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Come shape the future of education with us.
At Compass, we're on a mission to transform the school day for everyone - from staff and students to families and administrators. We build smart, seamless technology that empowers schools to focus on what really matters: learning, growing and thriving.
That mission has fuelled our growth into a global scale-up, now supporting 5,000+ schools across three countries, backed by a team of 300+ people. Our all-in-one school management platform is redefining how education communities connect, communicate and operate.
We're now looking for a Head of Engineering to own end-to-end engineering delivery and the day-to-day people leadership of our engineering org, spanning Compass, SchoolBytes, Griddle and Clipboard.
About the Role
Reporting to the CPTO, you'll translate technology and product priorities into predictable engineering execution, build and develop a strong Development Manager cohort, and own the engineering operating model, organisational capability and delivery performance.
This is a leadership role built around the Development Manager layer - you'll lead through 5-7 Development Managers rather than directly managing squads, and be accountable for the consistency, capability and execution of the wider engineering organisation of ~***** engineers.
What You'll Do
Engineering Delivery & Operations
Own engineering's delivery performance across all squads, partnering with Product to ensure capacity, priorities and roadmap commitments are realistic, transparent and aligned.
Establish a consistent engineering operating model, spanning planning, estimation and release practices, that enables teams to plan, prioritise and deliver predictably at scale.
Own engineering capacity planning and allocation across squads, balancing strategic priorities, delivery commitments and team capability.
Establish and monitor meaningful engineering performance metrics, covering roadmap predictability, cycle time, quality, reliability technical debt and team health and report on these to the CPTO and ELT.
Identify delivery risks and dependencies early, driving resolution or escalating material trade-offs to the CPTO.
Directly manage and develop the Development Manager cohort. Set clear expectations, coach on people leadership and hold them accountable for their squads' delivery and team health.
Own engineering headcount planning, hiring and onboarding in partnership with the CPTO and People & Culture.
Continuously assess engineering team structures, skills and capabilities to ensure the organisation is designed for current and future priorities.
Build engineering career pathways and capability frameworks that support progression for engineers and managers.
Own engineering engagement and retention, monitoring team health signals and championing a strong engineering culture.
Partner with technical leaders (Development Managers, Tech Leads and the Head of Technology) to ensure engineering decisions support scalability, maintainability, security, reliability and delivery outcomes - you'll own engineering quality and technical execution even though this role is not the ultimate architecture owner.
Champion consistent engineering standards, tooling and ways of working across squads.
Balance delivery pace against technical debt and quality, escalating trade-offs to the CPTO where they affect strategy or architecture.
Partner with the Head of Technology to ensure engineering teams implement and maintain required standards for reliability security and compliance across AU, UK and Ireland.
Stakeholder Partnership
Act as engineering's day-to-day representative to Product, People & Culture, the Head of Technology and other functional leaders.
Give the CPTO clear, timely visibility into delivery status, risks and people matters.
About You
This role is for an experienced engineering leader who's managed through managers across multiple teams in a product-led SaaS environment - someone who measures success by the strength of the team they've built, backed by strong delivery, people leadership and commercial judgement.
You will bring:
Experience leading through engineering managers across multiple teams, with accountability for delivery, people and organisational performance.
10+ years experience in software engineering, including several years leading Engineering/Development Managers in a product or SaaS environment; the shape of that experience matters more than an exact number of years.
A track record of owning delivery outcomes across multiple teams to squads, ideally in a product-led SaaS, PE-backed or similarly performance-oriented environment where predictability and efficiency are closely tracked.
Experience scaling an engineering organisation and leading through change or transformation,



