Manufacturing Project Engineer

Caterpillar Inc.•Sanford, NC

1d•$112,710 - $169,060•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Project Engineer plays a key role in driving operational excellence by leading high‑impact projects that improve safety, quality, efficiency, and production stability. This role partners closely with cross‑functional teams to deliver end‑to‑end solutions, ensuring successful execution from concept through implementation. In this position, you will support development of modern manufacturing capabilities aligned with Enterprise Capability Owners, with a strong focus on production stability and optimizing manufacturing performance. You will lead initiatives related to new product introductions, process improvements, and equipment integration, while identifying opportunities to enhance operational efficiency across the plant. This role also brings a strong connection to research and development, supporting the transition of innovative ideas into scalable, production‑ready solutions. By leveraging technical expertise, data‑driven insights, and collaboration across engineering and operations teams, you will help bridge development and manufacturing to deliver reliable, high‑quality outcomes in a dynamic environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline or demonstrate equivalent knowledge through professional expertise.
Decision Making & Critical Thinking: Applies structured decision‑making techniques
Identifies, organizes, and evaluates relevant data and alternatives
Assesses risks and tradeoffs impacting manufacturing performance
Engineering – MFG: Assists with manufacturing problem resolution and supports drafting engineering specifications and standard practices.
Works with routine manufacturing engineering tools, equipment, and processes.
Performs basic installation, maintenance, and repair activities within a defined engineering function.
Follows established engineering standards, policies, and procedures.
Identifies and escalates unusual manufacturing or engineering issues to senior staff.
Project Management: Uses standard project management tools to estimate cost, timelines, and resource needs.
Plans, organizes, and monitors manufacturing projects to meet scope, schedule, and cost objectives.
Identifies project risks and develops mitigation and contingency plans.
Leads project reviews with cross‑functional teams and stakeholders.
Maintains clear communication and reporting throughout the project lifecycle.

Responsibilities

Research, develop, and deploy physical automation technologies to improve manufacturing process capability, efficiency, quality, and cost
Support projects across robotics, automation systems, asset connectivity, machine learning, and vision‑based manufacturing applications
Evaluate existing manufacturing processes and equipment to identify automation opportunities, gaps, and improvement potential
Design, develop, test, and validate automation concepts, prototypes, and pilot systems prior to production deployment
Support installation, commissioning, ramp‑up, and stabilization of automation equipment in manufacturing and supplier environments
Apply structured problem‑solving techniques to identify root causes and develop modern manufacturing capabilities addressing Safety, Quality, Velocity, and Cost
Communicate technical findings, recommendations, and results to Enterprise Capability Owners (ECOs), operations, leadership, suppliers, and internal customers
Deploy technical strategies, provide technical guidance and mentoring to pilot locations for modern manufacturing solutions