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Start your SWEET Career
As an employee of Mackay Sugar, not only will you join a workforce of like-minded individuals, you will also join one of tropical North Queensland’s most well-known agricultural companies.
Our workforce is located across our four Mackay-based sites - Racecourse, Farleigh, Pleystowe or Marian - which means everyone gets to go home to their families after every shift. Our people also have access to great employee benefits and workplace arrangements and because our people are part of our family at Mackay Sugar, you’ll attend family-orientated company events and programs - because working at Mackay really is the SWEET Life.
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Working for Mackay Sugar
At Mackay Sugar, our people operate in harmony with Our Four Values – Courage, Appreciation, Responsibility and Dedication. We strive to create value, sustainably, throughout our entire value chain and our commitment to Caring for People is what makes Mackay Sugar a great place to work.
Our peak workforce is approximately 800 people seasonally, and that means we’re one of the largest employers in our region. We offer jobs ranging from milling operations, rail transport, trades and maintenance, science and technology, planning and procurement, projects, engineering, shared business services and more. We offer work experience program, as well as employment to apprentices and trainees right through to global executive positions, and provide regular training and development opportunities to employees who are looking to grow their SWEET career.
Through our annual engagement survey, our employees consistently declare that diversity and inclusion is one of the top three things about working at Mackay Sugar, alongside the people they work with and the work we do. More than 25% of our workforce is female and we’re proud to employ highly skilled and dedicated people from all corners of the globe, including Vanuatu, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Fiji, New Zealand, Ukraine, Denmark, Argentina, Brazil, Papua New Guinea and more.
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Benefits of working for Mackay Sugar
Living the SWEET Life at Mackay Sugar means our people have access to an impressive suite of employee benefits, including;
Great pay rates,
Five weeks annual leave + access to a suite of personal and situation leave options,
Meaningful training and career opportunities aligned with your individual career goals,
Study assistance,
Flexible working arrangements,
Permanent, seasonal, full- time and part-time roles,
A variety of rosters and working locations/sites,
An extensive employee discount program, and;
Best of all, the ability to go home to your family after every shift - and that’s something we know, money can’t buy.
Access to more than 500 discounted products and services
By being a member of the Nordzucker Group, Mackay Sugar employees also benefit from having access to global networks that support training, development, and enable innovation, learning and improvement through international collaboration.
To learn more about the minimum employment conditions and arrangements we offer for wages and roles, take a look at our Employee Bargaining Agreement.
At Mackay Sugar, we provide genuine opportunities to grow a SWEET career. Ranging from on-the-job learning and training programmes right through to professional development, we proudly support our people as they strive for and reach their personal and professional goals.
Our annual performance appraisal cycle provides a range of development tools that our people review on a regular basis with their line manager, which capture short and long term career goals for employees and how we can work together to assist in realising them. Mackay Sugar also offers several internal and external training programmes each year and provide a range of leadership programs.
Our Educational Assistance Program has been carefully designed to support employees who are looking to commence further education that will benefit both the individual and Mackay Sugar. We currently have 15 Mackay Sugar employees utilising this program, studying a broad range of degrees.
Professional Development Opportunities
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Typical Roles
SWEETEN your career with a job at Mackay Sugar! Here is a list of just some of the roles we offer:
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Managers
Superintendents
Supervisors
Leading Hands
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Business Coordinators
Administration Officers
Human Resource Advisors
HSE Coordinators
Environmental Advisors
Accountants
Payroll Officers
Accounts Payable/Receivable
Cane Payment Officers
Draftspersons
Planners and Schedulers
Reliability Engineers
Technical Document Coordinators
Procurement Officers
Inventory Officers
Warehouse Assistants
IT Developers
IT Analysts
IT Network Administration
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Locomotive Drivers
Locomotive Driver Assistants
Cane Productivity Officers
Field Officers
Communications Centre Operators
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Riggers
Project Engineers
Mechanical Engineers
Production Engineers
Electrical Engineers
Shift Electricians
Shift Fitters
Boiler Operators
Sugar Boilers
Fugal Operators
Milling Plant Attendants
Process Attendants
Effet/Clarification Operators
Weighbridge Operators
Nightwatch Persons
Laboratory Analysts
Electricians
Mechanical Fitters
Diesel Fitters
Machinists
Boilermakers
Scaffolders
Forklift Drivers
Overhead Crane Drivers
Plumbers
Carpenters
General Mill Workers (Trade Assistants)
Rail and Bridge Workers
Yard Attendants
Day Cleaners
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Apprenticeships
Mackay Sugar has a proven history of successfully preparing apprentices for their chosen trade. We proudly welcome approximately 10 new apprentices into our business every year, offering apprenticeships in the Electrical, Fitting and Fabrication trades within our maintenance and potentially, operations teams.
Our Apprentice Program is highly regarded in the sugar industry for producing well-rounded, qualified, and values-based tradespeople who have the necessary skills and knowledge they need to grow and develop in their chosen field. We do this by engaging the invaluable knowledge and guidance of our Apprentice Supervisors and Apprentice Masters, who provide hands-on training and development for apprentices within the fast-paced and complex environments of our operational milling plants.
As a Mackay Sugar Apprentice, you will also be supported throughout the program by our large pool of long-term employees, many of whom have been with our business for more than 35 years and several who started their careers with Mackay Sugar as apprentices themselves.
If this sounds like the SWEET career you might be looking for, applications open around June. Keep an eye on our socials and/or seek.com for details.
“Many people had told me that you get so much experience at Mackay Sugar, working with both old and new machinery and a wide variety of tooling equipment with plenty of job diversity, and they were right.”
“I started my career with an apprenticeship at Mackay Sugar and I haven’t looked back in over 11 years. The people here are great and there are so many opportunities for people who want to make the most of them.”
Express your interest to work at Mackay Sugar
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Work Experience
At Mackay Sugar, we recognise work experience as a great way to gain practical skills and insights into different jobs and industries. This is why the Mackay Sugar Work Experience Program is open to students who attend secondary schools in the Mackay and surrounding regions and includes spending a week or more ‘learning the ropes’ in their area of interest by shadowing and supporting our experienced employees.
We have relationships with all high schools in our region as well as the Mackay Engineering College, and we encourage students to contact us to discuss work experience opportunities across our four sites. In 2023 we welcomed 39 work experience students to experience a day in the life of their desired profession.
To apply for work experience at Mackay Sugar, please contact Rondel on 4953 8240.
Find Out More:
Download the ‘Work Experience, Experience the SWEET Life’ Fact Sheet
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Crushing Season Jobs
Each Crushing Season (typically June to December) our permanent workforce of around 500 people increases to as many as 900 thanks to the high volume of seasonal employees we welcome to Mackay Sugar.
Approximately 70% of our seasonal employees return year after year, working in a number of roles that include Locomotive Drivers and Drivers Assistants, Plant Operators Laboratory Assistants, and General Mill Workers (similar to a Trades Assistant).
On average, we recruit to fill approximately 60-70 vacancies for our seasonal crushing roles and we kick off an annual recruitment campaign in early-March each year.
If you think a seasonal role at Mackay Sugar sounds like the SWEET change you’re looking for, keep an eye out on our website and social media platforms for our recruitment intake that commences in early March each year.
