Remote Lead Chemical Engineer – Scale-Up & Innovation

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work stipend

Comprehensive benefits package

Career development funding

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Chemical Engineer for a fully remote role in South Africa. You will drive scale-up, optimize processes, and lead a team to move innovations from pilot to commercial production, while ensuring safety and cost-efficiency.

The work requires strong collaboration with R&D, engineering, and manufacturing teams. The role emphasizes proven leadership, extensive process design and simulation experience, HAZOP/LOPA knowledge, and the ability to communicate complex technical

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in chemical engineering with 10+ years in process development and scale-up.
• Proven ability to bridge lab-scale and commercial production safely and cost-effectively.
• Experience with risk assessments such as HAZOP and robust safety protocols.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and implementation of scale-up processes from pilot to commercial scale.
• Develop and validate process models and simulations to predict performance and scale-up challenges.
• Optimize manufacturing processes to improve yield, reduce energy use, and minimize environmental impact.
• Oversee HAZOP studies and other risk assessments for new/modified processes.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and technicians.
• Collaborate with R&D, engineering, and manufacturing for seamless technology transfer.
• Troubleshoot complex scale-up issues and provide timely solutions.
• Create detailed process documentation including P&IDs, PFDs, and mass/energy balances.
• Stay updated with emerging technologies and best practices in chemical engineering.
• Contribute to strategic planning and execution of process development projects.

Skills

Process scale-up

Process simulation

Leadership

Project management

Remote communication

Troubleshooting

Education

Master's or PhD in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Aspen Plus

Chemcad

LOPA

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Chemical Engineer for a fully remote role in South Africa. You will drive scale-up, optimize processes, and lead a team to move innovations from pilot to commercial production, while ensuring safety and cost-efficiency.

The work requires strong collaboration with R&D, engineering, and manufacturing teams. The role emphasizes proven leadership, extensive process design and simulation experience, HAZOP/LOPA knowledge, and the ability to communicate complex technical