Supply Chain Graduate Programs: What Bega, Fonterra, Asahi and Mars Publish for Operations and Engineering Roles

Operations and technical roles are the hardest graduate streams to describe in a job ad. Supply chain graduate programs at large Australian food, beverage and consumer goods employers show how some employers solve the problem: they name the work, state a preferred background and say where the graduate will be based, while others publish little more than a stream name. This guide sets out what the official pages of Mars, Fonterra, Bega Group, Asahi Beverages, Mondelez and DuluxGroup say about their operations, procurement and engineering streams, and what an employer without a graduate-program budget can copy.

Every detail comes from the employer's own graduate page and is attributed in the text. Pages change, so check each one for the current intake before you rely on it.

Key Takeaways

• Mars Australia's page gives its Engineering stream a preferred background of "All Engineering degrees except Civil Engineering", while its Supply Chain and Procurement streams are open to all degrees.
• Fonterra says it is looking for fresh thinkers instead of specific degrees, and Bega Group's page shows stream names with no degree wording at all.
• Asahi's page lists degrees pathway by pathway and labels them "Required University Degree" for supply chain but "Preferred educational background/interest" for Sales, although two of the required lists add "(preference)" or "(highly desired)" beside a degree.
• Mars applications are closed until 2027 and Asahi shows "Applications closed", so treat these pages as wording benchmarks, not live vacancies.

Six employers, side by side

The table sets out stream names, background wording and structure as each page words them. Where a page says nothing, the cell says "not published".

• Mars Australia - Stream names as published: Supply Chain (Australia); Engineering (Australia); Procurement (Australia); Research & Development (Australia); Background or eligibility wording: Supply Chain: open to all degrees. Procurement: open to all degrees. Engineering: all Engineering degrees except Civil Engineering. R&D: Science or Engineering degrees.; Rotation or structure wording: Senior leader mentor, frequent learning sessions and an individual development plan. Rotation wording for these streams: not published. Applications reopen in 2027 for the 2028 program.
• Fonterra - Stream names as published: Supply Chain; Automation Engineering; Background or eligibility wording: Page says it looks for fresh thinkers instead of specific degrees. Final year of undergraduate studies or within 2 years of graduating; credit average of 65 or higher; Australian or NZ resident or citizen.; Rotation or structure wording: 18-month program. Automation Engineers rotate through different teams at different manufacturing sites. Hired into a permanent role in a function.
• Bega Group - Stream names as published: Engineering; Logistics & Planning; Procurement (disciplines subject to change); Background or eligibility wording: Not published; Rotation or structure wording: 2-year RISE program with three 8-month rotations and a dedicated rotational manager in each function.
• Asahi Beverages - Stream names as published: Supply Chain (Engineering, Brewing and Engineering (Packaging) pathways); Logistics; Background or eligibility wording: Engineering: Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science. Brewing: Chemical Engineering (preference), Biochemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical/Food Science/Chemistry. Packaging: Chemical, Mechanical, Automation, Robotics & Mechatronics Engineering. Logistics: Logistics & Supply Chain (highly desired), Business, Commerce.; Rotation or structure wording: 12-15-month program options in a cross-functional journey. Each pathway names a location. Applications closed.
• Mondelez ANZ - Stream names as published: Manufacturing & Logistics (Engineering, Manufacturing, Health, Safety & Environment); Background or eligibility wording: Not published by stream. Program is for undergraduate and master's graduates with permanent residency or full time work rights.; Rotation or structure wording: A blend of on the job and formal training. Rotation wording: not published.
• DuluxGroup - Stream names as published: Supply Chain; Engineering; Research & Development; Background or eligibility wording: Not published by pathway. Full Australian or New Zealand working rights.; Rotation or structure wording: Role rotations, hands-on projects and a Graduate Development Program; graduates are hired into real roles.

Two patterns show up straight away. Only Mars and Asahi tie a background to each stream. Fonterra says it looks beyond specific degrees, and the Bega, Mondelez and DuluxGroup pages publish no degree wording by stream. Most pages describe structure in a line or two, so the detail a candidate wants about the work itself sits in the stream descriptions.

What each stream actually covers

Mars Australia

According to Mars Australia's graduate page, applications will reopen in 2027 for the 2028 program, so nothing is open today. The wording is still worth reading. Its Supply Chain stream is about keeping products moving from factories to customers and shelves, with work in planning, logistics, warehousing, customer operations or process improvement.

Its procurement graduate program involves working with suppliers, negotiating contracts and analysing costs. Engineering means working in factories on technical projects covering automation, machinery and continuous improvement. Research and Development covers areas such as food science, product development and packaging.

Fonterra and Bega Group

On Fonterra's graduate page, the streams are Commercial, Supply Chain and Automation Engineering. Only Automation Engineering describes what the graduate does: they rotate through different teams at Fonterra's manufacturing sites to understand the Australian and global business. The page also says graduates are hired into a function in a permanent role during an 18-month program. Check the page for the current intake before you rely on any of it.

Bega Group's graduate page lists Engineering, Procurement and Logistics & Planning among eight disciplines, noting that they are subject to change. It gives no description of what graduates do in each, and no degree wording. For an employer writing a logistics and planning graduate role, that is a ready-made pathway name. What the page does publish is structure: a 2-year rotational program with three 8-month rotations.

