Sr. Quality Engineer

Career Area:

Manufacturing

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.

Quality Engineers at the Lafayette Engine Center support Caterpillar’s quality strategy in one of two ways, as a proactive engineer focusing on preventing issues before they occur or as an engineer who investigates in real time when events happen.

Engineers focusing on preventative measures are responsible for planning, deploying, and sustaining quality into products and processes using Caterpillar’s Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and New Product Introduction (NPI) frameworks. They are accountable for quality leadership across new products and new capital programs, from concept through production validation and launch.

Engineers focusing on reacting in real time, lead formal corrective action investigations and problem‑solving projects. These engineers are integral to keeping up our operations and ensuring a quality product.

The Quality Engineering role emphasizes prevention‑based quality fundamentals, front‑end risk identification, and cross‑functional execution to ensure robust, capable processes and successful launches.

• Work in a team environment to develop and implement best practices that emphasize defect prevention, reduction in variation and waste and provide for continuous improvements in meeting all customer requirements.
• Conducting measurement systems analysis; gathering, analyzing, and communicating non‑conformance data.
• Analyzing non‑conformance data and maintaining quality system documentation.
• Participating in and offering technical support to internal and external audits; following up response of corrective action from audit.

Degree Requirement: Degree or equivalent experience desired

Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and oversights.
• Utilizes specific approaches and tools for checking and cross‑checking outputs.
• Processes limited amounts of detailed information with good accuracy.
• Learns from mistakes and applies lessons learned.
• Develops and uses checklists to ensure that information goes out error‑free.

Collaborating: Knowledge of collaborative techniques; ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Demonstrates experience participating in productive collaborative processes.
• Under guidance, initiates collaborative meetings.
• Assists in communicating shared goals with diverse groups and parties.
• Helps promote collaboration across generations, functions, regions, and levels.
• Helps solve business problems and meet business goals through collaborative processes.

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 Basic Understanding:

• Explains characteristics and steps in an effective decision‑making process.
• Identifies issues and communicates with others when a decision needs to be made.
• Names decision makers in own environment and cites examples of past decisions.
• Describes types of decisions incumbent may and may not make in own job or function.

Flexibility and Adaptability: Knowledge of successful approaches and techniques for dealing with change; ability to adapt to a changing environment and be comfortable with change.

Level Basic Understanding:

• Explains the perspective that change is inevitable.
• Seeks value in new ways of doing things.
• Easily copes with day‑to‑day frustrations, adversities and uncertainties.
• Pr…