions
- Novated Car Leasing Agreements
- Income Protection Insurance




- Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave

Simplot Australia values the innovation and relationship building that comes from face-to-face connection but also recognises the need for flexibility in the lives of our team members. This is why we have a hybrid work environment, with one dedicated day per week where we all come together to maintain our successful culture of innovation, connection and collaboration.

About Our Role

Permanent Full-Time | Mentone, VIC (Chifley Business Park) | Hybrid Working

Join Simplot's Food Safety & Quality team as a Vendor Assurance Technologist, where you'll play a critical role in protecting our brands through supplier assurance, food safety, quality compliance and risk management.

Reporting to the Vendor Assurance Manager, you'll oversee the approval, monitoring and ongoing management of suppliers across Ingredients, Packaging, Finished Goods and Service Providers (3PL Warehousing and Transport) to minimize food safety and quality risk throughout the supply chain.

This is a unique opportunity to combine supplier auditing, risk assessment, food import compliance, biosecurity and stakeholder engagement within a highly collaborative and globally connected environment. You'll have the opportunity to work with suppliers across Australia and internationally while helping ensure safe, compliant and high-quality products reach our consumers.

What You'll Do

You'll maintain a risk-based supplier assurance program and work closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders to ensure compliance with Simplot and regulatory requirements.

In this role, you will:

- Conduct supplier approval, risk assessment and ongoing supplier review activities
- Partner with Procurement and Logistics teams to onboard, assess and manage suppliers




- Plan and conduct supplier audits locally and internationally
- Support food import compliance activities, including the FICA program and Biosecurity Import Permit processes
- Manage supplier corrective actions and drive continuous improvement initiatives
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) projects through supplier and manufacturing site assessments
- Manage quality and consumer complaint investigations relating to externally manufactured products
- Build solid relationships with suppliers, service providers and internal stakeholders to influence positive quality and food safety outcomes

About You

- Experience within Food Safety & Quality in a food manufacturing, FMCG or related environment
- Experience conducting supplier, quality or food safety audits
- Strong understanding of HACCP, food safety requirements and quality systems
- Able to assess risk, recommend practical mitigation strategies and make balanced decisions
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build relationships, engage the right stakeholders and influence outcomes
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills
- Comfortable working through ambiguity and applying a practical, risk-based approach to problem solving
- Collaborative, team-oriented with a growth mindset and continuous improvement focus
- Technical understanding of the Food Standards Code, food legislation, GFSI standards and certification frameworks
- Lead Auditor qualification highly regarded
- Biosecurity, food import compliance or FICA experience highly regarded
- Experience with thermal processing highly regarded

If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you. Apply online today.

Applications close Friday 28th August 2026. Simplot reserves the right to commence recruiting activity prior to closing date.

Simplot is an equal chance employer and encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply. If you feel you would be a great addition to our team please apply online today, we would love to hear from you. If you require technical assistance, please email us at ***************@simplot.com

📌 Vendor Assurance Technologist (Mentone)
🏢 Simplot
📍 Mentone