Engineering Associate

Engineering Associate
2025 Graduate Programme
Onsite Working
 

Tirlán 
Tirlán, is a world-class food and nutrition co-operative, with a diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, leading consumer and agri brands. 

Tirlán owns leading brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden Cheese, Millac, Solmiko, Truly Grass Fed, Premier Milk, Wexford, mymilkman.ie and GAIN Animal Nutrition.

We nurture a talented team across Ireland, the US, MEA and China, delivering annual revenues of over €3 billion, and over 2,300 people to manage our network of 11 processing plants and 52 agri branches. Our purpose is to nourish the world, while safeguarding our environment for future generations.

Role Profile
Our Graduate Programme is designed to take you through a series of real-world learning experiences, helping you build confidence in your abilities, and flourish in your career.

We are looking for people who care about the world and each other, who want to build their career with likeminded and passionate people. So if you want a career where you can truly make a difference, then we’d like to hear from you!

Tirlán is offering a unique opportunity for a graduate to join our Project Engineering team as an Engineering Associate. This role will be onsite.

This role will be located across our Ballitore, Lough Egish and Virginia sites and the successful graduate will be require to travel between these site. This role reports to the CAPEX Engineer. 
 

Responsibilities
•    Apply best practice of safe systems in a busy production environment
•    Problem solving and continuous improvement: Work as part of a broader production/process team and utilising team based problem solving employing lean / 6 sigma techniques through our Performance System (GPS), our platform for enterprise excellence. The tools, techniques, culture and ‘can do’ approach will be a defining feature of your programme.  
•    Working with our utility plants, water treatment, boilers, effluent, refrigeration, compressed air and site service functions including the co-ordination of utility plant requirements with maintenance and engineering. 
•    Trending and analysis of plant performance data to evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance and calibration systems allowing for continuous improvement on key metrics  
•    Learning the production processes. Working with a team of experienced operators to produce product to the right first time quality, scheduling plant activities to maximise throughput to meet customer requirements. 
•    Working closely with mechanical and electrical crafts, applying sound technical solutions to resolve problems relating to plant efficiencies and to drive continuous improvement; supporting and maintaining preventive maintenance, and predictive maintenance programmes; and delivering planned maintenance schedules in line with production related requirements. 
•    Working in conjunction with the quality department to produce product in full compliance with our HACCP program. Ensuring that all the plant procedures, documentation and cleanliness are audit ready 365 days per year. 
•    Capital expenditure projects: Working with engineering, leadership and other key stakeholders to input into project scoping, design, installation through to commissioning.  
•    Process engineering and projects engineering: Project management, design, proposal and implementation with responsibility for individual engineering related projects, working with colleagues internally and externally contracted 

Requirements
•    High academic record to date in the following fields of study: Engineering (Mechanical, Automation, Process, Chemical, Electrical, Environmental) or related discipline; and expected minimum of a 2.2 honours primary degree 
•    Ambition to progress successfully in a career in engineering in an exciting, ever-changing and challenging environment 
•    Thinks commercially and delivers customer centric solutions 
•    Drives collaboration and builds partnerships to meet shared objectives 
•    Communicates clearly and can influence at all levels 
•    Demonstrates a thirst for knowledge with a desire to continually learn and grow 
•    Analytically minded with the ability to develop creative insights and execute change 
•    Accessibility to move between production sites is a distinct advantage

If you are interested in this position, please apply with an up-to-date resume.
 

We offer
•    2 year structured graduate development programme
•    Site or team rotations as part of the programme
•    Year on year salary increment
•    Free parking incl. EV charging – where applicable
•    Bike to work scheme
•    Work/life balance and collaborative work culture
•    Career progression opportunities 

About us 
Through our expertise in research and development, customer insights, food safety and state-of-the-art manufacturing we bring innovative food and nutrition solutions to a global market.  Our new and vibrant headquarters in Kilkenny City operates as a collaboration hub where multi-functional teams come together in a hybrid work environment. 
 

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
We believe in the value of difference. We know that different perspectives, life experience and backgrounds can drive innovation and deliver growth. 
We welcome people from all walks of life without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, or disability status. 
 

Join our Talent Pool
Considering a new career in Tirlán but this isn’t the role for you? Join our talent community and sign up for job notifications at www.tirlan.com/careers
 

Tirlán is a Values Based Organisation