including building consistent practice from process immaturity.
Strong people leadership - experience coaching and developing engineering managers, not just individual engineers.
Robust commercial and resource-management capability, comfortable owning capacity planning, headcount trade-offs and organisational design decisions.
Ability to operate effectively with Product leadership, aligning delivery capacity and commitments against roadmap priorities.
Experience using engineering metrics (delivery, quality, reliability, team health) to drive performance, not just report on it.
Sufficient technical depth to engage credibly with Compass' engineering stack and technical leaders, and to understand trade-offs relating to scalability, maintainability, security and reliability.
Highly regarded
Experience across distributed or multi-entity engineering teams; AU/UK/Ireland exposure is a plus given Compass' footprint.
Direct experience with C#/.NET, React.js, Node.js and Typescript.
Benefits
A hybrid working environment, with teams working a hybrid structure at our office hubs.
Learning and development opportunities, including a dedicated PD budget.
24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), including face-to-face, phone and live chat support.
A parental leave program for both primary and secondary carers.
Regular team events, social budgets and in-office perks help you stay connected, from team lunches to end-of-week socials.
Employee Referral Program
A supportive, inclusive culture where your voice is valued and heard.
Compass is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace and celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees.
A prior to commencing employment you'll need:
A valid Employee Working With Children Check
A satisfactory National Police Check
Verification of unrestricted work rights in Australia (e.g. citizenship, passport or birth certificate)
Key Responsibilities
Develop, maintain and deliver Kinrise's engineering, automation and manufacturing technology strategy.
Translate business strategy into a prioritised and costed roadmap across manufacturing sites.
Define automation opportunities across production, processing, material handling and packaging.
Balance immediate operational priorities with long-term capability, technology lifecycle, capacity and sustainability requirements.
Provide recommendations to senior leadership on investment priorities, sequencing, dependencies and risk.
Automation & Manufacturing Technology
Establish and maintain a pipeline of engineering and automation opportunities across Kinrise sites.
Identify and deploy appropriate technologies including robotics, automated material handling, machine vision, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, instrumentation and manufacturing data systems.
Ensure automation solutions deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, traceability, throughput, reliability, labour productivity, waste or operational control.
Establish standard technical architectures, control philosophies, equipment specifications and preferred technology platforms.
Manage automation lifecycle and obsolescence risks.
Ensure automation solutions integrate effectively with existing equipment, utilities, production processes and business systems.
Capital & Project Delivery
Lead development of the annual Kinrise capital plan in alignment with strategic priorities and site requirements.
Review and technically endorse major capital expenditure proposals.
Lead and oversee major capital and automation projects valued above $100,000.
Ensure projects are delivered safely to approved scope, schedule, budget and technical performance requirements.
Oversee suppliers, systems integrators, OEMs, contractors and consultants.
Ensure project risks, scope changes, decisions and benefits are effectively managed and communicated.
Support operational readiness, commissioning, ramp-up and successful handover of completed projects.
Reliability & Asset Management
Establish and maintain consistent reliability and asset-management standards across Kinrise.
Define expectations for planned, preventive and predictive maintenance, critical spares, asset hierarchies and failure analysis.
Establish asset criticality assessments and ensure risks to safety, quality, service and production continuity are addressed.
Ensure project designs consider reliability, maintainability, cleanability, technical support and whole-of-life cost.
Build technical capability across site engineering and maintenance teams through standards, coaching and communities of practice.
Engineering Standards & Governance
Develop and maintain Group engineering, automation and equipment standards.
Define preferred equipment, controls, components,



software platforms and suppliers where standardisation creates value.
Ensure standards address machinery safety, hygienic design, food safety, electrical and mechanical design, controls, documentation, cybersecurity, maintainability and energy efficiency.
Maintain appropriate technical documentation, drawings, specifications, control programs and asset information.
Establish technical assurance and design-review requirements based on project value, complexity and risk.
Sustainability & Resource Efficiency
Ensure engineering and automation initiatives consider energy, water, waste, packaging, emissions and resource efficiency.
Incorporate sustainability benefits and lifecycle costs into investment recommendations.
Measure completed initiatives against agreed environmental and resource-efficiency outcomes.
Stakeholder & Change Leadership
Build strong relationships across Business Units, manufacturing sites and functions.
Create shared ownership of engineering and automation outcomes.
Lead communication, consultation and workforce transition activities associated with major technology and process changes.
Engage employees and technical specialists in design reviews, testing and implementation.
Develop a capable supplier ecosystem and build internal capability so improvements are sustained after project completion.
Skills and Attributes
Strategic thinking with the ability to translate long-term manufacturing needs into practical and sequenced action.
Strong technical judgement across engineering, automation, project delivery, reliability and manufacturing operations.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, including capital governance, lifecycle costing and investment evaluation.
Highly developed problem-solving, root-cause analysis, risk assessment and decision-making capability.
Ability to influence senior leaders, site teams and technical specialists without relying solely on formal authority.
Ability to challenge constructively, make disciplined trade-offs and maintain accountability for outcomes.
Robust project, program, contractor, supplier and resource-management capability.
Clear communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical and commercial matters to different audiences.
Demonstrated ability to lead change, build capability and earn trust across functions and sites.
Commitment to safety, food safety, quality, integrity and the Kinrise Values.
Qualifications
Recognised degree qualification in mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, automation, manufacturing, process or another relevant engineering discipline, or an equivalent qualification and experience.
Additional training or certification in project management, continuous improvement or asset management, such as PRINCE2, PMP, Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent, is desirable.
Training or demonstrated capability in machinery safety, functional safety, hygienic design, automation controls or operational technology is desirable.
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:
An opportunity to work with leading Australian-made brands and products
An exciting role in a growing business with a great history and an ambitious growth agenda
Supportive and collaborative team culture
Kinrise is committed to creating an environment that welcomes all, celebrates our diversity in all its forms and fosters an environment of inclusion.We recognise that our unique differences are what sets us apart and how we succeed as a team. We are an equal opportunity employer.
What we offer
We are 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 **** 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.
This Head of Engineering and Automation is a high-impact leadership role responsible for translating business strategy into a prioritised program of engineering, automation and capital initiatives across Kinrise.
You will develop and deliver a
3–5 year engineering and automation roadmap
, identifying opportunities to improve safety, quality, food safety, manufacturing capacity, reliability, OEE, labour productivity and operational efficiency.
You will lead major initiatives from opportunity identification and business case development through design, procurement, installation, commissioning, operational handover and benefits realisation.
Working closely with Operations, Safety, Quality, Finance and site leadership, you will provide technical and commercial leadership while building consistent engineering, automation, reliability and asset-management standards across Kinrise.
This role is ideal for a senior engineering or automation leader who can move confidently between
strategy, technology, capital investment and operational execution.
#J-*****-Ljbffr

📌 Head Of Engineering (Melbourne)
🏢 Coleambally
📍 Melbourne