Production Engineer

SUMMARY:
Our client in the Tulbagh area is looking for a highly motivated Process Engineer to provide hands-on technical support within the production environment to ensure stable, efficient, safe, and compliant manufacturing operations.

POSITION INFO:
Minimum Requirements:

1. Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field
2. Postgraduate qualification in Process Engineering and/or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt / Black Belt will be advantageous
3. Minimum 5 years experience in process engineering, preferably in a manufacturing, food processing, or chemical industry environment
4. Proven hands-on experience in process optimization, production line improvement, troubleshooting, and resolving process inefficiencies
5. Demonstrated experience in apply lean manufacturing and cost-saving initiatives in an operational environment
6. Experience working closely with production teams in a fast-paced manufacturing setting
7. Experience in a shift or 24/7 manufacturing environment will be advantageous

• Always promote and support a safe working environment
• Ensure technical activities comply with safety requirements, safe operating practices, and engineering controls
• Participate in risk identification, hazard reduction, and incident investigation where process conditions contribute to unsafe outcomes
• Escalate serious process, product, equipment, or safety risks immediately

• Monitor and analyse process and production data including downtime, yield, throughput, waste, rejects, OEE, process deviations, and quality losses.
• Maintain accurate records of technical issues, investigations, actions, and process improvements.
• Generate and communicate clear shift-related technical feedback and recommendations.
• Use data to prioritize corrective actions and identify trends requiring escalation or project intervention.
• Support accurate data capture and reporting to improve operational visibility and decision-making

• Develop, review, and update SOPs, work instructions, process standards, control methods, and troubleshooting guides where required.
• Ensure process knowledge is translated into practical standards for production teams.
• Support validation of revised operating methods and ensure they are properly communicated and implemented.
• Maintain technical documentation relevant to process control and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Support operators, supervisors, and managers with technical decision-making during production.
• Ensure that production processes are operating according to approved parameters, product specifications, running cards, and SOPs.
• Assist production teams with startup, changeovers, process adjustments, product change transitions, and line recovery after breakdowns or deviations.
• Review production constraints affecting schedule attainment, OTIF, capacity, and line performance.
• Help ensure smooth handover of process conditions, unresolved issues, and corrective actions between shifts

• Ensure all process activities comply with company food safety, quality, GMP, HACCP, hygiene, and legal requirements
• Support compliance with applicable certification standards and internal systems, including food safety audits and operational controls
• Participate in investigations relating to product defects, customer complaints, non-conformances, deviations, hold stock, and rework
• Ensure process changes, trials, and corrective actions do not compromise food safety, legality, or product quality
• Support adherence to departmental SOPs, specifications, running cards, sanitation requirements, and line clearance standards
• Promote a strong culture of compliance, housekeeping, process discipline, and right-first-time execution on shift

• Work closely with maintenance and engineering teams to address equipment-related causes of process instability.
• Support fault finding where equipment performance impacts process outcomes.
• Assist with commissioning, trials, modifications, upgrades, and optimization of production equipment.
• Provide process input into maintenance priorities, reliability improvement, and equipment performance reviews.
• Contribute to reducing unscheduled downtime through better understanding of process-equipment interaction

• Assist in evaluating new methods, process adjustments, and equipment improvements to improve operational performance
• Identify opportunities to improve process capability, efficiency, quality, and cost once stable operation has been established
• Drive practical improvement projects focused on reducing waste, improving OEE and yield, increasing throughput, and reducing rework
• Use production data to identify bottlenecks, losses, variation, and chronic process problems
• Support implementation of lean manufacturing, kaizen, problem-solving, and world-class manufacturing practices in production
• Standardize successful improvement and ensure they are embedded into daily operations

• Act as the first line of engineering support to production during the assigned shift
• Investigate, diagnose, and resolve process-related production problems affecting throughput, yield, quality, waste, downtime, and consistency
• Provide rapid response to technical issues on the plant floor to restore normal operating conditions
• Identify recurring problems and implement corrective and preventive actions to improve process reliability
• Monitor process variables, control points, line conditions, and operating practices to ensure process stability
• Support shift teams in identifying abnormal conditions early and responding effectively
• Lead or facilitate structured root cause analysis on technical production issues

• Coach operators, line leaders, and supervisors on process understanding, control points, troubleshooting, and correct operating practices
• Build shift capability by improving technical understanding at floor level
• Support training initiatives linked to recurring technical problems, new standards, equipment changes, and process improvements
• Encourage disciplined problem-solving and ownership within production teams