Balco Australia is an award-winning Australian exporter and one of the country's leading suppliers of hay and straw products to international markets. Operating across WA, SA and VIC, Balco has a strong focus on health and safety, product quality, grower relationships, community involvement and long-term industry development.

As part of Balco's continued investment in its operating sites, we are seeking an experienced and capable Site Manager to lead the safe, compliant and efficient operation of our Brookton processing facility in regional Western Australia.

The Site Manager runs Brookton as an integrated business unit with full accountability for site performance — safety, production delivery, cost per tonne, quality conformance, equipment reliability and the capability of the site team. You will work closely with your Supervisory team, peer Site Managers, Grower Relationship and Farming business leaders and Group functions in HSQ, HR, Finance, Sales and Logistics to ensure the site delivers production commitments to specification, on time, within budget and to standard.

Leading safety on site visibly and consistently — interactions, inspections, contractor management, incident investigation and corrective action closure

Delivering the production plan — monthly tonnage, daily run rate and dispatch readiness — to customer specification

Managing controllable site costs — labour, overtime, energy, consumables, contractor spend — against budget

Ensuring product quality meets customer requirements and Balco standards

Driving equipment reliability through preventive maintenance discipline and downtime root-cause closure

Leading and developing Supervisors and emerging leaders — coaching, feedback, performance management and succession

Workforce planning, recruitment, training and competency management, including seasonal workforce ramp-up





Maintaining the site audit-ready every day — WHS, environmental, quality, employment

Running a disciplined operating rhythm — daily handovers, weekly reviews, monthly performance reporting, quarterly business reviews

Escalating risks and recommendations to senior leadership in a timely, decision-ready way

The successful applicant will ideally have operational leadership experience in manufacturing, agricultural processing, food processing, industrial production or a similar operational environment.

You will need to be a visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable on the floor, in the shift and in the rhythm of the site. You will be calm under pressure, disciplined in execution, and focused on outcomes rather than activity.

You will bring:

A minimum of five years operational leadership experience running a multi-shift facility

Demonstrated experience leading safety culture and implementing safe systems of work

Demonstrated experience operating quality management systems in an audited environment

Demonstrated experience managing operational budgets and cost per tonne discipline

Strong people leadership skills — coaching, feedback and performance management

Practical problem-solving ability and a continuous improvement mindset

Strong organisational discipline, especially during peak seasonal periods and major maintenance windows

The ability to make timely decisions and hold the site to its commitments

A qualified approach to representing Balco with customers, regulators and the local community

A tertiary qualification in engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, food process or a related discipline is preferred. Trade-qualified applicants with significant operational leadership experience will be considered where capability is demonstrated. Experience in hay, forage, feed, grain or comparable agricultural commodity processing will be highly regarded. Local regional knowledge of the Brookton area will also be highly regarded.

📌 Site Manager (Northam)
🏢 Balco Australia
📍 Northam