Senior Proactive Quality Engineer

Caterpillar Inc.•Lafayette, IN

1d•$97,530 - $146,290•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Proactive Quality Engineer leads proactive quality planning, deployment, and sustainment for products and processes using Caterpillar’s Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and New Product Introduction (NPI) frameworks. The position provides quality leadership for New Product Introduction (NPI) and New Capital Introduction (NCI) programs, from concept through production validation and launch. The role focuses on prevention-based quality fundamentals, early risk identification, and cross-functional execution to ensure capable processes and successful launches. It supports design readiness, manufacturability, inspection strategy, error-proofing, process validation, launch monitoring, and continued improvement through lessons learned. The position is onsite five days a week. Relocation is available; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or manufacturing, or equivalent work experience.
Knowledge of problem-solving approaches, tools, and techniques, with the ability to apply them to diverse situations.
Working knowledge of identifying and documenting problems and alternatives, examining stakeholder perspectives, assessing information accuracy and relevance, analyzing risks and benefits, and using fact-finding and diagnostic tools.
Basic understanding of project management strategies and tactics, including project objectives, phases, deliverables, activities, tasks, and critical paths.
Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems, including adherence to QMS processes, requirements, and documentation; analysis of quality indicators and metrics; and monitoring of QMS interfaces and criticalities.
Strong cross-functional indirect leadership.
Strong communication skills and the ability to influence and engage people at all levels to build trusted partnerships.
Proven analytical and structured problem-solving capability.

Nice To Haves

Three or more years of progressive experience in Quality, Manufacturing, or Product Engineering.
Experience with APQP, including PFMEAs and Control Plans.
Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) and/or New Capital Introduction (NCI).
Quality certifications such as ASQ-CQE or Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
Experience with process capability analysis and error-proofing methods.
Familiarity with manufacturing and quality systems, including defect tracking, MESA, eMachine, deviation management, and PCN.

Responsibilities

Lead APQP execution for NPI and NCI programs, including early identification of validation plans, audit strategies, and project readiness reviews.
Support PFMEA development to identify and mitigate risks early.
Develop, review, and maintain Control Plans aligned with PFMEA risk, process capability, and customer requirements.
Serve as quality lead on New Product and New Capital programs, supporting design readiness, manufacturability, inspection strategy, and error-proofing.
Lead process validation activities, including capability analysis, production trials, and run-at-rate evaluations.
Partner with manufacturing, operations, and engineering to ensure internal process readiness.
Support early production launches by monitoring quality indicators, addressing emerging risks, and driving preventive actions.
Lead structured problem-solving when required and feed lessons learned back into APQP documentation.
Identify and support quality metrics focused on risk prevention and launch robustness.
Provide APQP and quality fundamentals training to cross-functional teams.