Graduate Engineering Trainee

**Date**:May 19, 2025

**Location**: Melbourne, AU

**Company**:AkzoNobel

**About AkzoNobel**

Since 1792, we've been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people's lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands - including International, Sikkens and Interpon - is trusted by customers around the globe. We're active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It's what you'd expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that's dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today - while creating an even better tomorrow. Let's paint the future together.

2024 Akzo Nobel N.V. All rights reserved.

**About the Opportunity**:
We are currently seeking dedicated and ambitious **Graduate Engineer** to join our manufacturing team based in **Sunshine North, Melbourne**.

Are you a fresh graduate, ready to kick-start your engineering career with a global leader in paints and coatings? At AkzoNobel, we're offering a unique graduate program designed to give you hands-on experience, real responsibility, and the chance to make a meaningful impact from day one.

As part of our Graduate Engineering Trainee (GET) program, you'll rotate through several key areas of our manufacturing operations including:

- Continuous Improvement
- Project Engineering
- Process Engineering
- Production Planning
- Reliability Engineering.

This rotational exposure will equip you with a broad understanding of manufacturing operations and prepare you for future leadership roles. Upon successful completion of the program, and based on your performance and readiness, you will be considered for a permanent role in consultation with the Regional Manufacturing Organisation. You may also have the opportunity to be deployed to another AkzoNobel site within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for broadening your exposure and accelerating your career.

**Key Responsibilities Will Include**:

- Actively participate in all site Health, Safety, Environment, Quality, and Sustainability (HSEQS) initiatives.
- Investigate root causes of process failures, resolve non-conformance issues, and implement corrective actions.
- Contribute to the development of the site's manufacturing strategy and provide input into long-term site development plans.
- Benchmark and adopt best practices from external sources to enhance internal systems and processes.
- Utilise the Integrated Asset Management Program and lean operating principles, including Work Management, Condition Monitoring, Defect Elimination, and Operate for Reliability
- Analyse data to maximize equipment effectiveness and reduce lifecycle costs.
- Use charts and graphs to identify production losses and prioritize improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with planning, procurement, logistics, and sourcing teams to optimize production schedules and material efficiencies.
- Lead and support projects that address key business needs, from planning through to implementation.
- Actively contribute to continuous improvement (CI) projects aimed at increasing Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and production rates.

**Process Engineering**:

- Collaborate with R&D, Marketing, and Central Engineering to industrialize new products, raw materials, and recipe changes
- Provide technical support to operations during process troubleshooting.
- Conduct process studies and contribute to pre-project scoping and business case development for capital projects.
- Support commissioning, start-up, and training during project execution, and assume ownership of the technology post-implementation.
- Participate in CI and ALPS (AkzoNobel Leading Performance System) initiatives.
- Coordinate New Product Introduction (NPI) activities related to manufacturing, where applicable.
- Ensure compliance with corporate and site-specific policies related to HSE and Product Safety & Regulatory Affairs (PSRA).

**Project Engineering**:

- Plan, schedule, and monitor assigned engineering projects to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery.
- Ensure compliance with applicable codes, quality standards, and performance specifications.
- Communicate regularly with project stakeholders to understand requirements and provide technical support.
- Oversee quality control across all project phases and report on progress and performance.
- Manage project budgets and timelines, ensuring alignment with approved limits.
- Conduct post-project audits to evaluate outcomes against original goals.
- Review engineering deliverables and initiate corrective actions as needed.

**To be considered for this role, you should**:

- Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, ideally in one of the following disciplines: Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Mechatronics, Aeronautical, Civil, or Industrial Engineering.
- Be a recent graduate, with no more than on