About the position
Ready to lead process innovation across South Africa's food industry? Bring your plant-floor know-how and commercial flair to this unique engineering role. Is this you? What you'll be doing (and why you'll enjoy it) Where you'll be doing it What you'll need What you'll get How to apply
You thrive in a solutions-driven, pragmatic environment where your technical insight and people skills make a tangible impact. You're confident engaging directly with plant operators and senior managers, translating process challenges into actionable improvements. Independent, entrepreneurial and credible, you're someone who prefers hands-on problem-solving over rigid corporate structures. Your strong local industry network and ability to convert conversations into commercial opportunities sets you apart.
You'll act as the Western & Eastern Cape's go-to expert in food process engineering, working closely with clients to diagnose bottlenecks, boost efficiency, and enhance plant stability. Expect to be on-site frequently, supporting optimisation, plant upgrades and technical solution development. You'll combine your engineering expertise with commercial acumen - identifying new projects and collaborating with cross-functional teams to design viable, tailored solutions. This is a hybrid role that blends engineering with relationship-building, offering variety and autonomy.
You'll be joining a specialist engineering consultancy with a strong track record in liquid processing industries such as dairy, brewing and beverages. Now expanding into more complex, non-standard food processing - like evaporation, fruit concentration and powder systems - they're leveraging deep process expertise to support clients in areas often underserved by traditional firms. The culture is pragmatic, entrepreneurial and engineering-led, with a flexible working model and a strong focus on delivering practical, plant-level solutions. Based in Cape Town, you'll have the autonomy to drive growth across the Western Cape while being part of a wider national team.
You'll hold a degree in Chemical, Process or Mechanical Engineering, with 5-10 years' industry experience, ideally beyond mainstream dairy or beverage processing. Your practical knowledge of thermal processes and plant equipment will be critical, as will your ability to troubleshoot and improve existing operations. You're commercially savvy, hands-on, and have a proven track record of working directly with clients in the Western Cape.
A market-related salary and the chance to shape your role around your strengths, all while working in a forward-thinking, engineering-led environment with flexible working and real impact.
For a confidential discussion please contact Katharina on Linkedin, [Phone Number Removed]; or send your CV to [Email Address Removed]
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Desired Skills:
- mechanical engineering
- process engineering
- technical management
- sales
- customer service
- customer relations
- food manufacturing
- equipment design
