Director of Engineering

There has never been a more exciting time to join Request Foods. We’ve been selling products to many of the world’s leading food companies, retailers and restaurants for over 35 years. A privately owned and financially sound company, we do our best to run our business based on Christian values. Whether it’s cooking up great tasting food, assisting in customer support, providing quality and production leadership, or supporting administrative or technical activities, a career at Request Foods is a great opportunity. At Request, we’ve achieved success by treating our employees with integrity, trust and respect. If you’re passionate about food, and the people who help produce it, then Request Foods might just be for you.

Benefits and Perks:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k
• Paid Paternity Leave
• Wellbeing programs
• Immediate Holiday Pay
• Paid Time Off
• Profit Sharing

Essential Responsibilities:

• Instill a relationship-based leadership mindset throughout the entire engineering, facilities and maintenance teams with a passion driven leadership style involving critical thinking and strong business acumen.
• Foster a center of excellence culture, and critical thinking community within the engineering, facilities and maintenance teams through leading, coaching and developing safe, high performance action-oriented teams.
• Inspire and empower the engineering, facilities and maintenance teams to achieve business success, leading to a high profit efficient organization (2X top line by 2030).
• Assess capital needs in conjunction with capacity and facility analysis along with other strategic projects to support operational goals. Develop recommendations, implement and manage capital assets with an emphasis on production, processing, manufacturing and warehouse equipment. Actively contribute by turning strategic objectives into achievable plans. Participate in decisions to build, lease, and/or buy/sell physical assets.
• Provide engineering leadership by leveraging, advancing and integrating technology into and processes and project solutions. Advance a project management discipline within the functional area. Oversee the major engineering activities of the company. Specific management includes selection of an execution method for large and small capital projects, supervision of in-house personnel, overseeing the construction administration of all components of the project including contract administration, field administration, contractor and vendor management, equipment installation and project close-out. Identify processes, equipment and technology that enhance and improve productivity, efficiency and cost savings.
• Develop and manage a team of professionals to evaluate, document and report on key KPIs for the overall operations, including establishing baselines for all work centers. The team shall also be responsible for developing and implementing continuous improvement projects along with appropriate automation for the operations that will deliver annual cost savings and increase productivity and efficiencies within the organization. This team will work closely with other parts of the organization to ensure alignment to the broader goals and objectives of the organization.
• Provide strategic leadership to the Maintenance organization by setting clear direction, championing proactive and predictive maintenance strategies, and advancing the use of technologies that enhance equipment reliability, safety compliance, and operational excellence.
• Prepare, administer and monitor the annual expense budget for the departments/functions directly supervised. Monitor and hold staff accountable for the overall capital budgets for each project. Coordinate with Finance and provide timely reporting of capital expenditures and ensure conformance to corporate reporting requirements. Continue to develop strategic partnerships with service providers to ensure a balance with outsourced services and continually ensure appropriate value for cost as part of this evaluation.
• Develop and train personnel at all levels of the organization. Identify and mentor future leaders of the organization. Acquire specific talent to address project requirements and ensure consistent methodology of delivery. Effectively manage talent and strategically position talent to ensure success on all projects.

Key Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty effectively. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

• A bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management or equivalent experience. A strong overall business acumen is highly desirable.
• 10 years of progressive management responsibility with proven leadership experience managing a diverse team of professionals.
• 5 active years in an influential leadership role with demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional and cross-cultural teams.
• Proven ability to handle multiple large scale projects, manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines and budget
• Advanced analytical, problem solving, negotiating, and communicating skills (presentation, written and verbal).
• Strong project management skills with experience managing a portfolio of food manufacturing projects.
• Ability to be both strategic and tactical.
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues in a way that can be understood and embraced by a non-technical community.
• Experience in food manufacturing, pharmaceutical, or related industry is a bonus.