Senior Process Development Engineer – Fine Chemicals & APIs

Placements24; George; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Medical aid

Retirement fund

International training

R&D exposure

Collaborative environment

Wellness programs

Career advancement

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Process Development Engineer in George, Western Cape, to lead the development of new fine chemicals and APIs from lab to pilot and commercial scale. This role demands strong organic chemistry and chemical engineering skills, with a focus on safety, cGMP, and scalable manufacturing routes.

You will design experiments, manage scale-up projects, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating with R&D, analytical, and production teams to ensure compliant, efficient

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or Organic Chemistry.

Responsibilities

• Lead the process development of new fine chemicals and APIs, including route scouting and optimization.
• Design and conduct laboratory experiments and pilot plant trials to assess process feasibility, safety, and scalability.
• Develop detailed process descriptions, PFDs, P&IDs, and batch records for new manufacturing processes.
• Perform process hazard analyses (PHAs) such as HAZOP studies.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges encountered during process development and scale-up.
• Collaborate closely with R&D chemists, analytical scientists, and production teams.
• Ensure all developed processes comply with cGMP and regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies and equipment for process improvement.
• Mentor junior process development engineers and chemists.

Skills

Process development

Project leadership

Scale‑up

Batch chemistry

Process safety

cGMP compliance

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Technical writing

Modeling/simulation

Education

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or Organic Chemistry

Tools

PFD/PID software

Process modeling tools

Hazard analysis tools

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Process Development Engineer in George, Western Cape, to lead the development of new fine chemicals and APIs from lab to pilot and commercial scale. This role demands strong organic chemistry and chemical engineering skills, with a focus on safety, cGMP, and scalable manufacturing routes.

You will design experiments, manage scale-up projects, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating with R&D, analytical, and production teams to ensure compliant, efficient