Senior Chemical Process Engineer — Lead Design & Scale-Up

Placements24; Upington; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual performance bonus

Medical insurance

Pension fund

Career development

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Lead Chemical Process Engineer for its Upington operation. You will oversee design, development and continuous improvement of complex chemical processes, mentoring a P&E team, and ensuring safety, environmental and economic targets are met.

You will lead cross-functional projects, develop PFDs/P&IDs, perform detailed calculations, and manage scale-up from pilot to production in a hands-on leadership role.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Chemical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years in process engineering, with at least 3 in a lead/supervisory role.
• Proven design, optimization and scale-up experience for industrial processes.
• Proficiency in process simulation software (Aspen Plus, CHEMCAD, HEC-RAS).
• Solid knowledge of process safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Demonstrated leadership and team management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the process engineering team in designing and executing new projects.
• Develop conceptual designs, PFDs and P&IDs for new plants.
• Perform detailed process calculations, simulations and equipment sizing.
• Oversee pilot plants and scale-up to commercial production.
• Champion process safety initiatives including HAZOP and LOPA.
• Ensure compliance with safety, health and environmental regulations.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians.
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, PM, and R&D.
• Manage capital projects from conception to commissioning.

Skills

Process design

Process optimization

Scale-up

Leadership

Team management

Process safety

Regulatory compliance

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

MSc or PhD in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Aspen Plus

HEC-RAS

CHEMCAD

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Lead Chemical Process Engineer for its Upington operation. You will oversee design, development and continuous improvement of complex chemical processes, mentoring a P&E team, and ensuring safety, environmental and economic targets are met.

You will lead cross-functional projects, develop PFDs/P&IDs, perform detailed calculations, and manage scale-up from pilot to production in a hands-on leadership role.