Process Engineer

Colgate-Palmolive; Gebze; On-site; TRY 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Colgate-Palmolive GmbH Gebze is seeking a Process Engineer to lead a rotating shift, drive safe and stable operations, and coordinate maintenance and improvement projects across Personal Care/Liquid and Soap production lines.

The role combines engineering expertise with frontline leadership, requiring 2–3 years of plant experience, strong English communication, and the ability to work across cross‑functional teams in a fast‑paced FMCG environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering disciplines (Mechanical / Electrical & Electronics / Mechatronics) and related hands‑on technical fields.
• 2–3 years of production/maintenance/reliability experience in a plant environment.
• Fluency in English; ability to communicate in a global setting.
• Willingness to rotate 2–3 shift patterns to support operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day shift operations and supervise production operators.
• Own shift execution against safety, quality, service, cost and productivity targets.
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental and quality requirements; participate in investigations and corrective actions.
• Apply Lean/WCM tools to reduce losses and improve changeovers.
• Coordinate maintenance activities and support autonomous maintenance routines.
• Lead improvement projects from planning through implementation.
• Coach shift teams on technical standards and problem solving.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, EHS and planning for daily operations.

Skills

English proficiency

Team leadership

Problem solving

Safety awareness

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering

Electrical & Electronics Engineering

Mechatronics

Control & Automation Engineering

Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering

Tools

SAP

PLC logic

HMI

Excel

Job description

No Relocation Assistance Offered

Job Number #175777 - Gebze - Kocaeli, Turkey, Turkey

Who We Are

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specialising in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.

Job Summary

The Process Engineer is a shift-based production leadership role responsible for safe, stable and efficient operations across our Focus Factory environment, covering Personal Care/Liquid and Soap, Toothbrush manufacturing. The role combines production/process engineering, front-line people leadership and maintenance/project coordination. Operators will report into this role, and the Process Engineer will report to Focus Factory Managers and keystake stakeholders will be Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, EHS and other plant functions.

This position works on a rotating operational shift pattern (2 or 3 shift system depending on business needs) to support continuous manufacturing operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day shift operations; supervise production operators, allocate manpower, follow attendance and shift discipline, and ensure effective shift handovers and daily alignment.
• Own shift execution against safety, quality, service, cost and productivity targets; monitor OEE, downtime, minor stoppages, scrap, energy consumption and other key production indicators and convert gaps into clear action plans.
• Ensure strict compliance with safety, environmental, quality and microbiology requirements; participate in risk assessments, investigations and corrective/preventive actions.
• Apply Lean/WCM tools such as 5S, Kaizen, root-cause analysis, SMED and standard work to reduce losses, improve changeovers and strengthen line reliability and efficiency.
• Act as the first technical escalation point on shift, coordinate troubleshooting of mechanical, electrical, automation and process issues, and partner with relevant technical teams for sustainable corrective actions.
• Coordinate first-level maintenance activities and work orders, support planned/autonomous maintenance routines, follow recurring failures and spare-part needs, and contribute to equipment reliability improvements.
• Support or lead plant/focus-factory improvement projects, equipment modifications, commissioning, trials, line/layout changes and process optimization activities from planning through implementation.
• Maintain and reinforce operating standards, centerlines and basic equipment conditions; coach shift teams on technical standards, problem solving and autonomous maintenance practices.
• Work closely with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, EHS, Planning and HR to ensure effective daily operations and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications :

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics

Engineering, Control & Automation Engineering, Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering, or another closely related hands‑on technical engineering discipline.

• Minimum 2–3 years of relevant experience in production, manufacturing, process engineering, maintenance, reliability or a comparable plant‑based engineering role.
• Strong command of English, both written and spoken, with the ability to communicate effectively in a global working environment and work with technical documentation.
• A strong team player with a collaborative mindset, capable of working effectively across shift teams and plant functions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with shop floor personnel.
• Strong ownership, problem‑solving and people‑leadership capability, with the confidence to lead front‑line production teams in an operational environment.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing KPIs, structured problem solving and continuous‑improvement principles.
• Full willingness and capability to work in a rotating 2- or 3-shift operational pattern.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Experience in FMCG, personal care, packaging or another high‑volume / highly automated manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with mechanical systems, electrical/automation systems, PLC logic, HMI, sensors, mechatronics or industrial troubleshooting.
• Experience with SAP or another production‑related ERP/MES system, and strong Google Sheet / Excel capability.
• Experience supporting maintenance, commissioning, equipment upgrades, line changes or engineering projects.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaxk_eF4utznQoVHlxmL9jVFJbOkM4Oe5CAdKOg-h9EPdLfg/viewform) should you require accommodation.

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