Engineering Project Team Leader

Caterpillar Inc.•Lafayette, IN

3d•$128,470 - $192,710•Onsite

About The Position

The Engineering Project Team Leader provides technical leadership and strategic direction for cylinder pack products and systems across Caterpillar’s Large Power Systems Division. The role leads engineers responsible for the design, development, validation, and lifecycle management of engine components including pistons, rings, and liners, ensuring alignment with platform, business, and customer objectives. Serving as the primary technical focal point for cylinder pack systems, the leader establishes product strategies, technology roadmaps, and long-term development plans for diesel, natural gas, and alternative-fuel reciprocating engines. The position guides technical decisions, manages technical risks, and ensures designs meet performance, durability, manufacturability, quality, and cost objectives across programs and platforms. The role coaches and develops engineers, promotes technical excellence and accountability, and works with global engineering teams, suppliers, manufacturing facilities, and cross-functional stakeholders. It oversees engineering activities, supports issue resolution, promotes best practices, and drives execution from concept through production launch and ongoing product support. The leader also identifies emerging technologies and future customer and market needs, influences engineering standards, and develops organizational capability and partnerships to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions. This position is located in Lafayette, Indiana and requires onsite work five days per week. Domestic relocation assistance is available; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an accredited Engineering, Computer Science, or Materials Science curriculum.
Experience with engine system or component design, engine testing, calibration, simulation, or controls development.
Ability to work on and lead multiple projects simultaneously and make sound priority decisions.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills.
Expert-level project management knowledge and ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control projects and technical and administrative resources.
Extensive knowledge of team-building techniques and ability to form and manage effective teams.
Extensive knowledge of requirements analysis tools, methods, and techniques, with ability to elicit, analyze, and record requirements.
Extensive knowledge of troubleshooting approaches, tools, and techniques for manufacturing or product management environments.
Extensive knowledge of product design and development from concept through production.
Extensive knowledge of products and services and ability to apply that knowledge in diverse situations.
Extensive knowledge of a technology and its application methods, with ability to provide solutions to significant technical challenges.
Ability to influence decisions within and outside the organization through technical expertise.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or higher in Engineering from an accredited curriculum.
Cylinder pack or engine components design background.
Experience defining validation testing using FMEA and DVP&R methods.
Engine performance and component testing experience.
Understanding of engine platforms and customer applications.
APQP, PPAP, and design release experience.

Responsibilities

Assume technical ownership for PRL cylinder pack components, including their design, development, validation, and lifecycle management.
Lead a team executing New Product Introduction, New Source Introduction, New Technology Introduction, and Continuous Product Improvement programs.
Communicate results to customers, suppliers, team members, and other business units.
Represent the team in meetings with multiple levels of management and with customers.
Set project-level strategy and solve problems relating to a technology, component, product, or process.
Apply product development skills such as conceptual design, product and process development, data analysis and extraction, failure resolution and prevention, and requirements management.
Manage technical projects, product requirements, and costs.
Bring together individuals across teams to solve technical problems and develop cross-functional solutions.
Gather input from a broad team to make decisions and develop project outputs.
Plan and manage projects and their business and financial aspects.
Provide a supportive team environment and mentor, coach, and develop others.
Manage personal professional development.
Direct or conduct analytical simulation work, including defining boundary conditions and load inputs and evaluating results.
Guide technical decisions and manage technical risks across programs and platforms.
Ensure designs meet performance, durability, manufacturability, quality, and cost objectives.
Coordinate with global engineering teams, suppliers, manufacturing facilities, and cross-functional stakeholders from concept development through production launch and product support.
Identify emerging technologies and assess future customer and market needs.
Influence engineering standards and develop organizational capability and partnerships across engineering and manufacturing organizations.