Chemical Engineer | Projects & Process Improvement

Pronel Consultants; Durban; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Pronel Consultants is seeking a Chemical Engineer for our client’s Projects team in Durban to optimise plant performance and deliver real-world results. You will work closely with Production, Maintenance, SHEQ, Procurement and other teams from concept through execution and benefit realisation.

You will gain hands-on exposure to project engineering and plant operations, leading engineering initiatives that improve safety, product quality and efficiency onsite.

Qualifications

• BSc in Chemical Engineering is required.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in chemical/manufacturing/industrial plant environments.
• Experience in process engineering, plant projects, production support or process improvement.
• Hands-on, practical approach turning engineering insight into measurable plant results.

Responsibilities

• Identify and deliver process optimisation, debottlenecking and capital projects.
• Develop scopes, technical solutions, business cases, budgets and implementation plans.
• Lead equipment sizing, process design, specifications, costing and technical reviews.
• Troubleshoot production, quality and reliability challenges and drive root-cause solutions.
• Plan and oversee laboratory and plant trials, commissioning and process changes.
• Analyse plant data to uncover losses, constraints and improvement opportunities.
• Drive improvements in production, yield, energy efficiency, cost, reliability and quality.
• Support HAZOPs, risk assessments, MOC and incident investigations.
• Embed sustainable improvements through SOPs, training, standards and monitoring.

Skills

Process engineering

Project management

Data analysis

Hands-on approach

Education

BSc in Chemical Engineering

Job description

Are you a Chemical Engineer who thrives on solving complex plant problems, improving performance and turning ideas into real-world results?

Join our clients Projects team and play a key role in optimising plant performance, increasing capacity, improving efficiency and reliability, enhancing safety and delivering better product quality.

Working closely with Production, Maintenance, SHEQ, Procurement and other teams, you’ll take projects from concept through execution, commissioning and benefit realisation — while gaining hands‑on exposure to both project engineering and plant operations.

What you’ll be doing

• Identify and deliver process optimisation, debottlenecking and capital projects

• Develop scopes, technical solutions, business cases, budgets and implementation plans

• Lead equipment sizing, process design, specifications, costing and technical reviews

• Troubleshoot production, quality and reliability challenges and drive root-cause solutions

• Plan and oversee laboratory and plant trials, commissioning and process changes

• Analyse plant data to uncover losses, constraints and improvement opportunities

• Drive improvements in production, yield, energy efficiency, cost, reliability and quality

• Support HAZOPs, risk assessments, MOC and incident investigations

• Embed sustainable improvements through SOPs, training, standards and monitoring

What you’ll bring

• BSc in Chemical Engineering

• 5+ years’ relevant experience in a chemical, manufacturing or industrial plant environment

• Proven experience in process engineering, plant projects, production support or process improvement

• A practical, hands‑on approach with the ability to turn engineering insight into measurable plant results

Why this opportunity?

This is more than a projects role. It’s an opportunity to build deep technical and operational expertise, work on high‑impact engineering challenges and position yourself for future technical or operational leadership.

And the location? Durban — where your career can come with sun, sea and sand.