Process Engineer (Sauce Plant)

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 operationTake day-to-day technical ownership of process and utility performance across cooking, cooling, transfer, storage, filling and packagingAct as first-line engineer for breakdowns and chronic faults; personally troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, process and control issues before escalating to OEMs or contractorsOptimise sauce batch processing – heat-up, ingredient addition, agitation, emulsification, cooking/hold, transfer and cooling – to improve cycle time, consistency and yieldMaintain and troubleshoot plant utilities including steam generator/boiler, steam distribution/PRS/traps, condensate, chiller, cooling tower, water treatment/softening, compressed air, dryer and receiverOwn CIP technical performance including flow, temperature, chemical concentration/conductivity, contact time, spray devices, return flow, recovery, dosing and cleaning validationTroubleshoot sanitary and utility pumps including lobe/positive displacement, centrifugal, multistage and dosing pumps; inspect and replace mechanical seals, bearings, couplings and related componentsSupport heat-transfer systems including plate and tubular heat exchangers, hot/chilled-water circuits, control valves and temperature/flow instrumentationUse 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 specialistsSupport filling and packaging equipment including net-weight filler/capper, conveyors, labeller, coder and ancillary packaging equipment; assist with changeovers, calibration and downtime reductionBuild and maintain preventive-maintenance plans, job cards, critical-spares lists, lubrication routines, calibration schedules and equipment historyLead root-cause analysis for recurring breakdowns, process deviations and utility failures; implement and verify corrective actionsTrack engineering/process KPIs including uptime, MTBF/MTTR, batch and cooling time, CIP performance, utility consumption, yield/product loss, filler performance and downtimeSupport hygienic engineering, GMP and food-safety requirements; ensure maintenance work does not introduce contamination and enforce LOTO, guarding and safe-work practicesManage OEMs, contractors and service providers: define scope, supervise work, verify quality, close punch-list items and control technical documentationSupport commissioning, modifications and continuous-improvement projects including FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ, P&ID review, trials, operator training and final handoverSteam generator/boiler, steam distribution, PRS, steam traps and condensate systemsChillers, cooling towers, plate/tubular heat exchangers and chilled/hot-water circuitsCompressed-air systems, air dryers, receivers and pneumatic equipmentAutomated CIP systems, chemical dosing, conductivity and CIP validationSanitary lobe/PD, centrifugal, multistage and dosing pumps; mechanical seals and valvesPLC/HMI, VSDs, industrial sensors, instrumentation, actuated valves and fault diagnosticsFilling, capping, conveyors, labelling, coding and packaging-line equipmentPreventive maintenance, reliability, critical spares, RCA/CAPA and calibrationP&IDs, commissioning, IQ/OQ, vendor management and hygienic engineeringREQUIREMENTS: 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 consideredMinimum 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 preferredProven plant-floor experience with batch heating/cooling processes, hygienic product transfer, storage, filling/packaging and CIPStrong practical utilities experience covering steam/boiler systems, chillers, cooling towers, compressed air and water systemsWorking 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 advantageousStrong mechanical troubleshooting ability on pumps, valves, mechanical seals, bearings, couplings and sanitary pipeworkAbility to read and work from P&IDs, electrical/control schematics, OEM manuals, instrument schedules and maintenance documentationKnowledge of GMP, HACCP and food-safety requirements; FSSC 22000 and hygienic-design exposure advantageousCommissioning or start-up experience, including FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ and vendor coordination, is advantageousFood manufacturing process engineering and batch liquid/sauce processingMust be willing to work hands-on on the plant floor and support breakdowns, start-ups and planned shutdown work outside normal hours when requiredMust be comfortable working across mechanical, process, utilities and controls disciplines; this is not a desk-only design/project roleValid driver’s licence and ability to travel occasionally to suppliers/OEMs or other Pedros sites is advantageousMust be able to train operators and maintenance staff on basic equipment care, fault escalation and safe operating practices