Asahi Beverages

Of the six, Asahi gives the most detail on technical streams. On Asahi's graduate page, the Supply Chain stream holds three pathways: Engineering, Brewing and Engineering (Packaging). Each names a location, such as the Abbotsford manufacturing site for Brewing and the Tullamarine manufacturing site for Packaging. The separate Logistics stream is described as helping deliver products to customers and working with the commercial team on demand plans, based at the Southbank head office with exposure across Victorian sites. The page currently shows "Applications closed".

Mondelez and DuluxGroup

On Mondelez's early careers page for Australia and New Zealand, Manufacturing & Logistics is one of six graduate functions and groups engineering, manufacturing and health, safety and environment. DuluxGroup's graduate page lists Supply Chain, Engineering and Research & Development as pathways. Neither says more about the day-to-day work, which makes both useful as a reminder of what a thin description looks like.

What to copy in your own job ad

Name the work in plain verbs

Mars is the model. It tells the reader they could be planning, moving stock through warehouses, working with suppliers or negotiating contracts. A candidate can picture a week in that role. A label such as "operations graduate" cannot do the same job.

Keep preferred and essential separate

Asahi's page uses "Required University Degree" for its supply chain pathways and "Preferred educational background/interest" for Sales. Two of those required lists add "(preference)" or "(highly desired)" beside a degree, so the label and the wording do not separate cleanly. Mars uses "Preferred background" throughout. A cleaner approach is to say so as a requirement if your role really needs a degree, and otherwise write a preference and say that other backgrounds are welcome. A graduate with a business degree and warehouse part-time work may be as well placed for a logistics role as an engineering graduate.

Say whether the role is site-based

Asahi names a location for each pathway, and Fonterra's Automation Engineering stream says the work rotates through its manufacturing sites. Tell applicants where they will be based, whether that includes a plant, a distribution centre or a head office, and whether it changes during the program.

Test the work, not the label

A smaller employer cannot run an assessment centre, but it can test the skills the role needs. Righteo's guide to entry-level skills assessment covers short, targeted exercises that suit candidates with little work history. Because a recognisable employer name tells you little about daily capability, it helps to test the role's skills directly, as the post on role-specific skill testing explains. One practical option is Righteo, whose skill tests library lets you describe a role or its skills and see the matching tests.

Gaps in what the pages say

The pages leave out as much as they include. Bega's page shows no eligibility rules, selection stages or application dates. Fonterra's page has a heading for its recruitment process and a link to FAQs, but the steps are not on the page. Mondelez publishes a four-step journey that runs from application to a verbal then written offer, though it shows no dates or program length. Mars and Asahi are both closed.

DuluxGroup lists the longest run of steps of the six: an eligibility form, a motivation form, online testing, a video interview, a virtual engagement centre and an in-person interview with a case study.

If you are benchmarking, go to the employer's page for the intake you care about. A separate article in this series covers what to assess when hiring supply chain graduates, so this one stays on how programs word and structure the stream.

Related Resources

• Skill tests library
• Entry-level skills assessment guide
• Role-specific skill testing
• Mars Australia graduate page
• Bega Group graduate page
• Fonterra graduate page
• Asahi Beverages graduate page

Common Questions About Supply Chain Graduate Programs

1. What do supply chain graduate programs usually cover?

In the pages above, supply chain streams cover planning, logistics, warehousing, customer operations, procurement and process improvement. Technical streams add engineering, automation and production support. The detail varies a lot, from Mars's list of activities to Bega's bare stream names, so read each page rather than assuming the labels mean the same thing.

2. Does an operations graduate role need an engineering degree?

Not on these pages. Mars says its Supply Chain and Procurement streams are open to all degrees, and Fonterra says it is looking for fresh thinkers instead of specific degrees. Technical streams are different: Mars prefers Engineering degrees other than Civil, and Asahi lists specific engineering and science degrees for its Engineering and Brewing pathways.

3. How long are these graduate programs?

According to their own pages, Bega runs two years with three 8-month rotations, Fonterra describes an 18-month program, and Asahi offers 12-15-month options. The Mars, Mondelez and DuluxGroup pages do not state a program length. A smaller employer can choose any length, provided the placements have clear goals.

4. Are these graduate programs open for applications now?

Mars says applications will reopen in 2027 for the 2028 program, and Asahi's page shows "Applications closed". The Fonterra, Bega and Mondelez pages show no application window, so check them directly. Treat the wording as a benchmark for your own roles rather than a list of open vacancies.

5. How can a small employer assess a graduate for a technical role?

Use a short skills test on the work the role involves, then a work sample such as a planning or scheduling exercise. Add a conversation with a placement supervisor or part-time manager. Righteo is one option for the skills test, and the point is to judge the work itself, not the graduate's degree or university.

Rewrite One Operations Graduate Ad

The published pages show that clear verbs, a stated preferred background and a named location do more for a graduate ad than a long list of requirements. Take one operations or technical graduate role you plan to hire and rewrite the ad this week in that style. Describe the first-year work in plain verbs, mark which qualifications are essential and which are preferred, and say where the graduate will be based.