Overview
Lead Quality Engineer Jobs in Holland, MI at Request Foods
Title: Lead Quality Engineer
Company: Request Foods
Location: Holland, MI
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.
Request Foods is seeking a Lead Quality Engineer that plays a critical role in ensuring the successful introduction of new products, equipment, and facility updates by embedding Quality Assurance (QA) and food safety requirements throughout the product development and commercialization lifecycle. This position serves as the primary QA representative on cross‑functional project teams, providing proactive guidance on quality risks, regulatory compliance, customer expectations, and food safety design principles. The Lead Quality Engineer is responsible for monitoring project progress, communicating requirements across internal stakeholders, and coordinating execution with subject matter experts in sanitation, quality control, regulatory compliance, and plant operations. This individual ensures that all quality- and food-safety–related deliverables are identified early, properly documented, and completed within the expected timelines to support a seamless launch and long-term product performance.
Essential Responsibilities:
Project Leadership
- Lead quality workstreams for new products and manage quality timelines.
- Represent Quality in cross‑functional project meetings and escalate risks.
- Ensure customer, regulatory, and internal requirements are integrated into project plans and documentation.
Cross‑Functional Coordination
- Represent Quality and Food Safety to R&D, Operations, Engineering, Sanitation, Supply Chain, and customer teams during the commercialization
- Translating project needs into tasks for quality SMEs and maintaining clear project documentation.
- Communicate progress, risks, and required decisions to stakeholders.
Equipment & Facility Review
- Review new equipment and facility designs for sanitary construction, cleanability, and compliance.
- Identify contamination risks and recommend mitigation actions.
Sanitation & Cleaning Programs
- Review sanitation procedures for new equipment and ensure training of sanitation team members.
- Verify cleaning effectiveness using visual, ATP, or microbiological methods.
Customer & Product Requirements
- Partner with customers to understand specifications, expectations, and product requirements.
- Ensure accurate communication of customer needs to QC, Operations, and R&D.
- Plant Trials & Start‑Up Support
- Support plant trials and first production runs, ensuring QC readiness.
- Confirm trial products meet quality standards and document results and improvements.
Quality Systems & Continuous Improvement
- Providing necessary information to SMEs to ensure quality documents (specs, HACCP, SSOPs, control plans) are updated accordingly.
- Align QC/QA methods with new product needs and identify improvement opportunities.
- Support audits related to new products or equipment.
Key Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in food science/microbiology or other related science field
- 5+ years in project management
- 10+ years in quality assurance in food manufacturing
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience in product development, commercialization, and equipment procurement/installation
- Strong understanding of equipment qualifications for sanitary equipment design and food-grade construction requirements
- Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills
- Ability to read technical drawings, and equipment layouts
- Strong organizational skills
Benefits and Perks:
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- 401k
- Paid Paternity Leave
- Wellbeing programs
- Immediate Holiday Pay
- Paid Time Off
- Profit Sharing
