Lead Chemical Engineer – Specialty Chemicals Production

Placements24; Kempton Park; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 in Gauteng seeks a Lead Chemical Engineer to oversee and advance production of specialty chemicals in Tembisa. This senior on-site role demands strong leadership and deep technical expertise in chemical manufacturing.

You will mentor engineers, ensure safety, quality, and efficiency, and drive process scale-up from lab to full-scale production while managing budgets and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Chemical Engineering or equivalent.
• 10+ years in chemical manufacturing with leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of process safety regulations and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, implementation, and optimization of chemical production processes for specialty chemicals.
• Supervise and mentor a team of chemical engineers and technicians.
• Ensure adherence to safety, environmental, and quality standards across production activities.
• Develop and manage production schedules and resource allocation to meet demand.
• Conduct root cause analyses for deviations and implement corrective actions.
• Oversee commissioning and validation of new equipment and process changes.
• Collaborate with R&D to scale up new formulations from lab to production.
• Manage operational budgets and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Maintain process documentation including SOPs and P&IDs.
• Represent engineering in cross-functional management meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Process safety

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Quality systems

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Master's degree in Chemical Engineering

Job description

Placements24 in Gauteng seeks a Lead Chemical Engineer to oversee and advance production of specialty chemicals in Tembisa. This senior on-site role demands strong leadership and deep technical expertise in chemical manufacturing.

You will mentor engineers, ensure safety, quality, and efficiency, and drive process scale-up from lab to full-scale production while managing budgets and cross-functional collaboration.