Validation Engineering Specialist - Motor and Generators

Caterpillar Caterpillar · Industrial · Mossville, IL

Caterpillar is seeking a Validation Engineering Specialist for their Motor and Generator Solutions team within the Electrification & Energy Solutions (E&ES) Division. The role involves assessing product content and program risk, developing validation strategies and plans (including virtual analysis, supplier validation, component, system, and machine-level testing), leading DFMEA activities, forecasting test facility demand, planning durability tests, communicating validation status, developing standard work, projecting long-term validation needs, and analyzing field durability data. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree in engineering, strong analytical and critical thinking skills, and experience in product testing, validation planning, or test execution, preferably with motor/generator/inverter components and electric drive systems.

What you'd actually do

  1. Assess product new content and program risk, then develop validation strategies to mitigate risk throughout product development.
  2. Create and maintain validation plans spanning virtual analysis, supplier validation, component testing, system testing, and machine-level verification.
  3. Lead and support DFMEA activities to ensure validation plans are risk-based, complete, and aligned with best practices.
  4. Forecast test facility demand, identifying capacity constraints, equipment needs, priority conflicts, and required investments.
  5. Lead durability test planning, including test objectives, duty cycles, success criteria, instrumentation needs, and schedule alignment.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Decision Making and Critical Thinking
  • Effective Communications
  • Technical Excellence
  • Product Testing
  • Troubleshooting Technical Problems

Nice to have

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  • Prior experience in product testing, validation planning, or test execution for complex engineering systems.
  • Experience supporting motor, generator, inverter, or electric drive component development.
  • Working knowledge of electric drive systems, including motors, generators, power electronics, controls, cooling, and mechanical integration.
  • Demonstrated ability to understand interactions between mechanical, electrical, thermal, and controls systems in electrified powertrain applications.
  • Experience applying structured DFMEA, DVP&R, risk assessment, or validation planning processes.
  • Experience leading technical issue resolution, root cause analysis, corrective action planning, and cross-functional problem solving.

What the JD emphasized

  • validation strategies
  • validation plans
  • DFMEA
  • product testing
  • field durability data