Design Engineer

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.

Updated: 08/30/2023

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

Responsibilities
•    Researching new materials and competitive products. Organizing, coordinating, and executing the building, testing, and analysis of prototypes.
•    Assisting supply specialists and buyers with supplier development and supplier performance. Overseeing the efforts of drafting and testing specialists.
•    Developing and documenting functional requirements and translating into detail design documents. Participating in buy-build analysis for product components.
•    Participating in and supporting proposal preparation, cost estimates, and technical reports.
•    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.

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 Working Knowledge: 
•    Delivers helpful feedback that focuses on behaviors without offending the recipient.
•    Listens to feedback without defensiveness and uses it for own communication effectiveness.
•    Makes oral presentations and writes reports needed for own work.
•    Avoids technical jargon when inappropriate.
•    Looks for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.

Managing Multiple Priorities: Knowledge of effective self-management practices; ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Recognizes changing demands and priorities; validates changes with management.
•    Obtains information about how current assignments contribute to organizational goals.
•    Completes current work according to assigned priorities.
•    Responds to day-to-day operational priorities while still making progress on project work.
•    Performs at least 2-3 concurrent activities without reducing productivity.

Technical Excellence: Knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Provides effective technical solutions to routine functional challenges via sound technical competence, effectively examining implications of events and issues.
•    Effectively performs the technical job aspects, continuously building knowledge and keeping up-to-date on technical and procedural job components.
•    Applies technical operating and project standards based on achieving excellence in delivered products, technologies and services.
•    Applies current procedures and technologies to help resolve technical issues in one's general area of technical competence.
•    Helps others solve technical or procedural problems or issues.

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 Design - MFG: Knowledge of processes, approaches, tools and techniques of product design; ability to convert customer and market requirements into product design.
 Level Extensive Experience: 
•    Develops improvement plans for senior management and evaluates the outcome of the design against the functionality.
•    Advises others on the development of multiple products and their functionality.
•    Trains others on advanced tools and approaches of product design.
•    Monitors the processes and procedures of a complex product design to ensure functional requirements are met.
•    Evaluates feedback from customers and consults on functional weaknesses.
•    Controls design and development costs of a proposed product through effective resource coordination.

Product Design and Development: Knowledge of product features; ability to design, build, and develop a new product, technology, or service from concept through to production.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Builds three-dimensional models with basic materials.
•    Communicates with professionals to understand various requirements of product design.
•    Tests and evaluates alternative means of production being considered for use.
•    Uses automated tools to design or modify the design of a product.
•    Assists in building a complex prototype of product.

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.

Posting Dates:

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO).

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