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Graduate Programme

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Brighter Futures Brochure
FAQ's

About our
Graduate Programme

At Dawn Meats our people are our strength and the Brighter Futures Graduate Programme is a key element in building a top class team. We seek graduates with the potential to succeed in a fast-paced business environment and with continuous investment in our Programme, we welcome and encourage the fresh ideas, enthusiasm and energy new graduates bring to the company.

The Brighter Futures Programme provides quality training with hands-on involvement across key areas of the business, investing in our people to develop skills necessary to become the future managers of Dawn Meats.

Who we are looking for:

The ideal candidate will:

  • Have an appropriate qualification,
  • Possess strong interpersonal skills,
  • Be flexible, mobile and stimulated by new challenges,
  • Be keen to take on responsibility,
  • Be self-motivated.

And Preferably:

  • Full clean drivers licence,
  • European or another International language.

Our Current Graduates

Click on the graduates below to hear their story

Our Programme

The Programme is structured to provide you with an opportunity to develop your skills and experiences over a range of disciplines in a 2 year period.

With no pre-conceived ideas and no limit on your career path, your skills and experiences can be uniquely tailored to the multitude of career opportunities within Dawn Meats.

We recognise the importance of continuous development and work closely with recognised Management Development Institutes in Ireland and the UK to develop our Graduates as managers of the future.

Your Learning & Development

We believe that experience is the best teacher. From the start you will be given real responsibility combined with formal training where you will work with passionate, talented people who will provide invaluable training on the job plus:

  • Dedicated mentors
  • First class coaching
  • Direct access to senior leaders
  • On-going Manager Support & Feedback
  • Opportunities to undertake assignments, secondments and innovative project work across the business
  • Investment in blue chip residential offsite training.
  • For our Finance and Accounting Graduates the opportunity to gain a professional qualification from ACA, CIMA, ACCA or CPA is available.

Areas of Opportunity

Graduates in Dawn Meats are offered roles with real responsibility from day one. Each year we recruit graduates across a wide range of functions including:

•  Cattle Procurement

•  Agriculture

•  Planning

•  Production

•  Sales & Marketing

•   New Product Development

•   Human Resources

•   Health & Safety

•   Food Safety & Quality

•  Environmental

•  Purchasing

•  Engineering

•  Accounting & Finance

Graduates also get the opportunity to rotate throughout their time on the Brighter Futures Graduate Programme. This provides exposure to a broad range of functions within the business. Rotations can also involve a placement to any of our sites across Ireland and the UK as well as to our sales and marketing offices throughout Europe.

Our Recruitment Process

Stage 1

Apply Online / By Post (October – February)

Stage 2

Interview Or Assessment Centre (February – May)

Stage 3

Selection and Offers (May – August)

Apply Now
Brighter Futures Brochure
FAQ's

Oisín Phelan, Commercial Planner

 

After graduating from Waterford Institute of Technology in 2021 with a degree in Business, Oisín has progressed through the Brighter Futures Graduate Programme and is now Commercial Planner at our Grannagh site.

Why did you decide on a career in Commercial?

I had previous experience in a sales environment, and I thought that a role within the Commercial team would be best suited to my skill set. Hearing about what was involved in working with the Commercial team really interested me and I felt it would bring up good career advancement opportunities too.

Why did you want to work for Dawn Meats?

The main reason I wanted to work for Dawn Meats was because I always had a keen interest in the Agricultural sector. While I’m not from a farming background myself but I had worked on various farms growing up and was always interested in livestock particularly cattle. I felt a role within the Agri-Food industry would really suit me.

How was the recruitment process?

I applied for the job on the Dawn Meats website after becoming aware of the Graduate Programme through career days in college. The process was very straightforward, firstly a first-round interview was scheduled which was a relaxed interview and proved to be very informative about the role I was applying for. I then had a second-round interview and a job offer was made.

What tasks do you carry out on a typical day as a graduate?

In my current role I look after various European markets for our Grannagh site such as the Italian/Belgium and Luxembourg markets while also looking at UK and Irish Retail for Grannagh. Daily tasks include monitoring our production so I know how much product I will have available for various customers. This involves the preparation of specification sheets which are to be followed by the operatives in Production. These specification sheets include customers, order volumes and shipping dates. Ensuring product is correctly packed into correct codes and to correct customer specifications is vital as it results in either order shortage or fulfilment, with products sent to customers all over Europe.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

The most enjoyable part of my job is dealing with people from different countries all over the world. I find it very enjoyable talking to people on a daily basis who come from all different cultures and backgrounds. Working with such a diverse workforce and forming strong working relationships with these people I find enjoyable.

What are the challenges?

We are working with tight deadlines every week and it is a balance getting everything right – managing and meeting customer expectations based on production levels, ensuring the price is right for both us and the customer, and meeting the tight shipping deadlines.

 What is one stereotype about working in red meat industry or department that you’d like to debunk?

From my own personal experience, I am not from a farming background. There can be a perception that to work with a company like Dawn Meats you need to have a farming background and know about the industry before even starting in it. This is completely false and once someone has the correct attitude you can be very successful in the red meat industry without having grown up on a farm.

What makes Dawn Meats a unique place to work?

The training and development you receive with Dawn Meats is excellent, I think when you come into a business, and they immediately show an interest in developing you for the future this is a unique aspect of a business. Whether is it through additional courses made available or the on-the-job training Dawn Meats do this very well.

