Career Area:

Manufacturing

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.

Caterpillar is looking for a Manufacturing Engineering Manager -Machining to develop world class processes for large engine component manufacturing. The manufacturing engineering manager leads a department responsible for the design and development of machining processes. Key functions of the organization include process sequencing, design of tooling and fixturing, process documentation, and design of process verification and control systems. The machining manufacturing engineers deliver necessary capacity and support the value stream operation of processes while monitoring process control. The department’s decisions must protect employee safety, exceed quality expectations, and meet acceptable cost levels.

The manager must manage capital expenditure budgets to meet the needs of the business and maintain capacity to handle production needs across multiple machining lines and processes. Process concepts must be developed with APQP rigor from process definition, process FMEA, standard work creation, control plan definition, and ongoing process monitoring. The manufacturing engineering manager should drive world class quality into all process decisions.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for partnering across the manufacturing organization to understand business problems and scope projects and initiatives to solve large scale business problems.

• Supervise a team of manufacturing engineers completing process design and improvement activities

• Understand new product designs and develop processes to deliver quality product safely and efficiently.

• Coach and develop full-time manufacturing engineers to transform processes

• Develop systems to deliver standard work to the shop floor

• Provide tooling, fixturing and processes to perform manufacturing tasks

• Integrate technology for process verification and error proofing

• Deploy system and component level testing including gauging, inspection, other verification

• Create process control monitoring and understand process performance within the factory

• Understand best practices for machining processes and develop strategies for the facility

• Collaborate with machining operations, quality, supply chain, product groups in investigation and trouble-shooting

• Full-time experience with machining processes and quality control including fixturing, tooling, gauging, and statistical process control

• Experience with precision machining of tight tolerance parts in production scale

• Strong project and process management skills

• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills

• Ability to communicate complex technical details to a wider audience

• Strong business acumen

Degree Requirement

Degree or equivalent experience desired

Top Candidates will also have:

• Previous supervisory experience

• Meaningful APQP experience

• Previous experience with machining on engine blocks and/or cylinder heads

• Previous experience with machining processes and quality control including fixturing, tooling, gauging, and statistical process control

• Previous Experience with precision machining of tight tolerance parts in production scale

• Strong project and process management skills

• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills

• Ability to communicate complex technical details to a wider audience

• Strong business acumen

Skill Descriptors

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.

Level Working Knowledge:

• 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.

Judgment and Decision Making: Knowledge of the decision-making process; ability to carefully evaluate the impact of emerging business situations and choose the best path forward communicating actions and activities that maximize organizational performance.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Seeks input from multiple sources to generate diverse ideas for decision making.

• Sustains organization strategies over time by accurately analyzing tradeoffs in changing direction or staying the course.

• Makes decisions that remain defensible beyond the short term.

• Communicates decisions confidently and resolutely.

• Remains steadfast in championing others' decisions that later come under scrutiny.

• Coaches others to improve judgment and confidence in decision making skills.

Capacity Planning & Management - MFG: Knowledge of tools, approaches and practices for determining production demand and ability to manage resources needed to provide satisfactory levels of service.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Documents major considerations of product promotions and analyzes their effect on production and required capacity.

• Provides management reports on actual and projected capacity requirements.

• Uses available tools to interpret forecasts and work out required capacity.

• Participates in developing short-term capacity requirements for a specific product or plant.

• Collects and collates key elements of demand chain used in developing capacity requirements.

Lean Manufacturing: Knowledge of the philosophy, principles and implementation approaches of lean manufacturing; ability to integrate and implement lean manufacturing philosophy into existing production and management processes.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Manages the adoption of lean manufacturing principles across the organization.

• Teaches others about how lean approach integrates operations, customers, logistics and product development.

• Consults on work cell design and plan layout in support of lean principles.

• Consults on the use of lean approaches across multiple functions.

• Trains others on key lean measurements and tools and techniques for measuring performance.

• Participates in detailed planning for implementing and monitoring lean manufacturing.

Manufacturing Equipment: Knowledge of the electrical, mechanical and logistics equipment used in manufacturing; ability to safely operate, maintain, update and store them.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Monitors methods and requirements for equipment environment to ensure protection against damage.

• Participates in evaluation and selection of new equipment.

• Facilitates the coordination and integration of multi-vendor equipment environments.

• Analyzes equipment history; monitors overall machine performance; evaluates planned upgrades.

• Plans, tests and implements changes to manufacturing infrastructure and environment.

• Ensures that employees are qualified to operate equipment effectively and safely.

Manufacturing Processes: Knowledge of existing product manufacturing methods, technologies and processes; ability to execute, plan, manage and monitor the entire manufacturing process.

Level Expert:

• Consults on key issues and considerations for delivering global, distributed processes.

• Leads discussions on the history and evolution of manufacturing processes.

• Oversees all activities for the organization's manufacturing environment; establishes best practices and policies.

• Leads evaluation of accuracy and effectiveness of documented processes versus actual operations.

• Monitors industry and other organizations for innovations in manufacturing approaches.

• Champions the use of new and emerging manufacturing processes and methodologies.

Manufacturing Safety: Knowledge of manufacturing safety; ability to identify work-related hazards and perform necessary activities to meet regulatory requirements for the safety and protection of workers, environment and site.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Consults on the use of new tools and techniques for safety protection.

• Performs safety inspections to assure compliance with OSHA requirements.

• Designs and implements emergency response processes and procedures.

• Promotes workplace safety among supervisors and workers; communicates safety rules and regulations.

• Assesses and reports unusual or new safety hazards or violations; initiates corrective action.

• Ensures that all employees and contractors comply with relevant safety policies and regulations.

Manufacturing Standards, Procedures and Policies: Knowledge of organizational standards, procedures and policies in manufacturing activities; ability to plan, guide, and monitor manufacturing processes for compliance.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Consults on development and implementation of cross-functional standards.

• Participates in the development of organizational policies and practices.

• Develops and uses control and monitoring mechanisms for adherence.

• Collaborates with other functions on establishing and documenting joint standards.

• Participates in defining architectural principles and standards for organization.

• Ensures communication vehicles are effectively informing affected areas and employees.

Additional Information:

• Location of this position is in Lafayette, IN

• Relocation assistance is available for this position

• This position may require up to 15% travel

This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job. At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization. It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of “essential job functions” as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Summary Pay Range:

$126,000.00 - $189,000.00

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.

Benefits:

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*

• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*

• 401(k) savings plans*

• Health Savings Account (HSA)*

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*

• Health Lifestyle Programs*

• Employee Assistance Program*

• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*

• Career Development*

• Incentive bonus*

• Disability benefits

• Life Insurance

• Parental leave

• Adoption benefits

• Tuition Reimbursement

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees

Relocation is available for this position.Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position. 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.

Posting Dates:

May 28, 2025 - June 10, 2025

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

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities.

Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.