Hybrid Chemical Engineer – Food & Beverage Processing

Placements24; Upington; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Retirement fund contributions

Bonuses based on performance

Professional development opportunities

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Placements24 in Upington, Northern Cape invites a seasoned Chemical Engineer to optimize food and beverage processes in a hybrid on-site/remote role. You will focus on product quality, process efficiency, sanitation, and safety across manufacturing operations, partnering with production, QA, and R&D to drive improvements.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in process engineering within food sectors, with strong food chemistry knowledge, process modeling, and problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in Chemical Engineering or Food Science.
• Minimum 5 years in process engineering in food and beverage.
• Strong knowledge of food chemistry and processing technologies.
• Familiar with HACCP/ISO 22000 and quality systems.
• Experience with process simulation and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Optimize chemical processes in food and beverage production (extraction, fermentation, preservation, pasteurization).
• Ensure compliance with food safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement process improvements to boost quality and yield.
• Troubleshoot process control, sanitation, and product consistency issues.
• Design pilot plant studies for new product development and validation.
• Collaborate with R&D to scale up formulations and ingredients.
• Oversee chemical inventory and safe handling of cleaning agents.
• Conduct PHAs for food processing environments.
• Develop SOPs for production processes and train personnel.
• Monitor SPC data and drive improvements.

Skills

Food chemistry

Mass transfer

Heat transfer

Fluid dynamics

Process control

Data analysis

Problem solving

Teamwork

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Tools

Process simulation software

CIP systems knowledge

Job description

Placements24 in Upington, Northern Cape invites a seasoned Chemical Engineer to optimize food and beverage processes in a hybrid on-site/remote role. You will focus on product quality, process efficiency, sanitation, and safety across manufacturing operations, partnering with production, QA, and R&D to drive improvements.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in process engineering within food sectors, with strong food chemistry knowledge, process modeling, and problem-solving skills.