Senior Supplier Development Engineer

Caterpillar Brazil; Lafayette (IN); On-site; USD 128,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Paid time off plan

401(k) savings plans

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Career Development

Incentive bonus

Disability benefits

Life Insurance

Parental leave

Adoption benefits

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. in the United States is seeking a Supplier Development Engineer to assess supplier quality and ensure products meet manufacturing specifications and standards. You will drive quality through audits, data-driven defect reduction, and collaboration with suppliers to improve processes.

The role emphasizes supplier management, QA planning, and process improvements, with travel up to 30% and a comprehensive benefits package in a dynamic manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• 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.

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.

About LPSD

The Large Power Systems Division (LPSD) is part of Caterpillar's Power & Energy segment. Through this global organization, Caterpillar designs and manufactures large (greater than 18 liters) diesel and natural gas engines, powertrains and key engine systems. LPSD products and solutions support customers across power generation, industrial, marine, oil & gas, rail, services and Cat® machine applications worldwide.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Supplier Development Engineer. This person will assess supplier quality and ensure that all the products are free from defects and are in compliance with manufacturing specifications and legal standards.

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 will 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 behaviors.

Level Extensive Experience: Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching. Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience. Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position. Communicates well downward, upward, and outward. Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement. Maintains focus on the topic at hand.

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. Analyzes and synthesizes information and devises alternative resolution strategies. Develops successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems.

Process Improvement: Understanding and insight into evaluating current product quality and production methods and ability to maintain focus on the continuous improvement of processes, products and services.

Level Extensive Experience: Streamlines the critical workflow for executing key processes. Sets priorities for addressing process problems that limit performance. Develops methods for improving and establishing controls for critical processes. Monitors external sources for applicable new methods and controls. Analyzes findings from improvement cycles to ensure success of interventions. Coaches others to develop the skills to improve processes.

Manufacturing Standards, Procedures and Policies: Knowledge of organizational standards, procedures and policies in manufacturing activities; ability to plan, guide, and monitor manufacturing processes for compliance.

Level Extensive Experience: Ensures communication vehicles are effectively informing affected areas and personnel. Consults on development and implementation of cross-functional standards. Participates in the development of organizational policies and practices. Develops and uses control and monitoring mechanisms for adherence. Collaborates with other functions on establishing and documenting joint standards. Participates in defining architectural principles and standards for organization.

Supplier Management - MFG: Knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of raw materials or product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience and skills into real practice.

Level Extensive Experience: Facilitates supplier partnering arrangements that share risk and reward. Monitors supplier performance; works to resolve discrepancies between performance and agreements. Develops quality standards and controls for suppliers. Builds and maintains partnerships with multiple and/or large suppliers. Evaluates issues and terminates supplier relationships as appropriate; works with legal departments. Ensures the fulfillment of report and record-keeping requirements.

Supplier Evaluations and Certification: Knowledge of supplier evaluations and certification; ability to identify the methods, tools and documentation for evaluating, selecting and certifying vendors, suppliers and partners.

Level Expert: Leads discussions on the case studies of effective and ineffective processes and what can be learned from each. Designs systematic protocols and procedures for supplier evaluations & certification in the organization. Establishes organizational standards, metrics and best practices for supplier evaluations & certification in the organization. Advocates the development of new technologies and tools for supplier evaluations and certification. Creates a system to document the performance and quality of existing suppliers and products. Predicts the future trends of supplier evaluations & certification.

Top Candidates May Have

Prior Supplier Development Experience.

Manufacturing Experience – Experience running machinery, evaluating machinery, setting up machinery, troubleshooting machinery, etc.

ASQ Certification.

Additional Information

This position may require travel up to 30%.

Summary Pay Range

$128,470.00 - $192,710.00

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: September 25, 2026 - October 8, 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.

There's more to work at Caterpillar than just the work itself. We hire smart, friendly people and it shows in our culture. We hold ourselves to high standards and make sure our values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, commitment and sustainability come to life in the way we work. We make sure our employees feel continuously challenged while also supported. We provide professional growth opportunities, including leadership programs. We celebrate the diversity of our team, while also working together as one Caterpillar. Our culture, like everything at our company, is made possible by each employee's contribution. Person by person, we create the environment we work in, and we are proud of the Caterpillar we've built.