Hands-On Sauce Plant Process Engineer

Pedros Chicken; KwaZulu-Natal; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Pedros Chicken is seeking a hands-on Process Engineer to manage end-to-end sauce production from cooking to packaging at the KwaZulu-Natal site. You will diagnose faults, improve process efficiency and reduce external supplier reliance while maintaining food safety and safe operation.

You will own process and utility performance, troubleshoot breakdowns, and optimize batch processing. Expect interaction with maintenance teams and OEMs to ensure continuous improvement on the shop floor.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical or Mechatronics engineering.
• 3–5 years post-graduate hands-on engineering experience in a food, beverage or FMCG plant.
• Experience with batch heating/cooling, hygienic product transfer, storage, filling/packaging and CIP.
• Utilities experience: steam/boiler systems, chillers, cooling towers, compressed air and water systems.
• Knowledge of PLC/HMI/VSD fault finding and instrumentation; exposure to LS, Festo or Siemens is advantageous.
• Ability to read P&IDs, electrical/control schematics and OEM manuals.

Responsibilities

• Take day-to-day ownership of process and utility performance across cooking, cooling, transfer, storage, filling and packaging.
• Troubleshoot breakdowns and chronic faults; coordinate with OEMs or contractors as needed.
• Optimize sauce batch processing to improve cycle time, consistency and yield.
• Maintain and troubleshoot plant utilities including steam, chillers, water systems, and compressed air.
• Lead root-cause analysis for recurring issues and implement corrective actions.
• Build preventive-maintenance plans, job cards, spares lists and calibration schedules.
• Support commissioning, FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ and vendor coordination.

Skills

Hands-on engineer

Troubleshooting

Process optimization

Root-cause analysis

Hygienic design

PLC/HMI fault-finding

P&ID reading

Vendor coordination

Safety compliance

Team communication

Education

BEng/BSc in Mechanical/Chemical/Electrical/Mechatronics

Diploma/Tech qualification

Tools

Siemens PLC

Festo automation

LS electrical

Industrial instrumentation tools

Job description

Pedros Chicken is seeking a hands-on Process Engineer to manage end-to-end sauce production from cooking to packaging at the KwaZulu-Natal site. You will diagnose faults, improve process efficiency and reduce external supplier reliance while maintaining food safety and safe operation.

You will own process and utility performance, troubleshoot breakdowns, and optimize batch processing. Expect interaction with maintenance teams and OEMs to ensure continuous improvement on the shop floor.