Development & Research Senior Engineer

Career Area:

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Your Work Shapes the World

Whether it be groundbreaking products, best in class solutions or creating a lifelong career, you can do the work that matters at Caterpillar. With a 95-year legacy of quality and innovation and 150 locations in countries around the world, your impact spans the globe.

When you join Caterpillar, you are joining a team of makers, innovators, and doers. We are the people who roll up our sleeves and do the work to build a better world. We don’t just talk about progress and innovation. We make it happen. And we are proud of that, because it helps our customers build and power the world we live in – the roads, hospitals, homes, and infrastructure.  Without a dedicated workforce Caterpillar could not effectively meet our customer’s needs.  Join us.

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for product and process development in the Thin Films Coating Center, a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) production coating facility.  Competencies include familiarity with surface engineering technologies and potential impacts to component substrate metallurgical properties, capital and business planning, material specifications, quality control systems, managing external supplier relationships, and leading continuous improvement and research & development projects.  Candidates must have a broad materials engineering background and proven ability to solve manufacturing challenges associated with surface engineering.

What You Will Do:

• Technical leadership for coating technologies
• Supporting internal Value Stream process partners
• Process development and transfer to production, including PPAP validation activities
• Leading innovation and continuous improvement projects, including hands-on critical or complex technology and manufacturing projects
• Recognizing and protecting intellectual property
• Supporting Common Goals Agreements and tracking metrics with internal business unit partners
• Business, reinvestment, and capital planning for the coating facility
• Leading the Continuous Improvement process and specific projects as needed
• Managing critical supplies and supply chain relationships
• Internal quality auditor
• Backup for various activities, including production scheduling, quality control testing, real-time process adjustments/approvals in the shop, internal and international shipping, and SAP transactions

Education Requirement:

4-year materials engineering degree or equivalent degree (metallurgical, ceramic, materials science)

What Skills You Will Have:

Analytical Thinking:
• Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue and determining its significance.
• Makes a systematic comparison of two or more alternative solutions.
• Uses flow charts, Pareto charts, Pugh analysis, fish diagrams, etc. to disclose meaningful data patterns.
• Identifies the major forces, events and people impacting and impacted by the situation at hand.
• Uses logic and intuition to make inferences about the meaning of the data and arrive at conclusions.
Decision Making and Critical Thinking:
• Applies an assigned technique for critical thinking in a decision-making process.
• Identifies, obtains, and organizes relevant data and ideas.
• Participates in documenting data, ideas, players, stakeholders, and processes.
• Recognizes, clarifies, and prioritizes concerns.
• Assists in assessing risks, benefits and consideration of alternatives.
Effective Communications:
• Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
• Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
• Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.
• Maintains focus on the topic at hand.
Technical Excellence:
• Provides effective technical solutions to routine functional challenges via sound technical competence, effectively examining implications of events and issues.
• Effectively performs the technical job aspects, continuously building knowledge and keeping up-to-date on technical and procedural job components.
• Applies technical operating and project standards based on achieving excellence in delivered products, technologies and services.
• Applies current procedures and technologies to help resolve technical issues in one's general area of technical competence.
• Helps others solve technical or procedural problems or issues.
Project Management:
• Utilizes Gantt or PERT charts or their equivalent to track project progress and status.
• Plans and estimates simple projects.
• Assists in detailed project plans including cost, schedule, and resource requirements.
• Obtains information from stakeholders during the planning stage of a project.
• Produces standard project status reports.
Manufacturing Standards, Procedures and Policies:
• Discusses the relevance of standards for a manufacturing environment.
• Researches process and product documentation for own area.
• Describes and follows all policies, standards and procedures.
• Creates and revises material specifications and manufacturing procedures related to coating technologies.

Product Testing:
• Coordinates execution of test plans, including resources, strategy, schedules, processes and tools.
• Collaborates with design team to ensure testing considerations are incorporated into system and process design.
• Recommends tools and techniques for automating, simplifying and enhancing product testing.
• Compares and contrasts alternative testing methodologies and tools.
• Matches testing methodology and tools to product being tested; develops test scenarios and scripts.
• Estimates time, effort and resources required for thorough testing.
Troubleshooting Technical Problems:
• Documents common product and process problems and likely resolutions.
• Troubleshoots typical technical problems related to surface engineering and coating technologies.
• Adheres to standard troubleshooting procedures to ensure effectiveness of resolutions.

• Uses tools such as FMEA and control plans to diagnose issues and implement robust manufacturing solutions.
• Participates in setting evaluation standards and criterion for troubleshooting.

Top Candidates will also have:

• Advanced engineering or business degree

• Research experience

• Business/process experience

Additional Information

The location for this position is Mossville, IL.

Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.

This position may require up to 25% travel.

What You Will Get:

Our goal at Caterpillar is for you to have a rewarding career. Our teams are critical to the success of our customers who build a better world. Here you earn more than just wage, because we value your performance, we offer a total rewards package that provides:

• Competitive Base Salary
• Annual incentive bonus plan*
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holiday, Volunteer, Etc.)
• 401k savings plan
• Health savings account (HSA)
• Flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
• Short and long-term disability coverage
• Life Insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Healthy Lifestyle Programs
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Voluntary Benefits (Ex. Accident, Identity Theft Protection)

*Subject to annual eligibility and incentive plan guidelines.

Final details

Please frequently check the email associated with your application, including the junk/spam folder, as this is the primary correspondence method. If you wish to know the status of your application – please use the candidate log-in on our career website as it will reflect any updates to your status.

This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S. which can be found through our employment website at www.Caterpillar.com/Careers .

For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media

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Posting Dates:

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.   

EEO/AA Employer.  All qualified individuals - Including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities - are encouraged to apply.

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