Development & Research Engineering Specialist

Caterpillar Inc.•East Peoria, IL

3d•$128,470 - $192,710•Onsite

About The Position

Caterpillar’s Advanced Materials Technology Department is currently seeking a Development & Research Engineering Specialist to support heat treat operations, induction processing systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies across multiple facilities. This role blends metallurgical engineering expertise with automation, process control, and manufacturing systems integration to optimize product quality, process capability, equipment reliability, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering or Materials Science & Engineering required.
Strong PLC, HMI/SCADA, and industrial automation experience
Ability to diagnose and resolve complex production system issues under pressure
Experience connecting equipment, PLCs, databases, and enterprise systems
Knowledge of industrial equipment, particularly heat treat and automated systems
Experience with data collection and visualization tools (e.g., Power BI)
Ability to support commissioning, upgrades, and capital projects
Ability to work across sites, teams, and functions effectively
Comfortable operating as a primary or sole controls resource across multiple locations

Responsibilities

Own troubleshooting, modification, and support of PLC-controlled manufacturing systems in production environments
Maintain and optimize PLC ladder logic, HMI/SCADA systems (including Wonderware), and controls architecture
Integrate new equipment, sensors, and systems into existing PLC frameworks
Diagnose system faults and implement corrective actions to restore uptime
Provide controls and electrical support for heat treat furnaces, induction systems, and related equipment
Support commissioning, startup, and troubleshooting of furnace cells and automation systems
Execute control revisions and upgrades for new and existing heat treat technologies
Lead integration of automation systems including robotics, MECCO printers, vision systems, and material handling
Configure communication between PLCs, HMIs, databases, and enterprise systems
Support recipe management, data collection systems, and plant-level automation architecture
Perform advanced troubleshooting of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems in live production environments
Provide rapid response support to minimize downtime across multiple facilities
Deliver both on-site and remote technical support across geographically distributed operations
Design, install, and integrate power and gas metering systems into manufacturing equipment
Develop and maintain Power BI dashboards for energy monitoring and reporting
Enable data-driven decision making through system integration and reporting tools
Support implementation of capital projects including furnace installations, automation upgrades, and new production cells
Perform equipment commissioning, system validation, and startup support
Bridge manpower gaps on high-impact projects to ensure successful delivery
Train maintenance teams on troubleshooting PLC and automation systems to increase plant self-sufficiency
Provide technical mentorship and knowledge transfer to operations and engineering teams
Support multiple facilities across the U.S. and Mexico through travel and remote engagement