Engineering Project Manager

Katalyst CRO; Peoria (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Katalyst CRO seeks a Senior Leader to guide a team of manufacturing, mechanical, and product engineers in Peoria, Illinois, delivering high-impact engineering services for Caterpillar. You will mentor, manage performance, and drive growth across accounts, coordinating on-site and global delivery with a focus on operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

This role requires 10+ years in engineering leadership, direct Caterpillar experience, and strong executive communication.

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.

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

Operational Excellence

Customer Satisfaction & Relationship增长

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. Customer Relationship Management

Key Responsibilities

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.
• Manufacturing Services.
• Product Engineering.
• Mechanical Design.
• Plant Operations.
• Technical Sales.
• Customer-Facing Leadership.
• Revenue Growth.
• Strategic Account Management.
• Peoria, Illinois.
• Global Delivery Management.
• Engineering Consulting.