Lead Process Innovation Engineer - Hybrid

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Comprehensive healthcare benefits

Generous annual leave

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 in Durban is seeking a Lead Process Development Engineer to drive advanced chemical manufacturing capabilities in a hybrid setup, balancing on-site collaboration with remote flexibility. You will lead a team, develop new processes, and optimize existing ones to deliver safe, sustainable scale-up from lab to production.

You will partner with R&D, manufacturing, and engineering to transfer technology, validate processes, and implement robust design and safety standards.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in chemical process development, scale-up and optimization.
• Experience leading engineering projects and technical teams.
• Expertise in process modeling, DoE, and statistics.
• Strong knowledge of reaction engineering, thermodynamics, and separation tech.
• Excellent leadership and hybrid-work adaptability.

Responsibilities

• Lead conceptualization, design, and piloting of novel chemical processes.
• Oversee scale-up from lab to commercial production.
• Mentor a team of process development engineers.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, and engineering for tech transfer.
• Develop and implement validation protocols for new/modified processes.
• Conduct risk assessments and HAZOP studies.

Skills

Process development

Scale-up

DOE

Process modeling

Thermodynamics

Leadership

Education

Master's or PhD in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Process simulation tools

Statistical analysis software

Job description

Placements24 in Durban is seeking a Lead Process Development Engineer to drive advanced chemical manufacturing capabilities in a hybrid setup, balancing on-site collaboration with remote flexibility. You will lead a team, develop new processes, and optimize existing ones to deliver safe, sustainable scale-up from lab to production.

You will partner with R&D, manufacturing, and engineering to transfer technology, validate processes, and implement robust design and safety standards.