Group Manager– Materials and Process Engineering

Career Area:

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.

Group Manager – Materials & Process Engineering

Solar Turbines Incorporated, headquartered in San Diego, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. Solar manufactures the world’s most widely used family of mid-sized industrial gas turbines, ranging from 1 to 35 megawatts. Solar is a leading provider of energy solutions, featuring an extensive line of gas turbine-powered compressor sets, generator sets and mechanical drives.  When you join Solar, 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.  Along with our customers and the communities we work and live in, we are building a better world for tomorrow.

Job Summary

Group Manager – Materials & Process Engineering is a pivotal role within the Materials & Process Engineering Department, tasked with leading a multitalented team of 10-14 employees who are responsible for providing materials expertise in alloys and coatings used in gas turbine design, conduct forensic investigation and root cause assessment for Solar’s product failure investigations, lead new material and process development programs, actively participate in product problem resolution projects, develop and qualify new suppliers, new product development programs and lead any manufacturing process development/changes that impact material properties and performance. The position will report to the manager of Materials & Process Engineering.

Principal Accountabilities:

The successful candidate will have the following areas of accountability.

Administrative: Plan capacity to ensure appropriate staffing and workload.  Manage day-to-day employee and group related activities, including coaching, hiring, performance management, and departmental budgets.

Workgroup Performance: Ensure the team understands the processes and work safely to consistently meet or exceed performance goals. Ensure appropriate measures of safety, work quality, cycle time, and on-time delivery to customers’ needs are in place and team performance meets expectations for such. Apply 6 Sigma, Lean and Agile concepts, and work to improve existing engineering processes and develop new ones. Lead the process improvements to achieve step change in work group collaboration, safety practices, work product quality, response time, cycle time and throughput.

Stakeholder Interface: Gain an understanding of stakeholder needs and build a collaborative working relationship with them. Align stakeholder needs and the team’s strengths to increase the quality and on time delivery of the work product. Engage with other leaders to coordinate the input from all critical departments to ensure proper execution of failure investigations, product problem resolution, R&E programs and operational support. Lead the development, evaluation and maintenance of different Materials Engineering specifications.

Strategy Setting: Ensure workgroup strategies are aligned with the broader functional and business strategies.  Effectively communicate group strategy to workgroup and key stakeholders.  Apply broad understanding of market and business environment, materials technology advancements, to formulate employee development strategies.

Research & Engineering: In support of Solar’s current and future business needs, propose, budget, monitor and manage R&E projects. Provide technical input for material selection, material testing, supplier evaluation, material development and manufacturing process development, maintenance, audit. Work with engineering leaders and product managers to determine program budget and forecast, such that appropriate staff levels and skills sets can be maintained within the work group.

Basic Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in materials engineering or related field
• 8+ years of related industry experience

Top Candidates Have:

• Strong demonstrated business acumen
• A good technical knowledge of the materials