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 operation
Take day-to-day technical ownership of process and utility performance across cooking, cooling, transfer, storage, filling and packaging
Act as first-line engineer for breakdowns and chronic faults; personally troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, process and control issues before escalating to OEMs or contractors
Optimise sauce batch processing - heat-up, ingredient addition, agitation, emulsification, cooking/hold, transfer and cooling - to improve cycle time, consistency and yield
Maintain and troubleshoot plant utilities including steam generator/boiler, steam distribution/PRS/traps, condensate, chiller, cooling tower, water treatment/softening, compressed air, dryer and receiver
Own CIP technical performance including flow, temperature, chemical concentration/conductivity, contact time, spray devices, return flow, recovery, dosing and cleaning validation
Troubleshoot sanitary and utility pumps including lobe/positive displacement, centrifugal, multistage and dosing pumps; inspect and replace mechanical seals, bearings, couplings and related components
Support heat-transfer systems including plate and tubular heat exchangers, hot/chilled-water circuits, control valves and temperature/flow instrumentation
Use 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 specialists
Support filling and packaging equipment including net-weight filler/capper, conveyors, labeller, coder and ancillary packaging equipment; assist with changeovers, calibration and downtime reduction
Build and maintain preventive-maintenance plans, job cards, critical-spares lists, lubrication routines, calibration schedules and equipment history
Lead root-cause analysis for recurring breakdowns, process deviations and utility failures; implement and verify corrective actions
Track engineering/process KPIs including uptime, MTBF/MTTR, batch and cooling time, CIP performance, utility consumption, yield/product loss, filler performance and downtime
Support hygienic engineering, GMP and food-safety requirements; ensure maintenance work does not introduce contamination and enforce LOTO, guarding and safe-work practices
Manage OEMs, contractors and service providers: define scope, supervise work, verify quality, close punch-list items and control technical documentation
Support commissioning, modifications and continuous-improvement projects including FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ, P&ID review, trials, operator training and final handover
Steam generator/boiler, steam distribution, PRS, steam traps and condensate systems
Chillers, cooling towers, plate/tubular heat exchangers and chilled/hot-water circuits
Compressed-air systems, air dryers, receivers and pneumatic equipment
Automated CIP systems, chemical dosing, conductivity and CIP validation
Sanitary lobe/PD, centrifugal, multistage and dosing pumps; mechanical seals and valves
PLC/HMI, VSDs, industrial sensors, instrumentation, actuated valves and fault diagnostics
Filling, capping, conveyors, labelling, coding and packaging-line equipment
Preventive maintenance, reliability, critical spares, RCA/CAPA and calibration
P&IDs, commissioning, IQ/OQ, vendor management and hygienic engineering
REQUIREMENTS:
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 considered
Minimum 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 preferred
Proven plant-floor experience with batch heating/cooling processes, hygienic product transfer, storage, filling/packaging and CIP
Strong practical utilities experience covering steam/boiler systems, chillers, cooling towers, compressed air and water systems
Working 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 advantageous
Strong mechanical troubleshooting ability on pumps, valves, mechanical seals, bearings, couplings and sanitary pipework
Ability to read and work from P&IDs, electrical/control schematics, OEM manuals, instrument schedules and maintenance documentation
Knowledge of GMP, HACCP and food-safety requirements; FSSC 22000 and hygienic-design exposure advantageous
Commissioning or start-up experience, including FAT/SAT, IQ/OQ and vendor coordination, is advantageous
Food manufacturing process engineering and batch liquid/sauce processing
Must be willing to work hands-on on the plant floor and support breakdowns, start-ups and planned shutdown work outside normal hours when required
Must be comfortable working across mechanical, process, utilities and controls disciplines; this is not a desk-only design/project role
Valid driver's licence and ability to travel occasionally to suppliers/OEMs or other Pedros sites is advantageous
Must be able to train operators and maintenance staff on basic equipment care, fault escalation and safe operating practices