Hygienic Design & CIP Engineer – Food & Pharma Process Systems

Role Overview

Palomba General Trading LLC seeks a technically skilled Hygienic Design & CIP Engineer to contribute to demanding industrial projects across the GCC region in food and pharmaceutical sectors. This position demands deep expertise in hygienic process design, cleanability, cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems, contamination risk mitigation, and sanitary equipment used in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and specialty ingredient manufacturing. It is a purely technical engineering role, not related to sales or business development.

Primary Responsibilities

• Analyze and validate hygienic design requirements for industrial processing equipment.
• Assess the cleanability of equipment such as mixers, tanks, homogenizers, and powder-handling apparatus.
• Support defining CIP system requirements including cleaning sequences and media.
• Identify process areas susceptible to product retention, contamination, or cleaning challenges.
• Review equipment geometry, accessibility, drainage, and hygienic connections like seals and gaskets.
• Collaborate with customers and equipment manufacturers to ensure technical compliance with hygienic standards.
• Manage hygienic considerations across powder and liquid process systems, including allergen control and cross-contamination prevention.
• Support evaluations of sanitary piping, valves, instrumentation, and process-transfer systems.
• Prepare and assist with technical documentation and validation related to cleaning and hygienic design.
• Participate in FAT/SAT reviews addressing hygienic and cleaning functionalities.
• Engage in technical discussions with quality assurance, production, engineering, and validation teams.

Key Technical Focus Areas

• Hygienic design elements: product-contact surfaces, surface finishes, dead-leg minimization, sanitary seals and gaskets, piping and valve arrangements, equipment accessibility, retention zones, contamination control, and allergen management.
• CIP system components: cleaning cycles, rinse phases, chemical cleaning parameters, flow and pressure requirements, temperature controls, cleaning time optimization, and automation support.
• Relevant processing equipment includes industrial mixers, blenders, high-shear mixers, homogenizers, process tanks, dosing systems, pumps, valves, and integrated lines.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate must approach hygienic design as a genuine engineering discipline, capable of critically assessing how equipment design, cleaning procedures, materials, and operating conditions impact cleanliness and contamination risks. Candidates primarily experienced in general sales or business development roles are not suitable.

Mandatory Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Process, Food, Pharmaceutical Engineering or closely related technical fields.
• Preferably at least 3 years of relevant industrial experience.
• Strong familiarity with hygienic equipment, CIP systems, and sanitary process design principles in food or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Proficiency in interpreting Piping and Instrument Diagrams (P&IDs), equipment layouts, and process documentation.
• Understanding of stainless steel process equipment and product-contact components.
• Knowledge of pumps, valves, piping, and process instrumentation.
• Awareness of contamination and cross-contamination risks.
• Excellent analytical abilities and strong command of written and verbal English.

Preferred Technical Exposure

• Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) systems and their automation.
• Hygienic design of equipment and sanitary piping.
• Stainless steel process systems, mixing vessels, and GMP environment experience.
• Food processing and pharmaceutical production technologies including cleaning validation.
• Process instrumentation related to hygienic and cleaning parameters.

Industry Experience Appreciated

• Food and beverage manufacturing including dairy.
• Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical production.
• Specialty chemicals and ingredient production.
• Process-equipment manufacturing and related engineering firms.

What We Offer

• Full-time position based in Doha, Qatar with on-site work requirement.
• Indicative monthly salary between QAR 12,000 and 18,000 depending on experience and qualifications.
• Opportunities for performance-based incentives on successful projects.
• Exposure to international manufacturers of advanced food and pharmaceutical process equipment.
• Involvement in technically advanced industrial projects across the GCC market.
• International work environment linking industrial clients with specialized manufacturers and engineering partners.
• Professional growth within Palomba General Trading's industrial process-equipment business.

About Palomba General Trading LLC

Palomba General Trading LLC is a Dubai-based company acting as a commercial and technical liaison between manufacturers in Europe and customers in the Middle East. It specializes in business development and technical collaboration in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, specialty ingredient, and industrial process-equipment industries.