Engineering Manager

Katalyst CRO; Peoria (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Katalyst CRO seeks an experienced engineering and account leadership leader to oversee manufacturing, mechanical, and product engineering teams in support of the Caterpillar account. You will drive performance, mentorship, and capability development while aligning engineering solutions with customer needs.

In this role, you will lead senior-level customer engagements, coordinate cross-functional delivery, and pursue growth opportunities across engineering services, manufacturing operations, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in mechanical/manufacturing/industrial engineering or related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, mechanical, or product engineering environments.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams and managing technical personnel.
• Proven customer-facing leadership experience within an engineering services organization.
• Demonstrated success growing engineering services business within existing customer accounts.
• Direct experience supporting or working with Caterpillar is required.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, product development, industrial operations, and engineering service delivery models.
• Experience leading teams supporting large industrial or heavy equipment manufacturers.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive relationship management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of manufacturing, mechanical, and product engineering professionals.
• Manage employee performance, career development, staffing plans, and resource allocation.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer focus, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members are positioned for success through coaching, training, and leadership development.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, and retention of high-performing engineering talent.
• Serve as a primary leadership interface for Caterpillar engineering and manufacturing stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customer leadership teams across multiple business units.
• Act as a trusted advisor capable of understanding customer challenges and aligning engineering solutions to business needs.
• Lead customer reviews, operational discussions, issue resolution, and strategic planning sessions.
• Identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities for expanded engineering services within Caterpillar.
• Partner with sales, account management, and delivery teams to develop growth strategies.
• Drive organic account expansion across manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, product engineering, supply chain, quality, and related engineering services.
• Support proposal development, SOW creation, pricing strategies, and customer presentations.
• Develop and maintain a healthy pipeline of opportunities within assigned business areas.
• Ensure successful execution of engineering projects while maintaining quality, schedule, and budget objectives.
• Monitor project performance and proactively address delivery risks.
• Drive utilization, productivity, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence metrics.
• Coordinate resources across onsite and global delivery teams.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and best practice deployment.

Skills

Customer Relationship Management

People Leadership & Team Development

Business Development & Account Growth

Manufacturing Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Strategic Planning

Program & Project Management

Executive Communication

Resource Management

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Operational Excellence

Revenue Growth within the Caterpillar 

Team Engagement, Retention & Employee

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline

Job description

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of manufacturing, mechanical, and product engineering professionals.
• Manage employee performance, career development, staffing plans, and resource allocation.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer focus, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members are positioned for success through coaching, training, and leadership development.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, and retention of high-performing engineering talent.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of manufacturing, mechanical, and product engineering professionals.
• Manage employee performance, career development, staffing plans, and resource allocation.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer focus, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members are positioned for success through coaching, training, and leadership development.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, and retention of high-performing engineering talent.

Leadership & People Management:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of manufacturing, mechanical, and product engineering professionals.
• Manage employee performance, career development, staffing plans, and resource allocation.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer focus, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members are positioned for success through coaching, training, and leadership development.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, and retention of high-performing engineering talent.

Customer Relationship Management

• Serve as a primary leadership interface for Caterpillar engineering and manufacturing stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customer leadership teams across multiple business units.
• Act as a trusted advisor capable of understanding customer challenges and aligning engineering solutions to business needs.
• Lead customer reviews, operational discussions, issue resolution, and strategic planning sessions.

Business Growth & Account Expansion

• Identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities for expanded engineering services within Caterpillar.
• Partner with sales, account management, and delivery teams to develop growth strategies.
• Drive organic account expansion across manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, product engineering, supply chain, quality, and related engineering services.
• Support proposal development, SOW creation, pricing strategies, and customer presentations.
• Develop and maintain a healthy pipeline of opportunities within assigned business areas.

Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Ensure successful execution of engineering projects while maintaining quality, schedule, and budget objectives.
• Monitor project performance and proactively address delivery risks.
• Drive utilization, productivity, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence metrics.
• Coordinate resources across onsite and global delivery teams.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and best practice deployment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, mechanical, or product engineering environments.
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering teams and managing technical personnel.
• Proven customer-facing leadership experience within an engineering services organization.
• Demonstrated success growing engineering services business within existing customer accounts.
• Direct experience supporting or working with Caterpillar is required.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, product development, industrial operations, and engineering service delivery models.
• Experience leading teams supporting large industrial or heavy equipment manufacturers.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive relationship management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within engineering services organizations supporting OEMs or industrial manufacturing clients.
• Familiarity with Caterpillar engineering and manufacturing processes, systems, and organizational structure.
• Experience managing onsite and offshore/global delivery teams.
• Program management, operational leadership, or P&L management experience.
• Knowledge of product development, manufacturing operations, quality engineering, supply chain engineering, and digital manufacturing initiatives.

Skills

• Customer Relationship Management.
• People Leadership & Team Development.
• Business Development & Account Growth.
• Manufacturing Engineering.
• Mechanical Engineering.
• Strategic Planning.
• Program & Project Management.
• Executive Communication.
• Resource Management.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making.
• Operational Excellence.
• Customer Satisfaction & Relationship Growth.
• Revenue Growth within the Caterpillar Account.
• Team Engagement, Retention & Employee.

Experience

• Caterpillar Experience (Required).
• Engineering Management.
• Manufacturing Engineering.
• Mechanical Engineering.
• Customer Relationship Management.
• Business Development.
• Account Growth / Account Management.
• Engineering Services.
• Team Leadership.
• Program Management.
• Resource Management.
• Operational Excellence.
• Stakeholder Management.
• Proposal Development.
• Manufacturing Operations.
• Engineering Services Industry.
• Heavy Equipment Manufacturing.
• OEM Engineering Support.