Proposal Engineer – Dairy, Beverage

Responsibilities / Tasks

As a Proposal Engineer at GEA, you are involved from the very beginning. You listen to the customer, understand their process and requirements, develop the technical solution, calculate it and turn it into a strong proposal. And you don't stop there: you present and discuss your solution with the customer and help turn it into a successful project.

Understand. Engineer. Calculate. Propose. Convince.

This role puts you right at the intersection of technology, customers and business.

About the role

You will work mainly with our key customers in the Dairy, Beverage and Food industries, while also supporting opportunities in other markets within our NPE Benelux organization.

Your home base will be our office in Kontich, but your working environment goes well beyond the office. You will regularly be on site with customers across the Benelux, working on a wide variety of technical and commercial challenges.

You won't do this alone. You will work closely with Sales Engineers, Project Engineers and Project Managers, as well as with GEA's specialist technology teams. You will report to the responsible manager of our Technical Offer Management team.

It's a role for someone who wants to learn fast, take responsibility and combine engineering with people and business.

What will you do?

Your work starts with a customer need and ends with a solution that both technically and commercially makes sense.

You will:

Talk with customers to understand their processes, needs and requirements.Translate these requirements into the right technical process solution.Develop the technical basis of the solution, including PFDs, P&IDs and mass balances where required.Prepare and review process and functional descriptions.Work with GEA Centers of Competence, technology specialists and suppliers to obtain the technical information and quotations needed to build the right solution.Prepare calculations and develop high-quality, competitive proposals.Take ownership of your proposals, from the initial customer request through to the final offer.Present and explain your solution directly to the customer, independently or together with a Sales Engineer.Work closely with Sales, Engineering and Project Management to find the best solution.Regularly visit our key customers to understand their installations, processes and future needs.Support the commercial process and help turn good technical solutions into orders.Ensure a smooth handover to the project team once a project is sold.

Your Profile / Qualifications

Who are we looking for?

We're not necessarily looking for someone who has already done this exact job before.

We're looking for someone with a strong technical foundation, curiosity and the ambition to grow.

You have:

A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, or an equivalent level of technical thinking.A strong interest in process technology.The ability and curiosity to understand how industrial processes work.An interest in the commercial side of engineering and in direct customer interaction.A pragmatic, hands-on and solution-oriented mindset.The confidence to take ownership while knowing when to involve colleagues.Good organizational and planning skills and the ability to manage different customer requests and priorities.Good communication skills in Dutch and English. Knowledge of French is an advantage.A valid driving licence.

The opportunity to learn and grow

You will work together with colleagues from Sales, Engineering and Project Management and get exposure to different disciplines. We invest in personal development and support internal and external training.

Work for a company where sustainability matters

Sustainability is an important part of GEA's strategy and of the technologies we develop for our customers.

For you, that means working in an environment where engineering is not only about making processes work, but also about finding ways to make them better, more efficient and more sustainable.

GEA's sustainability performance is also recognized externally. In 2026, GEA was ranked Germany's most sustainable company and #17 worldwide in TIME and Statista's ranking.

A recognized place to build your career

GEA is certified as a Top Employer 2026 in Belgium and 20 other countries across four continents.

For us, being a Top Employer is more than a label. We want to create an environment where talented people can learn, take responsibility and develop their careers.

An international environ