Supplier Development Engineer

Caterpillar; Willesden; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Up to 12% Bonus

Contributory pension scheme – Caterp.

Contributory share scheme – 50% match

Flexible benefits including health and

EV car lease

Employee Referral Scheme

Job summary

Caterpillar Marine Power UK Ltd is seeking a Supplier Development Engineer to evaluate supplier quality, drive improvements, and manage supplier relationships. Based in Wimborne, you'll lead QA initiatives and coordinate across supplier locations and internal teams to ensure high-quality, compliant components for marine propulsion systems.

The role requires strong communication and problem-solving skills, with a focus on continuous improvement and risk management to deliver reliable products to

Qualifications

• Effective communication concepts and techniques for conveying information.
• Problem solving approaches and ability to resolve operational/process issues.

Responsibilities

• Ensure quality of supplies by tests and assessments of incoming materials.
• Generate supplier quality reports and guide defect rate reduction.
• Research potential vendors and conduct supplier QA audits for compliance.
• Support suppliers with process improvements and QA plans.

Skills

Effective communications

Problem solving

Job description

Career Area

Procurement

Job Description

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.

Job Title: Supplier Development Engineer

Salary: £57,700 + (depending on experience)

Location: Wimborne, UK

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus 8 days Bank holidays
• Up to 12% Bonus
• Contributory pension scheme - Caterpillar will double the employee's contribution Up to 10%
• Contributory share scheme - Caterpillar will match 50% of the employee's contribution.
• Optional flexible benefits including access to family health and dental care plans, EV car lease, holiday purchase.
• Employee Referral Scheme

About Us

Caterpillar Marine Power UK Ltd is located on the outskirts of Wimborne on the Ferndown and Uddens Business Improvement District. Positioned centrally along the south coast, it is located close to national and international transport links.

With approximately 130 members of staff, there is a long and distinguished history spanning over 50 years of manufacturing marine propulsion and auxiliary engines under the Cat® and Perkins Marine® brands. Genset packages ranging from 1.5 Litre to 7.1 Litre and 7.1 Litre propulsion engines are produced at the Wimborne site.

The facility employs a wealth of hugely experienced designers, engineers and technicians used to providing solutions for commercial, pleasure, and military customers. From the design, testing and building, each engine is proven before leaving the premises to ensure the best performance for the end-user.

The Opportunity

As a Supplier Development Engineer you will be assessing supplier quality and ensures products are free from defects and compliant with manufacturing specifications and applicable standards. Serves as a key technical partner to suppliers, driving process improvements, capability development, quality planning, risk reduction, and performance improvement initiatives to support operational excellence and deliver high-quality products to customers.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working under pressure and taking ownership of supplier relationships. You'll be at the center of multiple projects, coordinating activities across various supplier locations and internal teams. As the main point of contact for suppliers, you'll drive their development, influence performance improvements, and proactively manage risks and opportunities. No two days are the same, making this a fantastic opportunity for someone who is highly organized, self-motivated, and passionate about delivering results through collaboration and continuous improvement.

What you will do

• Ensuring the quality of supplies by conducting tests and assessments on incoming supplies to identify any quality issues; Developing supplier inspection, testing, and evaluation mechanism.
• Generating reports on supplier quality, by monitoring their defect rates and areas that can lead to potential flaws; Guiding suppliers to reduce these defect rates.
• Researching the potential vendors, assessing their manufacturing environment, practices, and procedures; Conducting supplier quality control audits to ensure compliance with organizational and federal policies and standards.
• Supporting suppliers in improving their performance through process enhancements, implementing process controls, and developing quality assurance plans.

What You Have

Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviours.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Delivers helpful feedback that focuses on behaviours without offending the recipient.
• Listens to feedback without defensiveness and uses it for own communication effectiveness.
• Makes oral presentations and writes reports needed for own work.
• Avoids technical jargon when inappropriate.
• Looks for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.

Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.

Level Extensive Experience:

• Ensures capture of lessons to be learned from a problem-solving effort.
• Organizes potential problem solvers and leads problem resolution efforts.
• Uses varying problem-solving approaches and techniques as appropriate.
• Contributes to standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes.
• Analyses and