Product Procurement Engineer

Caterpillar Caterpillar · Industrial · Clayton, NC +1

Product Procurement Engineer role at Caterpillar focused on managing part sourcing, development, and quality feedback loops for New Product Introduction (NPI), Continuous Product Improvement (CPI), and New Source Introduction (NSI). The role involves collaborating with Engineering, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams, as well as suppliers, to ensure parts meet quality, total cost, and timing requirements. Key responsibilities include developing KPIs, driving VA/VE, managing quality feedback, and representing category performance at gateways.

What you'd actually do

  1. Develop, implement and maintain category-specific KPIs, providing clear reporting and insights to Category and Program Leadership.
  2. Collaborate with Design Control Engineering, Value Chain Engineering, Procurement, Quality and Supply Chain to define and execute global product supply strategies aligned to category objectives.
  3. Drive Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VA/VE) through cost modelling, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and effective utilization of supplier capability.
  4. Contribute within a global team to develop and implement standardized processes across sourcing, quality improvement, cost management and capacity planning.
  5. Manage quality feedback loops, ensuring lessons learned are captured, shared and consistently applied to improve supplier performance.

Skills

Required

  • Effective Communications
  • Strategic Sourcing
  • Cost Benefit Analysis
  • Data Driven Decision Making

Nice to have

  • Works directly with suppliers to support part development, resolve quality and delivery issues, and ensure products meet specifications, escalating higher-risk concerns where required.
  • Make informed sourcing decisions by balancing cost, contractual terms, risk exposure and long-term value to protect quality, delivery and commercial outcomes.
  • Apply quality standards, governance and continuous improvement methods to drive consistent product quality and supplier performance.
  • Anticipates and incorporates external factors (regulatory, environmental, geopolitical) into sourcing decisions to enhance resilience and mitigate supply risk.

What the JD emphasized

  • Works directly with suppliers to support part development, resolve quality and delivery issues, and ensure products meet specifications, escalating higher-risk concerns where required.
  • Make informed sourcing decisions by balancing cost, contractual terms, risk exposure and long-term value to protect quality, delivery and commercial outcomes.
  • Apply quality standards, governance and continuous improvement methods to drive consistent product quality and supplier performance.
  • Anticipates and incorporates external factors (regulatory, environmental, geopolitical) into sourcing decisions to enhance resilience and mitigate supply risk.