Hybrid Process Development Chemist: Synthesis & Scale-Up

Placements24; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Hybrid role

State-of-the-art facility

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Process Development Chemist for a leading specialty chemicals company in Cape Town, Western Cape. The role focuses on researching, developing, and optimizing synthesis routes and production processes for novel chemical products.

You will translate lab findings to scalable, safe, and cost-effective manufacturing methods, collaborating with R&D, engineering, and production teams in a hybrid work setting.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5+ years in process development chemistry or chemical process engineering.
• Experience in synthetic route design and optimization.
• Hands-on with laboratory and pilot plant equipment.
• Strong knowledge of analytical techniques (HPLC, GC, NMR, MS).
• Familiarity with process safety and risk assessment is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize synthetic routes for new compounds.
• Design experiments to evaluate process parameters and identify optimal conditions.
• Perform laboratory-scale and pilot-scale trials to validate process feasibility and scalability.
• Analyze reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and mass transfer to improve process efficiency.
• Develop analytical methods for in-process control and final product quality assessment.
• Collaborate with R&D scientists, engineers, and production teams.
• Ensure all laboratory and pilot operations comply with safety and environmental regulations.
• Contribute to intellectual property generation through patents and publications.

Skills

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Education

PhD or Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Laboratory & pilot plant equipment

DoE methodologies

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Process Development Chemist for a leading specialty chemicals company in Cape Town, Western Cape. The role focuses on researching, developing, and optimizing synthesis routes and production processes for novel chemical products.

You will translate lab findings to scalable, safe, and cost-effective manufacturing methods, collaborating with R&D, engineering, and production teams in a hybrid work setting.