The successful candidate in this Senior Supplier Technical Engineer (STE) role will have technical accountability for purchased parts in the Forging and Raw Material Supply Chain for all aspects of quality management. The STE is a technical expert for their forging and raw material products used in our turbomachinery equipment and acts as a liaison between internal customers at all levels including operations leadership, engineering, New Product Introduction (NPI), aftermarket teams, and especially with the external supplier contacts. This position reports to the Supply Chain Manager for the Forging and Raw Material Supply Chain. Some travel is required.

This position provides leadership in resolution of quality problems associated with the purchased materials and engineering issues. The STE manages supplier quality through activities that include NPI concept drawings, communication of concept to suppliers, design/drawing review and acceptance, Windchill activities, BAAN functions, tooling management, and Q Notes. Additional activities include supplier and product qualifications by execution of Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) coordinated with suppliers and internal cross-functional supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams.

Principal Accountabilities:

Quality and Technical Problem Resolution – Responsible for identifying quality problems, leading root cause analysis, and implementing resolution of technical issues in a cross-functional environment with the supplier, manufacturing and engineering. The STE is the focal point for Reject Notices and Request for Technical Authority and will initiate root cause analysis, supplier corrective action and/or preventive action plans as applicable with the utilization of 6 Sigma tools, critical thinking, and a sense of urgency.

Supplier Quality Metrics – Responsible for development of supplier quality metrics and monthly reporting and distribution of metrics. The STE identifies supplier quality performance trends and improvement opportunities with time bound corrective actions or improvement plans to meet Supply Chain metric targets.

Engineering Liaison – Coordinates with Engineering on NPI, Concurrent Product and Process Development, and Continuous Process Improvement to ensure design concept to production status, configuration management, specification approvals and cost reduction goals are met.

Supplier PPAP Management – The STE leads the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) and develops the inspection plan with collaboration from Design Engineering, Materials & Processes Engineering, and Manufacturing. Additionally, the STE will provide technical guidance to the Supply Chain team on the requirements and purchase of supplier tooling

Required Qualifications:

• a Bachelor’s Degree or higher with experience in a Supplier Quality or Engineering role. Preferably in a manufacturing environment.

• Experience with ERP software and proficient with MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio).

• Fluent in Business English in written and oral form.

Top Candidates Have:

• Engineering or manufacturing background with familiarity of manufacturing processes used in forging and machining operations relevant to turbomachinery products.

• Familiarity with engineering practices and process planning including drawing interpretation, tooling concepts, nondestructive testing (NDT), functional test, in addition to technical product knowledge and metallurgy principals.

• Knowledge of melting and conversion of turbomachinery alloys as a complementary skill set.

• Strong analytical problem solving and statistical skills.

• Effective communication in written and oral form.

• Well-developed interpersonal skills, leading a cross-functional technical team to consensus, and ability to influence or persuade suppliers and internal clients to effective solutions.

• Demonstrated responsiveness and acts with a sense of urgency.

• Familiarity with 6 Sigma tools and techniques, and understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles.

• Project management skills to advance supplier qualification and improvement projects to completion.

• Working knowledge of supplier selection process and quality management systems.

Summary Pay Range:

$112,704.00 - $169,056.00

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.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Required Qualifications:

• a Bachelor’s Degree or higher with experience in a Supplier Quality or Engineering role. Preferably in a manufacturing environment.

• Experience with ERP software and proficient with MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio).

• Fluent in Business English in written and oral form.

About Solar Turbines

Headquartered in San Diego, California, USA, Solar Turbines Incorporated, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial gas turbines, with more than 16,000 units and over 3 billion operating hours in over 100 countries. Products from Solar Turbines play an important role in the development of oil, natural gas and power generation projects around the world. Solar Turbines’ products include gas turbine engines (rated from 1,590 to 52,500 horsepower), gas compressors, and gas turbine-powered compressor sets, mechanical-drive packages and generator sets (ranging from 1 to 39 megawatts). Solar’s customers put the company’s products to work in many areas including production, processing and pipeline transmission of natural gas and crude oil and generation of electricity and thermal energy for processing applications, such as manufacturing chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food products. Solar’s foundation is people and Solar’s culture is one where individual contributions are valued, diversity in the workplace is encouraged, and safety is emphasized in all aspects of the business. Solar Turbines, founded in 1927, is comprised of a dedicated... and multi-talented workforce of more than 8,000 employees with decades of experience working as a global team.

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