Manufacturing Engineer

Caterpillar Inc.•Peoria, IL

3d•$89,210 - $133,810•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Engineer provides technical expertise to design production processes and address costs, quality, safety compliance, and environmental requirements. The role is based onsite in Peoria, Illinois, five days a week, and requires up to 25% domestic and international travel. The position focuses on maintaining laboratory testing instrumentation, troubleshooting equipment failures, and managing parts inventory and continuous improvement activities. Relocation assistance and U.S. work sponsorship are not offered. The role includes preventative maintenance and calibration of laboratory testing instrumentation, including recording maintenance and calibration history, training laboratory personnel in equipment care, coordinating specialized service with original equipment manufacturers, and reporting equipment availability and downtime costs. It also involves diagnosing hardware and software problems, conducting root-cause failure analysis, resolving urgent breakdowns, managing spare-parts inventory and suppliers, and supporting Lean and 5S initiatives across laboratory teams.

Requirements

Knowledge of collaborative automation techniques and processes, including the ability to develop and deploy cobots to automate manufacturing processes.
Knowledge of decision-making processes, tools, and techniques, and the ability to analyze situations and make informed, productive decisions.
Knowledge of engineering processes, techniques, and methods in a manufacturing environment, and the ability to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes safely.
Knowledge of Lean manufacturing principles and implementation approaches, and the ability to integrate them into existing production and management processes.
Knowledge of manufacturing methods, technologies, and processes, and the ability to plan, manage, execute, and monitor manufacturing processes.
Knowledge of problem-solving approaches and tools, and the ability to recognize, anticipate, and resolve organizational, operational, or process problems.
Knowledge of project-management strategies and tactics, including planning, organizing, monitoring, and controlling projects and resources.
Knowledge of robotic process automation techniques and processes, and the ability to develop and deploy RPA solutions.
Ability to work onsite five days a week.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or a related field.
Strong technical aptitude for troubleshooting scientific equipment, working within CMMS networks, and interpreting technical manuals.
Ability to work under tight production deadlines.
Ability to travel occasionally for business purposes, such as supporting remote laboratory locations or attending vendor training.

Responsibilities

Inspect, service, and maintain laboratory testing instrumentation to maximize reliability and runtime.
Record maintenance history and calibration compliance.
Train and guide laboratory managers and personnel in daily care, handling, and basic maintenance of instrumentation.
Coordinate with equipment manufacturers when specialized outside service is needed.
Monitor maintenance activity, track equipment downtime costs, and report instrument availability to management.
Diagnose hardware and software issues and determine whether repairs can be handled internally or require vendor intervention.
Perform root-cause failure analysis to understand instrument failures and prevent recurrence.
Resolve emergency equipment breakdowns quickly to minimize effects on sample testing turnaround times.
Manage spare-parts inventory and standardize parts ordering to control costs and reduce wait times for critical repairs.
Work with procurement to establish backup suppliers for high-priority items.
Support Lean and 5S initiatives and collaborate across laboratory teams on efficiency improvements.