Manufacturing Project Engineer

Caterpillar Inc.; Mapleton (IL); On-site; USD 113,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) savings plans

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Career Development

Incentive bonus

Tuition Reimbursement

Parental leave

Employee Discounts

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. in Mapleton, IL is seeking a process development professional to support continuous improvement of safety, quality, velocity and cost across manufacturing at the Mapleton Foundry.

This role emphasizes technical leadership in major projects and collaboration with suppliers to optimize production systems. The position is a 1st shift with onsite work five days a week, relocation is available, and visa sponsorship is not provided.

Qualifications

• Experience applying lean manufacturing and process improvement in manufacturing.
• Ability to analyze and improve safety, quality, velocity and cost.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and internal teams.
• Understanding of change control processes in production.

Responsibilities

• Providing technical expertise and guidance in major manufacturing projects, working with internal/external suppliers to support/improve manufacturing productivity and cost effectiveness.
• Implementing major systems and the coordination of those systems with the total plant.
• Communicating with suppliers to analyze their current or proposed product/process designs to determine feasibility of using existing designs or modifying the designs to improve process and/or product.
• Providing guidance to manufacturing engineers and operators in order to develop high quality products and processes.

Skills

Problem Solving

Judgment & Decision Making

Project Management

Manufacturing Best Practices

Manufacturing Process Design

Capacity Planning

Change Control

Lean Manufacturing

Job description

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.

Career Area

Manufacturing

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. We make it happen. And we are proud of that, because it helps our customers build and power the world we live in – the roads, hospitals, homes, and infrastructure. Without a dedicated workforce, Caterpillar could not effectively meet our customers’ needs. Join us.

The Mapleton Foundry is one of the largest in the United States and home to the largest core making machine in the world! Working at the foundry is hard work that demands focus and safety, quality, and commitment to helping our customers build a better world. With over 800 employees at the foundry, we are looking for someone who can support process development projects for the continuous improvement of the safety, quality, velocity and cost of manufacturing.

Role Definition

Supports process development projects for the continuous improvement of the safety, quality, velocity and cost of manufacturing.

What You Will Do

• Providing technical expertise and guidance in major manufacturing projects, working with internal/external suppliers to support/improve manufacturing productivity and cost effectiveness.
• Implementing major systems and the coordination of those systems with the total plant.
• Communicating with suppliers to analyze their current or proposed product/process designs to determine feasibility of using existing designs or modifying the designs to improve process and/or product.
• Providing guidance to manufacturing engineers and operators in order to develop high quality products and processes.
  

Skills You Will Have

Problem Solving: Working 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.

Judgment and Decision Making: Extensive knowledge of the decision-making process; ability to carefully evaluate the impact of emerging business situations and choose the best path forward communicating actions and activities that maximize organizational performance.

Project Management: Basic knowledge of effective project management strategies and tactics; ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control projects, ensuring efficient utilization of technical and administrative resources to achieve project objectives.

Manufacturing Best Practices and Standards: Basic knowledge of best practices and standards for improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of the design, production, and distribution of manufacturing products; ability to create and implement best practices and standards for various manufacturing processes and activities.

Manufacturing Process Design and Development: Basic knowledge of how to develop or design a manufacturing process; ability to establish and determine which processes and parameters should be opted to improve functionality and costs.

Capacity Planning & Management - MFG: Working knowledge of tools, approaches and practices for determining production demand and ability to manage resources needed to provide satisfactory levels of service.

Change Control - MFG: Basic knowledge of the processes and procedures by which a change is identified, evaluated, approved, monitored and documented; ability to manage changes in the production environment and processes effectively.

Lean Manufacturing: Working knowledge of the philosophy, principles and implementation approaches of lean manufacturing; ability to integrate and implement lean manufacturing philosophy into existing production and management processes.

Additional Information

• This is a 1st shift position in Mapleton, IL
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• A closer look into the Mapleton Facility https://youtu.be/0kKlppm_nfc
  

Please ensure you frequently sign in to your candidate home for any updates or correspondence for positions that you have applied for. https://cat.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CaterpillarCareers.

This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as, H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S which can be found through our employment website at www.caterpillar.com/careers

This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job. At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization. It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of “essential job functions” as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Summary Pay Range

$112,710.00 - $169,060.00

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*
• 401(k) savings plans*
• Health Savings Account (HSA)*
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
• Health Lifestyle Programs*
• Employee Assistance Program*
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
• Career Development*
• Incentive bonus*
• Disability benefits
• Life Insurance
• Parental leave
• Adoption benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement
• These benefits also apply to part-time employees
  

This position requires working onsite five days a week.

Relocation is available for this position.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Posting Dates

August 24, 2026 - September 6, 2026

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.

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