Supplier Development Engineer

Caterpillar Inc.•Mossville, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. The Supplier Development Engineer assesses supplier quality and ensures that supplier‑provided products are free from defects and compliant with manufacturing specifications and applicable standards. In this role, you work closely with suppliers to develop and implement inspection, testing, and evaluation mechanisms that improve quality performance and reduce defects across components and assemblies. Why this role is exciting: This role offers the opportunity to drive meaningful improvement initiatives with visible business impact. You will identify improvement opportunities, partner with key suppliers, and manage end‑to‑end quality processes. In addition to traditional Quality focused approach you will also identify OPACC improvement opportunities working with Product groups. With strong cross‑functional collaboration across Product, Procurement, Operations, and Service teams, you’ll play a critical role in turning improvement ideas into sustainable results that directly influence cost, quality, and operational performance. This enhanced role provides a solid foundation for future career growth.

Requirements

Manages key supplier relationships and end‑to‑end processes to execute improvement initiatives and resolve performance issues.
Applies structured problem‑solving approaches to identify supplier quality, cost, or process gaps and supports timely, well‑informed improvement decisions.
Identifies and executes supplier and end‑to‑end process improvement opportunities using continuous improvement principles and sustainable controls.
Clearly communicates project status and supplier performance insights across cross‑functional teams, aligning expectations, timelines, and outcomes through clear documentation, meetings, and presentations.
Uses quality data and supplier performance metrics identify root causes and apply learnings to prevent recurrence across components and assemblies.
Applies extensive PPAP expertise to ensure supplier readiness, validate documentation, and resolve gaps impacting quality, cost, or delivery for components and assemblies.
Applies manufacturing standards and policies, ensuring compliant execution while identifying opportunities to improve procedures.
Supports supplier evaluation and certification activities by utilizing industry/ Caterpillar standards.

Nice To Haves

Experience of improving supplier Quality performance
Experience using cost improvement approaches and familiarity with the necessary systems and tools
Experience coordinating work across multiple functional teams and suppliers

Responsibilities

Ensure the quality of supplied components by conducting tests and assessments on incoming materials to identify quality issues.
Develop supplier inspection, testing, and evaluation mechanisms.
Monitor supplier defect rates, analyze trends, and generate quality performance reports.
Guide suppliers to reduce defect rates and address potential quality risks.
Research and assess potential vendors, including evaluation of manufacturing environments, practices, and procedures.
Conduct supplier quality audits to ensure compliance with organizational and applicable standards.
Support supplier performance improvement through process enhancements, process controls, and quality assurance planning.
Identify and execute OPACC improvement ideas