Process Engineer - Skincare manufacturing

Synergie Skin; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff product benefits

Ownership of processes

Vertical integration exposure

Modern Springvale facilities

Competitive salary

Job summary

Synergie Skin in Springvale, Australia, is seeking a Process Engineer to join its skincare manufacturing team. This newly created role will own bulk manufacturing processes, from mixing and emulsification to cleaning and scale-up, working closely with R&D, Quality and Production.

You will shape how process engineering is built into operations, define operating parameters, develop process flow diagrams, lead root-cause analysis, and ensure GMP compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical or Process Engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in process/manufacturing engineering with formulated liquids.
• Experience in cosmetics/pharma industries is preferred.
• Knowledge of mixing, emulsification, heat transfer and scale-up.
• Familiarity with GMP/ISO 22716 and equipment qualification.
• Ability to develop clear specifications and process descriptions.

Responsibilities

• Take engineering ownership of bulk manufacturing processes and define operating parameters.
• Work on the production floor to reduce variability and rely less on operator judgement.
• Translate recipes into controlled, repeatable processes and instructions.
• Scale formulations from lab to reliable commercial processes with R&D and Quality.
• Improve performance across mixing, heating, cooling and bulk holding.
• Lead root-cause analysis of deviations and implement permanent controls.
• Improve yield, cycle time and changeover efficiency.
• Create and maintain process flow diagrams, descriptions and routings.
• Define CIP/COP requirements and improve cleaning efficiency and cross-contamination control.
• Support process utilities affecting manufacturing performance.
• Define equipment requirements and evaluate supplier proposals.
• Lead or support FAT, SAT, installation and qualification activities.
• Provide process input to filling/packaging interfaces.
• Embed safety, GMP, cleanability and maintainability in design.
• Train production teams on critical process parameters.

Skills

Process engineering

Root-cause analysis

PFDs & P&IDs

Lean Six Sigma

Technical writing

Scale-up

Process mapping

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical or Process Engineering

3+ years in batch-process engineering

Cosmetics/pharma industry experience

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

Process Engineer - Skincare manufacturing

Process Engineer
Skincare Manufacturing | Springvale | Full-time | Permanent

About Us

Synergie Skin is an Australian owned, leading manufacturer of skincare for the medical aesthetics and beauty therapy sectors. We are trusted by clinics, dermatologists, beauty professionals and end users across Australia and in more than seven international markets.

From our new manufacturing facility in Springvale, we are one of the few genuinely vertically integrated skincare businesses in the country, with manufacturing, quality, R&D, marketing, sales and dispatch all under one roof.

Our ISO 22716 accreditation reflects the standard we hold ourselves to every day. Because we formulate and manufacture our products in house, the way we design, control and improve our manufacturing processes has a direct impact on the quality and consistency of every formula we make.

About the Role

This is a newly created role and the first dedicated engineering position within Synergie Skin, giving you the opportunity to shape how process engineering is built into our manufacturing operation from the ground up.

As our Process Engineer, you will take ownership of the processes that turn approved formulations and raw materials into consistent, reproducible products at commercial scale. You will work directly with Production, R&D, Quality & Regulatory, Planning and Procurement, with your work visible on the production floor and in the performance of every batch we manufacture.

Your remit is both immediate and future-focused. You will improve how we manufacture today while helping design how we manufacture tomorrow, from process control and scale-up through to equipment requirements, cleaning systems and manufacturing infrastructure.

Your primary focus will be bulk manufacturing, including mixing, emulsification, heating, cooling, transfer and cleaning systems, with broader involvement across filling, packaging and manufacturing support.

Because we manufacture in house, this is not an engineering role removed from the product. You will be close to the formulation, the equipment and the people making it, with real scope to influence how the operation develops as the business grows.

If you are the kind of engineer who likes getting into the detail, solving the real cause of problems and leaving a process better than you found it, this role will give you plenty to get your hands on.

