Design & Project Engineer

BioFirst Group is a global leader in biological crop protection, crop health and natural pollination. From our Belgian roots, we have grown into an international group with more than 3,100 employees, 40 subsidiaries and a presence in more than 70 countries. We help growers worldwide to produce healthy crops with innovative and sustainable solutions.

Within BioFirst Group, Biobest is a pioneer in biological crop protection and natural pollination. Because we work with living organisms such as beneficial insects, mites and bumblebees, our production is anything but standard. This creates technical challenges for which traditional machines do not always offer a ready-made answer.

To strengthen our engineering team in Westerlo, we are looking for a Design & Project Engineer Electromechanics.

Your mission?

As a Design & Project Engineer, you will help drive the automation and technical development of our production environment in Belgium. You will work on a wide range of technical solutions, including packaging and filling machines, mixing installations and other automation systems tailored to our specific production processes.

Rather than designing every machine from scratch, you start by exploring what is already available on the market. You identify the most suitable solutions, select the right technical partners and work closely with machine builders and suppliers to develop the best solution for Biobest. When off-the-shelf solutions don’t fully meet our needs, you apply your own technical and design expertise to adapt or redesign machines and components.

In this role, you combine technical expertise with project management, stakeholder coordination and a hands-on mindset. From the initial concept and technical specifications to installation and a fully operational machine on the production floor, you take ownership of the project and keep the bigger picture in sight.

Your responsibilities

• Together with production, R&D, technical service, process improvement and other internal stakeholders, you map out technical needs and translate them into a clear project scope and specifications.
• You will investigate available machines and technologies and determine which solutions best suit our production environment.
• You select and supervise suppliers, machine builders, installers and assembly partners.
• You critically assess technical proposals and challenge external partners in terms of design, functionality, safety, reliability and practical applicability.
• You use your own design and engineering knowledge to adapt existing solutions or work out parts yourself when necessary.
• You monitor the progress, timing and technical quality of your projects and keep the stakeholders involved well connected.
• You will closely follow the installation and implementation on the production floor.
• You will perform Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) and ensure that machines are delivered correctly, safely and according to the agreed specifications.
• You organize the necessary training courses for users and technicians.
• You ensure a good transfer to the maintenance team and support with more complex technical issues.

Your profile

You are a technically strong all-rounder who likes to look beyond the drawing package alone. You find it interesting to analyze a technical problem, investigate different solutions and then bring together the right people and parties to realize the project.

• You have a bachelor's or master's degree in electromechanics or a similar technical field.
• You have 4 to 7 years of relevant experience within mechanical engineering, engineering, automation or a similar technical project environment.
• You have sufficient technical and conceptual knowledge to critically assess designs and challenge suppliers in terms of content.
• You have experience in designing electromechanical systems and programming PLCs (Siemens).
• You combine a hands-on mentality with the ability to keep an overview of an entire engineering project.
• You work in a structured and project-based way and take independent ownership of projects from scope determination to implementation.
• You have strong communication skills and involve various stakeholders in your projects in a constructive way.
• You have a good knowledge of materials, including metals, plastics and electrical, mechanical and pneumatic components.
• You have a thorough knowledge of machine safety.
• You have experience with 3D and electrical drawing packages; experience with SolidWorks is a strong asset.
• You think analytically and critically, but at the same time are creative enough to find solutions when a standard approach does not work.
• You communicate fluently in Dutch and English.

What do we offer you?

At Biobest, we invest in people who want to work with us to build a sustainable future for agriculture and horticulture. What can you expect from us:

• Market-based salary ranges, tailored to your experience and responsibilities.
• Meal and eco vouchers; hospitalisation and group insurance; mileage allowance and mobility solutions.
• Flexible working hours (where possible) and possibility of working from home (function-dependent).
• A working environment in which sustainability, customer focus, cooperation, well-being and execution are central.
• Access to education, training and professional workshops.
• Career opportunities within an international, fast-growing organization.
• Informal atmosphere, short lines of communication and strong team spirit.
• International colleagues and multidisciplinary collaboration.