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Senior Supplier Development Engineer

Caterpillar Inc.
United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 6 Apr 2026
💰 $192,710/yr($128,470/yr – $192,710/yr)

About the role

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.

Caterpillar’s BCP division is hiring for Senior Supplier Development Engineer in Clayton, NC!

Role Summary: In this role you will assess the supplier quality and ensure that all the products are free from defects and are in compliance with manufacturing specifications and legal standards.

What You’ll Do (Job Duties)

  • 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.
  • Managing Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Cost management related activities from concept to PPAP to deliver parts at the right quality, total cost, and meet timelines. They accomplish this through collaboration with various functional areas like packaging, transportation, business resources, supply chain, etc.
  • 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.
  • Managing the quality feedback loops to ensure lessons learned on quality defects are applied across the supply base.

What You Have (Core Skills)

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Production Part Approval Process (PPAP): Knowledge of Production Part Approval Processes (PPAP) elements, submissions, and objectives; ability to determine whether a supplier can manufacture products that meet the quality requirements and standards of their customers consistently.
  • 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.
  • Supplier Management: Knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience and skills into real practice.
  • Supplier Evaluations and Certification: Knowledge of supplier evaluations and certification; ability to identify the methods, tools and documentation for evaluating, selecting and certifying suppliers and partners.
     


Top Candidates Will Also Have

  • Extensive experience leading continuous improvement initiatives/projects related to product quality
  • Extensive experience with supplier management, manufacturing standards, advanced product quality planning and the production part approval processes
  • Effective communicator and problem solver
  • Bachelor’s degree preferably in Engineering or related fields.

Additional Details

  • Work location: NC-Clayton-Machine Development Center
  • Domestic relocation assistance IS available for this role
  • Visa sponsorship is NOT available for this role.
  • Travel: 40% domestic and international
  • This position requires 5 days per week in the office (M-F)

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 com

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Company

Caterpillar Inc.

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