Sr. Prin. Supplier Technical Engineer

Solar Turbines Incorporated; Michigan; On-site; USD 128,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k) plan

Health Savings Account

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Supplier Technical Engineer to provide on-site technical support at a supplier in Whitehall, Michigan. You will review drawings, assess part compliance, and work with MRB to dispositions in real time.

You will partner with Quality, Design, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure manufacturability and compliance. The role requires a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and hands-on experience in manufacturing and supplier quality, including investment casting and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent.
• Experience in manufacturing engineering, supplier quality, production engineering.
• Investment casting experience.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering specifications.
• Experience creating material documents to MRB.
• Experience in documenting design requirement deviations.
• Understanding of inspection processes and associated tools (fixtures/gages, 3D scan, CMM, digital comparator, ANSI Y14.5).

Responsibilities

• Review yield issues and collaborate with the supplier to improve performance.
• Partner with Quality Engineering, Design Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Evaluate manufacturing processes, tooling, and process controls for compliance with specs.
• Review drawings, models, and technical requirements with suppliers to resolve ambiguities.
• Provide on-site technical support while representing Solar Caterpillar’s interests at the supplier.
• Support MRB assessments and supplier dispositions.
• Validate effectiveness of corrective action activities.
• Look for non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.

Skills

Manufacturing Eng

Supplier quality

Production engineering

MRB submissions

Design requirement deviations

Inspection processes

3D Scan process

Fixtures & gauges

CMM reporting

Digital comparator

ANSI Y14.5

Non-conforming material eval

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related

Tools

MRB tooling

Reading engineering specs

Job description

Career Area:

Supply Chain and Logistics

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you’rejoining 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’tjust 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.

Summary:

The Supplier Technical Engineer (STE) is responsible for providing on-site technical support, product compliance and increase throughput at our critical supplier. This position will be located on site at our supplier in Whitehall, Michigan. This critical role will review drawings, evaluate part compliance and work with Solar’s Material Review Board (MRB) to provide real time dispositions. The STE will serve as the primary technical liaison between the supplier and Solar Turbines.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Review yield issues and collaborate with the supplier to improve performance.

• Partner closely with Quality Engineering, Design Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations.

• Evaluate manufacturing processes, tooling, and process controls to ensure compliance with engineering specifications.

• Review drawings, models, and technical requirements with suppliers to resolve ambiguity and ensure manufacturability.

• Provide on-site technical support while representing Solar’s interests at the supplier.

• Support Material Review Board (MRB) assessments and supplier-side dispositions.

• Validate effectiveness of corrective action activities.

• Looks for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.

Required Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent technical field. (Mechanical Engineering preferred)
• Experience in manufacturing engineering, supplier quality, production engineering.
• Investment casting experience
• Ability to read and interpret engineering specifications
• Experience creating material documents to submit to the Material Review Board (MRB) team.
• Experience in documenting design requirement deviations
• Understanding of Inspection processes
  • Basic fixtures and gages
  • 3D Scan process familiarity
  • CMM Report & understanding
  • Digital comparator
  • ANSI Y14.5

Preferred Experience:

• Internally cooled gas turbine cast airfoil design or manufacturing (casting or post cast) experience

• Non-conforming material evaluation & disposition experience

• Machining experience with basic understanding of required post casting operations to make a finished machined part.

• Ability to document

  • Design requirement deviations
  • PPAP qualification packages

• Continuous Improvement; Lean / six sigma black or green belt experiences

• Ability to collaborate cross functionally.

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:

$128,470.00 - $192,710.00

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:

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of 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:

October 14, 2026 - November 17, 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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