Associate Engineer – Factory Innovation

Our client vision is to be the world’s best performing snacks-led powerhouse, unleashing the full potential of their differentiated brands.

Powered by their strategy to Differentiate, Drive & Deliver, they are a leading company in global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen foods, with iconic, world-class brands and strong underlying growth momentum and profitability.

Our client purpose is to create better days and a place at the table for everyone through their trusted foods brands.

As part of this purpose, they are committed to advancing sustainable & equitable access to food by creating Better Days for 4 billion people by the end of 2030.

Responsibilities:

Drives Business Growth

• Leads commercializing solutions for new process/material innovations into manufacturing facilities.
• Define, plan & execute process trials with R&D developers & Manufacturing team to validate performance, quality, efficiency & stability. 
• Identifies & resolves technical & material issues during commercialization.
• Creates process material & process specifications for the plant during handover.  
• Collaborates with Product Developers, Technical Service, engineers, supplier & Manufacturing to ensure smooth project handover. 
• Supports continuous improvement & standardization of process & material quality specification. 

Leadership

• Functions as a Program/Project Manager, Planner, Coordinator, Communicator, and Technical Expert.
• Provides strategic input to cross-functional teams and influences decision-making through technical insights.

Innovation / Creativity

• Identifies & implements process productivity & sustainability improvements workstreams.
• Collaborates with suppliers and global resources for scaling new process solutions.

Technical Expertise

• Serves as the subject matter expert in process engineering (equipment & process flow), raw material specification & Pringle chip finish goods quality.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of current operational process technology & finished process quality performance. 

People Management

• Manages one direct report, setting performance expectations, conducting evaluations, and supporting career development.

Other Duties

• Based in Enstek Malaysia, with travel (~20%) to manufacturing sites, suppliers, and regional offices.
• May require extended hours, shift work, or weekend support depending on project needs.
• Occasional hands-on operation of process equipment.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Chemical, Process, Mechanical, or Food), Food Science/Process /Technology degree or any related field.
• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in process development or manufacturing within the food industry. Past managerial experience is preferred. 
• Fluent in Bahasa Melayu & English language. 
• Technical & Process Knowledge
• Strong understanding of food/process engineering principles (e.g., heat transfer, powder flowability, mass balance, rheology, fluid dynamics, drying, mixing, extrusion, etc.).
• Experience with scale-up from lab/pilot plant to full-scale production.
• Knowledge of manufacturing systems, automation, and equipment capability.
• Familiarity with process validation (CQV – Commissioning, Qualification, Validation).
• Commercialisation & Project Execution
• Able to translate R&D prototypes into commercially viable and scalable processes.
• Competence in trial planning, DOE (Design of Experiments), and data analysis to optimize processes.
• Experience with equipment commissioning, line trials, and factory acceptance testing (FAT/SAT).
• Understanding of manufacturing cost drivers and process efficiency. (OEE, yield loss, etc)