Onsite Lead Biopharma Process Engineer – Cape Town

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Annual performance bonus

Annual leave

Training and conference attendance

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Biopharmaceutical Process Engineer to drive development, optimization, and scale-up of complex biopharmaceutical processes in a Cape Town facility. The role focuses on cell culture, fermentation, purification, and formulation with a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance and technology transfer.

The candidate will lead cross-functional teams, develop robust processes, and mentor junior engineers while staying ahead of bioprocessing innovations.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of hands-on biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing experience.
• Strong knowledge of upstream and downstream bioprocessing operations.
• Proven experience in scale-up, technology transfer, and validation.
• Solid understanding of cGMP regulations for biologics.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach.
• Demonstrated leadership and team management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, optimization, and scale-up of biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes (cell culture, fermentation, purification, formulation).
• Design and execute process validation studies and technology transfer activities.
• Troubleshoot complex process-related manufacturing issues.
• Develop and implement process improvements for yield, purity, and cost optimization.
• Ensure compliance with cGMP, regulatory guidelines (SAHPRA, FDA, EMA) and SOPs.
• Author/review development reports, validation documents, and regulatory submissions.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, QA/QC teams.
• Mentor junior engineers and technical staff.

Skills

Leadership

Bioprocessing knowledge

Analytical thinking

Data-driven

Communication skills

Education

Master's or PhD in Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or related

Tools

Process modeling tools

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Biopharmaceutical Process Engineer to drive development, optimization, and scale-up of complex biopharmaceutical processes in a Cape Town facility. The role focuses on cell culture, fermentation, purification, and formulation with a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance and technology transfer.

The candidate will lead cross-functional teams, develop robust processes, and mentor junior engineers while staying ahead of bioprocessing innovations.