The career opportunities that are made available to Graduates after they finish the programme is also a unique aspect of the company. Many employees within this company have come through the Graduate programme from current Directors to various department managers there is a clear line of progression in the business.

Cora Hogan, Operations Graduate

 

Cora is a graduate of South East Technological University in Waterford with a BSc in Land Management. She is halfway through the two-year graduate programme and hopes to continue to progress and pursue a career in Lean Management in Operations at Dawn Meats.

Why did you decide on a career in Operations?
Initially I applied for a career in Commercial as I was interested in sales and coming from a farming background, working in the beef industry was of great interest. As part of the graduate programme, we are exposed to multiple areas of the business including a six-month period spent on the production floor understanding the processes which fully equips you for sales and planning. After spending time in both operations and commercial, I was drawn more towards the operations side of things therefore I transferred from a commercial graduate to an operations graduate.

How was the recruitment process?
At the SETU Grad fair in Waterford, I met some members of the commercial and HR teams who were so informative of the graduate programme here at Dawn Meats. The next day I emailed my CV and was subsequently invited for an interview on site and followed by an online interview with senior members of staff. The process was very straight forward and was made to feel comfortable and at ease in both interviews. I was offered the graduate role in May and started the programme in September 2023.

What tasks do you carry out on a typical day as a graduate?
The good thing about being a graduate is that you are learning as much as you can about each area, so your daily routine has plenty of variety. There were hands-on days when I helped with daily activities such as packing, labelling and quality checking which was an effective way to learn the different specifications for various customers. For the first few weeks I made PowerPoint presentations on what I was learning to go through with my manager and to ask any questions that I had on what I was doing. Since I started in Grannagh I have helped with projects and trials in both the boning hall and abattoir.

I also spent some time with the cattle procurement team. I got to visit farms that supply to the site as well as Kilkenny mart which was very interesting looking at the conformation, fat scores, body condition, weights and prices of animals. This was also great exposure to fully understand the food chain and supply and demand of cattle.

In my Operations role, I have completed the yellow belt of lean training. Lean is a method or way of thinking that focuses on increasing quality and efficiency through eliminating waste. I have found this extremely interesting as it involves working closely with operatives to identify where improvements can be made to make their jobs that bit easier and make the overall process more efficient.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
The part of my job that I enjoy the most is that it is varied which makes it exciting. I have been given numerous opportunities to try new things during my time in Grannagh which has allowed me to progress in my experience and take on responsibility. I would also consider myself a sociable person which I have enjoyed putting to good use working with people across the different areas that I have covered so far.

What type of person would suit a career in Operations?
I think people that show initiative, are enthusiastic, driven and willing to learn would suit a career in operations. The best way to learn and progress is to get involved.

What are your career ambitions?
I am halfway through the graduate programme and hope to progress in my career in operations and develop my ability to apply lean management. I am due to begin the lean black belt in September 2024 which is a Professional Diploma in Quality Management. I hope to further progress to a managerial role when the opportunity arises.

What is one stereotype about working in red meat industry or department that you’d like to debunk?
One stereotype about working in the meat industry that I would like to debunk is the idea that women may not be well suited to an operations role. It is true that some production areas are male dominated, but I have had a very positive experience working and building relationships in these areas. I feel more women in operations gives dynamic and diversity to the teams and lets us bring new creative ideas.

What makes Dawn Meats a unique place to work?
One thing that has stood out to me working in Dawn Meats is the sense of comradery that is integrated among coworkers. I have felt supported and welcomed by all graduates, supervisors, operatives and managers throughout my experience which has made learning and working in Dawn very easy and enjoyable.

Cian Buckley, Engineering Graduate

 

Cian is a graduate within our pioneering Engineering department. He joined in May 2024 after graduating from South East Technological University with BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering. Cian has hands-on involvement in site projects and is enjoying the variety that our Engineering department has to offer.

After just a few months as a graduate at Dawn Meats, I have experienced a great deal and have seen the huge potential to expand my knowledge and skills in Engineering. I am predominantly based at our Grannagh site but also spend time at other sites in Kildare and Rathdowney, experiencing the different tasks which each site brings.

I enjoy the variety of work that Dawn Meats offers to its graduates. I am able to travel to different sites and am given hands-on experience of working in a food manufacturing environment whilst also building my skills in project planning and my capabilities in different software.

One of the main benefits of working in Engineering at Dawn Meats is that you are given exposure to a broad range of disciplines, including electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering. Currently, I am focussed on a refrigeration project and a drainage project. At our Grannagh site, we process approximately 2,400 cattle per week which requires vast refrigeration and I have been able to gain an invaluable understanding of refrigeration engineering on such an industrial scale.

I have been given responsibility straight away and it is clear that Dawn Meats values and trusts their graduates. As a company, they are continuously investing and upgrading which provides a great learning environment for engineering graduates looking to expand their knowledge. My colleagues are highly skilled but also hugely supportive and helpful mentors which has been a great benefit for my professional development.

If you are looking for a challenging but rewarding career in engineering, with plenty of opportunities to learn and grow in a fast-paced environment, apply to Dawn Meats Brighter Futures Graduate Programme. You will enjoy the benefits of working for a company that invests in its people and facilities. The company offers competitive remuneration with all expenses covered, making it a very attractive employer. I highly recommend engineering graduates to consider a career at Dawn Meats.