Polymers Process Development Engineer — Scale-Up

Placements24; Mbombela (Nelspruit); On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Retirement plans

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, ZA is seeking a Process Development Engineer to translate lab discoveries into scalable manufacturing processes for high‑performance polymers.

You will design, develop and optimize polymerization, purification and material handling, scale from lab to pilot and commercial scales, and collaborate with R&D and manufacturing teams to ensure safety, quality and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required in Chemical Engineering or Polymer Science.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in process development and scale-up in specialty polymers or fine chemicals.
• Strong understanding of polymerization mechanisms and process development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize chemical processes for synthesis and purification of specialty polymers.
• Design and execute laboratory experiments to study kinetics and process parameters.
• Scale up polymerization processes from lab to pilot and commercial scales; address technical challenges.
• Create PFDs and P&IDs for new process designs.
• Specify equipment such as reactors, extruders, filters, and drying systems.
• Conduct PHAs and implement safety protocols.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, and QA teams.
• Analyze process data to drive continuous improvement and cost reduction.

Skills

Polymer chemistry

Process optimization

Chemical engineering principles

Education

Master's degree in Chemical Engineering or Polymer Science

Tools

Process simulation and modeling tools

Job description

Placements24 in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, ZA is seeking a Process Development Engineer to translate lab discoveries into scalable manufacturing processes for high‑performance polymers.

You will design, develop and optimize polymerization, purification and material handling, scale from lab to pilot and commercial scales, and collaborate with R&D and manufacturing teams to ensure safety, quality and efficiency.