Process Engineer (Chemical)

Execustaff South Africa (Pty) Ltd; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 520,000 - 780,000; Full time

Job summary

Execustaff South Africa (Pty) Ltd is seeking a skilled Chemical/Process Engineer with water treatment expertise in Gauteng. The role focuses on groundwater treatment design, unit operations sizing, and regulatory compliance for potable water projects.

The ideal candidate will have an engineering degree, a clear ECSA path toward Pr Eng, hands-on experience with P&IDs, Aspen Plus or similar tools, and strong safety awareness. On-site work with potential site travel is required.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree and professional registration pathway with progression toward Pr Eng.
• Experience in process-design fundamentals for water treatment.
• Experience with borehole groundwater and water/wastewater treatment is preferred.
• Ability to model and draft process designs with relevant software.
• Knowledge of safety methodologies (HAZOP) in chemical handling.

Responsibilities

• Groundwater treatment design and characterisation of raw water sources.
• Size unit operations and develop operating philosophy for plants.
• Produce mass and energy balances, hydraulic profiles, and equipment specs.
• Ensure compliance with potable water standards and regulatory limits.
• Support cross-disciplinary coordination and development of methodologies.

Skills

Mass and energy balances

P&IDs & PFDs

Equipment sizing

Control philosophy

Water treatment processes

HAZOP knowledge

SCADA data literacy

Python (Pandas, NumPy)

Excel (advanced)

Lean / continuous improvement

Cross-disciplinary coordination

Education

BEng or BSc Chemical Engineering, or BEng Process Engineering

Equivalent engineering qualification

Tools

AutoCAD

Plant 3D

Aspen Plus

Job description

Must have:

• Engineering qualification. BEng / BSc Chemical Engineering, or BEng Process Engineering, or equivalent. Other engineering disciplines with strong demonstrable process-design depth in water treatment will be considered.
• Professional registration pathway. ECSA Candidate Engineer (registered or pending) at junior level; clear path toward Pr Eng at mid-level; Pr Eng or imminent at mid-senior level.
• Process design fundamentals. Mass and energy balances, P&IDs and PFDs, equipment sizing and specification, control philosophy.
• Water treatment exposure. Demonstrable academic or work exposure to water or wastewater treatment unit operations. Hands‑on internship, vacation work, or project experience counts.
• Drafting and modelling. Competence with AutoCAD or Plant 3D; familiarity with Aspen Plus or comparable process simulation tools.
• Safety mindset. Understands HAZOP methodology and the importance of process safety in chemical handling environments.
• Driver's licence and own transport. Site work is part of the role.

Strongly preferred:

• Groundwater treatment depth. Borehole abstraction and raw groundwater treatment design — typically high iron, manganese, hardness, sometimes pathogens, sometimes elevated TDS or nitrates. RO / ion exchange / filtration / disinfection unit operations.
• Regulatory familiarity. SANS 241 (potable water quality), DWS general and special limits, National Water Act Section 21 water use authorisations, fit‑for‑purpose standards for non‑potable reuse.
• Wastewater / package plant exposure. Effluent treatment, package plants, sludge handling, compliance with municipal and DWS effluent standards.
• Data and instrumentation literacy. SCADA, online quality monitoring (turbidity, conductivity, chlorine residual), telemetry, alarm management, performance verification.
• Programming and data tools. Python (Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, etc.) for design calculations, optimisation, or data analysis. Advanced Excel including VBA.
• Lean / continuous improvement. Process optimisation, cost reduction, lifecycle thinking.
• Member of WISA or comparable water sector professional body.

Key responsibilities:

• Groundwater treatment design
  • Characterise raw water from boreholes, surface sources, or blended sources; specify the analytical scope required for design.
  • Select and size unit operations: pretreatment (screening, sedimentation, coagulation/flocculation), filtration (multimedia, granular activated carbon, membrane), disinfection (chlorine, UV, ozone), softening, demineralisation (RO, ion exchange), and advanced oxidation as required.
  • Produce mass and energy balances, hydraulic profiles, equipment specifications, and operating philosophy for the plant.
  • Verify compliance with SANS 241 (potable), DWS general and special limits, and any fit for-purpose standards specific to the client's use case.
• Process documentation across all six ECSA stages
• Safety, compliance, and quality
• Cross‑disciplinary coordination
• Productisation & methodology