Lead Process Engineer, Specialty Chemicals (Cape Town)

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

Life insurance

Pension plan

International collaboration

Advanced training programs

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Chemical Process Development Engineer in Cape Town to spearhead R&D translating lab discoveries into scalable manufacturing processes. You will lead a team of engineers and scientists, driving innovation from concept to pilot-scale trials and industrial implementation.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD/MSc in Chemical Engineering with 10+ years in process development, scale-up and commercialization of specialty chemicals, and strong leadership and safety expertise.

Qualifications

• PhD or MSc in Chemical Engineering or related field with strong track record in process development and scale-up.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in process development, scale-up, and commercialization of chemical processes.
• Expertise in reaction engineering, separations, crystallization and drying technologies.
• Strong proficiency with process simulation software (Aspen Plus, HYSYS, gPROMS) and statistical analysis.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary R&D teams and managing complex projects.
• Solid understanding of process safety, HAZOP and risk assessment.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimization of novel chemical processes for new and existing specialty chemicals.
• Design and run laboratory and pilot-scale experiments to validate concepts and gather scale-up data.
• Use CFD and kinetic modeling to predict and optimize process performance.
• Develop robust process control strategies ensuring product quality and safety.
• Mentor engineers and scientists, driving innovation and technical excellence.
• Ensure successful technology transfer to manufacturing and scale-up readiness.

Skills

Reaction engineering

Separations

Crystallization

Drying

Process simulation

HAZOP

cGMP

Leadership

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Aspen Plus

HYSYS

gPROMS

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Chemical Process Development Engineer in Cape Town to spearhead R&D translating lab discoveries into scalable manufacturing processes. You will lead a team of engineers and scientists, driving innovation from concept to pilot-scale trials and industrial implementation.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD/MSc in Chemical Engineering with 10+ years in process development, scale-up and commercialization of specialty chemicals, and strong leadership and safety expertise.