Senior Design Engineering Specialist

Career Area:

Engineering

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.

Role Definition
Designs, develops, builds, and implements new products, components, or technologies.

Responsibilities
•    Develop design parameters, performance characteristics, and technical specifications of products and components that satisfy customer needs and advance Safety Quality velocity and cost. 
•    Guiding the evolution of the technical design, technical project planning, detail design, and development testing. Participating in supplier selection and capabilities assessment.
•    Monitoring, exploring, and testing new technologies, materials, and components to understand product or process improvement opportunities.
•    Constructing and fabricating prototype equipment; overseeing materials selection, process optimization and process yield, as well as reliability testing and failure analysis.
•    Requires a degree in an accredited Engineering, Computer Science, or Materials Science curriculum.

Degree Requirement
Degree required

Skill Descriptors
Analytical Thinking: Knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis; ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve these problems.
 Level Extensive Experience: 
•    Seeks discrepancies and inconsistencies in available information; explains variances.
•    Organizes and prioritizes the sequence of steps to be taken to remedy the situation.
•    Identifies many possible causes for a problem based on prior experience and current research.
•    Quantifies the costs, benefits, risks and chances for success before recommending a course of action.
•    Approaches a complex problem by breaking it down into its component parts.
•    Chooses among a diverse set of analytical tools according to the nature of the situation.

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
 Level Expert: 
•    Analyzes and discusses alternatives with multiple stakeholders.
•    Monitors developments in critical-thinking and decision-making models for potential use by organization.
•    Coaches others in decision-making models, processes, and practices.
•    Anticipates special issues and considerations for effective decision-making during a crisis.
•    Shares experiences regarding optimal timing and circumstances for refraining from or making decisions.
•    Differentiates between content and context of a decision.

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.

Project Management: 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.
 Level Expert: 
•    Champions organization's project management methodology, tools, and techniques.
•    Manages multiple high-risk, high-cost projects involving multiple stakeholders.
•    Coaches others in open communication among project stakeholders.
•    Monitors major projects for critical path and actual status versus planned.
•    Consults on project planning and management of high-risk, high-impact projects.
•    Monitors industry for fresh approaches and tools for project management.

Computer-Aided Design & Engineering: Knowledge of tools and techniques of specialized graphics programs; ability to produce, analyze, simulate and test product design drafts.
 Level Extensive Experience: 
•    Coaches others on orthographic, isometric and axonometric projections.
•    Presents complex products and systems graphically.
•    Performs manipulations on design objects, such as changing projections and managing drawing layers.
•    Directs the matrix computations performed to transform objects in coordinate space.
•    Consults on benefits and drawbacks of top-down design vs. bottom-up design.
•    Compares and contrasts uses of bird's-eye views and worm's-eye views.

Product Development Life Cycle - MFG: Knowledge of the methodology and associated phases, activities and deliverables of product development life cycle in manufacturing organizations; ability to bring new or enhanced products to the marketplace.
 Level Expert: 
•    Designs training programs for structured development methodologies.
•    Predicts industry and marketplace trends and directions and cites relevant case studies.
•    Consults on effective application of structured product development methodologies.
•    Leads in establishing policies, strategy and best practices of product development.
•    Develops multiple product development methodologies.
•    Promotes enterprise experience in product development; recommends and institutes improvements.

Product Testing: Knowledge of product testing approaches, techniques and tools; ability to design, plan and execute testing strategies and tactics to ensure product quality at all stages of manufacturing.
 Level Extensive Experience: 
•    Coordinates execution of test plans, including resources, strategy, schedules, processes and tools.
•    Collaborates with design team to ensure testing considerations are incorporated into system design.
•    Recommends tools and techniques for automating, simplifying and enhancing product testing.
•    Compares and contrasts alternative testing methodologies and tools.
•    Matches testing methodology and tools to product being tested; develops test scenarios and scripts.
•    Estimates time, effort and resources required for thorough testing.

Troubleshooting Technical Problems: Knowledge of troubleshooting approaches, tools and techniques; ability to anticipate, detect and resolve technical problems in a manufacturing or product development environment.
 Level Expert: 
•    Consults and coaches others on how to troubleshoot non-recurring and performance-related problems.
•    Establishes best practices for distinguishing mechanical, electronic or systems problems.
•    Leads in discussing alternative troubleshooting approaches and their applicability to types of problems.
•    Oversees the organization and coordination of teams of in-house and vendor experts to resolve major problems.
•    Develops policies and procedures to monitor problem logs, resolutions and lessons learned.
•    Directs the resolution of complex, multi-component failures.

 

Posting Dates:

June 11, 2026 - June 12, 2026

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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