Engineering Team Leader

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.

Job Purpose:

The Make-Buy Project Leader is responsible for developing and maintaining drivetrain Make/Buy strategies across L1/L2 and L3/L4 components. This role involves close collaboration with engineering, purchasing, and operations teams to ensure sourcing decisions are data-driven, aligned with business goals, and regularly updated. The analyst also supports annual planning with the EVC and ECS teams for L3/L4 components.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with design, purchasing, and operations teams to create and refresh Make/Buy strategies (Zone Charts) for L1/L2 drivetrain components.
• Classify drivetrain components by purchasing families to support sourcing council decisions.
• Lead digitization of drivetrain source matrices into Snowflake for analytics and reporting.
• Partner with machine groups and ECS to complete and publish annual L3/L4 Make/Buy plans.
• Drive publication of Make/Buy data for use in Power BI and SCORe platforms.
• Analyze purchasing inputs and support stakeholders in making informed sourcing decisions.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance Make/Buy strategy effectiveness.
• Maintain strong cross-functional knowledge across product development, quality, supply chain, and manufacturing.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders and lead change initiatives across the enterprise.
• Manage projects independently, ensuring timely delivery and resource alignment.
• Apply functional knowledge of transmission and lower powertrain systems.

Background & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; 8–11 years in engineering, sourcing, or supply chain roles.
• Strong understanding of drivetrain components, purchasing, and pricing.
• Experience in casting design, machining, NPI, supplier management, and global collaboration.
• Excellent problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills.

Additional Info:

• Office Model: This position requires the employee to work a 5-day-a-week schedule in the office.

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. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.