Supplier Development Engineer - Wire harness

Career Area: Procurement 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 Title: Supplier Development Engineer - Wire Harness Contract: Permanent  Salary: £57,737 - £72,171 Location: Peterlee, County Durham  Hours: Full-Time – 36.50 - 4.5 days on site Travel: Up to 25%  The Opportunity  As a Supplier Development Engineer at Caterpillar Peterlee, you will partner with suppliers across the wire harness category to drive quality, performance, and continuous improvement. Working closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders, you will assess manufacturing processes, support the implementation of robust quality controls, and identify opportunities to enhance operational performance. The role focuses on reducing defects, improving process capability, conducting supplier assessments and audits, and ensuring suppliers consistently meet business, regulatory, and customer requirements while fostering long-term supplier excellence. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to: Ensuring the quality of supplies by conducting tests and assessments on incoming supplies to identify any quality issues; Developing supplier inspection, testing, and evaluation mechanism. Generating reports on supplier quality, by monitoring their defect rates and areas that can lead to potential flaws; Guiding suppliers to reduce these defect rates. Researching the potential vendors, assessing their manufacturing environment, practices, and procedures; Conducting supplier quality control audits to ensure compliance with organizational and federal policies and standards. Supporting suppliers in improving their performance through process enhancements, implementing process controls, and developing quality assurance plans. Degree Requirement Degree or equivalent experience desired   What Skills You Will Have: 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. Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations. Process Improvement: Understanding and insight into evaluating current product quality and production methods and ability to maintains focus on the continuous improvement of processes, products and services. Quality Orientation: Knowledge of quality management methods, tools, and techniques; ability to create and support an environment that meets the quality goals of the organization. Production Part Approval Process (PPAP): Knowledge of Production Part Approval Processes (PPAP) elements, submissions, and objectives; ability to determine whether a supplier can manufacture products that meet the quality requirements and standards of their customers consistently. Manufacturing Standards, Procedures and Policies: Knowledge of organizational standards, procedures and policies in manufacturing activities; ability to plan, guide, and monitor manufacturing processes for compliance. Supplier Management - MFG: Knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of raw materials or product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience and skills into real practice. Supplier Evaluations and Certification: Knowledge of supplier