What You’ll Do

• Take engineering ownership of bulk manufacturing processes and define clear operating parameters and process standards

• Work on the production floor to understand how products are actually made, identify sources of variability and reduce unnecessary dependence on operator judgement

• Translate recipes, historical knowledge and practical know-how into controlled, repeatable manufacturing processes and work instructions

• Partner with R&D and Quality to scale new formulations from laboratory methods into reliable commercial manufacturing processes

• Improve process performance across mixing, agitation, high-shear homogenisation, powder dispersion, heating, cooling, transfer and bulk holding

• Lead structured root-cause analysis of recurring deviations, rejects, rework and process instability, and implement permanent engineering controls

• Improve right-first-time performance, yield, cycle time, changeover time and overall process capability

• Develop and maintain process flow diagrams, process descriptions, engineering documentation and manufacturing routings

• Define process requirements for CIP, COP and manual cleaning, and identify opportunities to improve cleanability, water and chemical use and cross-contamination control

• Support process utilities including purified water, heating, cooling and compressed air where they directly affect manufacturing performance

• Define equipment requirements, prepare user requirement specifications and evaluate supplier proposals against process needs

• Lead or support FAT, SAT, installation, commissioning, start-up and qualification activities for new equipment

• Provide process engineering support to filling and packaging where line performance, equipment settings or the bulk-to-fill interface require technical input

• Build safety, GMP, cleanability, ergonomics and maintainability into process and equipment design

• Train production teams on the technical intent behind critical process parameters so important knowledge is embedded in systems, not individuals

About You

You are a practical engineer who is just as comfortable on the manufacturing floor as you are working through process data, specifications and technical documentation.

You know how to challenge the way something has always been done while bringing the people who need to make the new process work along with you.

You will bring:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Chemical or Process Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering with relevant batch-process experience

• At least three years’ experience in process or manufacturing engineering involving formulated liquids, gels, creams or emulsions

• Experience within cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, complementary medicines, food and beverage or dairy manufacturing

• Practical understanding of mixing, agitation, high-shear dispersion, emulsification, heat transfer, pumping, fluid transfer and scale-up

• Experience contributing to an equipment or process project from user requirements through commissioning and start-up

• Confidence with process mapping, PFDs, P&IDs, root-cause analysis and engineering risk assessment

• Strong technical writing skills and the ability to produce clear specifications, process descriptions and controlled documentation

• An evidence-based approach to problem solving and the confidence to challenge historical practices where they are not technically justified

• The ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to operators, scientists, quality teams and non-engineers

Experience with ISO 22716 Cosmetics GMP, hygienic design, CIP/COP systems, process or cleaning validation, equipment qualification, Lean or Six Sigma, process automation or ERP/MRP systems such as NetSuite will be highly regarded.

How We Work

Skills get you shortlisted. Fit, meaning how well you connect with our culture, is what will help you thrive here.

We are looking for someone who genuinely operates the way we do, guided by our 5C values.

• Customer-Centricity: You understand that strong manufacturing processes ultimately affect the quality, consistency and availability of every product our customers receive.

• Curiosity: You ask why a process varies, why a problem keeps returning and whether the way something has always been done is still the best way to do it.

• Collaboration: You work closely with Production, R&D, Quality and the wider Operations team because strong manufacturing processes are never built in isolation.

• Clarity: You turn technical complexity into clearly defined processes, parameters and standards that people can understand and follow.

• Continuous Improvement: You look for practical ways to improve consistency, efficiency, safety and scalability. Mediocrity is not in the Synergie Skin playbook.

What’s on Offer

• The opportunity to be Synergie Skin's first dedicated Process Engineer and help shape our engineering capability from the ground up

• Genuine ownership of manufacturing processes and the ability to see the impact of your work directly on the production floor

• Exposure across R&D, scale-up, manufacturing, equipment and continuous improvement

• The opportunity to work within a vertically integrated Australian skincare business where product development and manufacturing sit under one roof

• Modern manufacturing facilities in Springvale

• The opportunity to work closely with senior operational leaders as the business continues to grow

• Synergie Skin staff product benefits

• A competitive salary commensurate with experience