Process Engineer (Sauce Plant)

Pedros; Durban; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Pedros in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, is seeking a hands-on Process Engineer to optimise sauce production from ingredient addition to packaging. The role covers process performance, utilities, automation, and equipment reliability on the Pedros Sauce Plant.

You will diagnose faults, improve efficiency, support production and maintenance teams, and lead root-cause analysis while ensuring GMP, HACCP and safe operation. Willingness to work outside hours and travel to suppliers is advantageous.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years hands-on engineering in food/Beverage/FMCG industries.
• Experience with batch heating/cooling, CIP and hygienic transfer.
• Knowledge of GMP/HACCP and food safety requirements.
• Experience with PLC/HMI/VSD fault-finding and instrumentation.
• Willingness to work hands-on on the plant floor.

Responsibilities

• Own process and utility performance across cooking, cooling, transfer and packaging.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, process and control faults on site.
• Lead root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
• Support commissioning, FAT/SAT IQ/OQ and vendor coordination.
• Maintain preventive maintenance plans and equipment history.

Skills

Process engineering

Fault finding

Pumps & valves troubleshooting

Utilities knowledge

PLC/HMI/VSD fault finding

Education

BEng/BSc in Mechanical/Chemical/Electrical/Mechatronics

Tools

PLC/HMI

SCADA

P&ID reading

Job description

Duties And Responsibilities

• The Process Engineer is a hands-on, site-based engineering role responsible for process performance, plant utilities, automation and equipment reliability across the Pedros Sauce Plant. The role supports end-to-end sauce manufacture from ingredient addition, cooking, mixing/emulsification and cooling through product transfer, storage, filling, capping, labelling, packing and CIP. The engineer is expected to diagnose faults personally, improve process efficiency, support production and maintenance teams, and reduce reliance on external suppliers while maintaining food safety and safe operation
• Take day-to-day technical ownership of process and utility performance across cooking, cooling, transfer, storage, filling and packaging
• Act as first-line engineer for breakdowns and chronic faults; personally troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, process and control issues before escalating to OEMs or contractors
• Optimise sauce batch processing - heat-up, ingredient addition, agitation, emulsification, cooking/hold, transfer and cooling - to improve cycle time, consistency and yield
• Maintain and troubleshoot plant utilities including steam generator/boiler, steam distribution/PRS/traps, condensate, chiller, cooling tower, water treatment/softening, compressed air, dryer and receiver
• Own CIP technical performance including flow, temperature, chemical concentration/conductivity, contact time, spray devices, return flow, recovery, dosing and cleaning validation
• Troubleshoot sanitary and utility pumps including lobe/positive displacement, centrifugal, multistage and dosing pumps; inspect and replace mechanical seals, bearings, couplings and related components
• Support heat-transfer systems including plate and tubular heat exchangers, hot/chilled-water circuits, control valves and temperature/flow instrumentation
• Use PLC/HMI and VSD systems for fault diagnosis - alarms, I/O, interlocks, permissives, recipes, sensors and actuated valves - and coordinate software changes/backups with approved specialists
• Support filling and packaging equipment including net-weight filler/capper, conveyors, labeller, coder and ancillary packaging equipment; assist with changeovers, calibration and downtime reduction
• Build and maintain preventive-maintenance plans, job cards, critical-spares lists, lubrication routines, calibration schedules and equipment history
• Lead root-cause analysis for recurring breakdowns, process deviations and utility failures; implement and verify corrective actions
• Track engineering/process KPIs including uptime, MTBF/MTTR, batch and cooling time, CIP performance, utility consumption, yield/product loss, filler performance and downtime
• Support hygienic engineering, GMP and food-safety requirements; ensure maintenance work does not introduce contamination and enforce LOTO, guarding and safe-work practices
• Manage OEMs, contractors and service providers: define scope, supervise work, verify quality, close punch-list items and control technical documentation
• Support commissioning, modifications and continuous-improvement projects including FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ, P&ID review, trials, operator training and final handover
• Steam generator/boiler, steam distribution, PRS, steam traps and condensate systems
• Chillers, cooling towers, plate/tubular heat exchangers and chilled/hot-water circuits
• Compressed-air systems, air dryers, receivers and pneumatic equipment
• Automated CIP systems, chemical dosing, conductivity and CIP validation
• Sanitary lobe/PD, centrifugal, multistage and dosing pumps; mechanical seals and valves
• PLC/HMI, VSDs, industrial sensors, instrumentation, actuated valves and fault diagnostics
• Filling, capping, conveyors, labelling, coding and packaging-line equipment
• Preventive maintenance, reliability, critical spares, RCA/CAPA and calibration
• P&IDs, commissioning, IQ/OQ, vendor management and hygienic engineering

Requirements

• BEng or BSc Engineering degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical or Mechatronics Engineering. National Diploma, BTech, N6, recognised technical qualification or relevant trade qualification will also be considered
• Minimum 3-5 years post-graduate, hands-on engineering experience in a food, beverage or FMCG manufacturing plant; sauce, condiment or liquid-food processing experience is strongly preferred
• Proven plant-floor experience with batch heating/cooling processes, hygienic product transfer, storage, filling/packaging and CIP
• Strong practical utilities experience covering steam/boiler systems, chillers, cooling towers, compressed air and water systems
• Working knowledge of PLC/HMI/VSD fault finding and industrial instrumentation; able to trace alarms, I/O, permissive and interlocks. LS, Festo or Siemens exposure is advantageous
• Strong mechanical troubleshooting ability on pumps, valves, mechanical seals, bearings, couplings and sanitary pipework
• Ability to read and work from P&IDs, electrical/control schematics, OEM manuals, instrument schedules and maintenance documentation
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP and food-safety requirements; FSSC 22000 and hygienic-design exposure advantageous
• Commissioning or start-up experience, including FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ and vendor coordination, is advantageous
• Food manufacturing process engineering and batch liquid/sauce processing
• Must be willing to work hands-on on the plant floor and support breakdowns, start-ups and planned shutdown work outside normal hours when required
• Must be comfortable working across mechanical, process, utilities and controls disciplines; this is not a desk-only design/project role
• Valid driver's licence and ability to travel occasionally to suppliers/OEMs or other Pedros sites is advantageous
• Must be able to train operators and maintenance staff on basic equipment care, fault escalation and safe operating practices