Shop Support 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. Join Caterpillar's Tractor Product Support team as a Shop Support Engineer , serving as the primary engineering representative within the East Peoria Assembly Plant, including Building SS and Building LL. In this highly collaborative role, you will provide direct technical support to manufacturing, operations, quality, and product engineering teams to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality assembly of Caterpillar track-type tractors. As the link between product design engineering and manufacturing, you will resolve production issues, investigate quality concerns, support root cause analysis activities, coordinate engineering solutions, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. You will work closely with assembly personnel, quality teams, manufacturing engineers, and CPPD design teams to communicate product changes, engineering deviations, and corrective actions while maintaining uninterrupted production flow. This role also serves as an engineering representative on the Material Review Committee (MRC) , helping identify engineering-related issues, support disposition decisions, follow concerns through resolution, and identify opportunities for quality improvement and cost reduction. The ideal candidate combines strong mechanical engineering knowledge, manufacturing experience, problem-solving skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple functional teams in a fast-paced production environment.

Primary location: East Peoria, IL Travel: 5% or less Relocation assistance: None Visa sponsorship:  None Applications accepted: through September 27, 2026 What You'll Do:  Serve as the primary engineering liaison for East Peoria assembly operations, providing direct support to Building SS and Building LL for product design, manufacturing, and assembly-related issues. Troubleshoot production, engineering, and quality concerns using structured root cause analysis, driving corrective and preventive actions that improve product quality, reliability, and production efficiency. Partner with CPPD, Operations, Quality, and Manufacturing teams to resolve technical issues impacting safety, quality, cost, delivery, and customer satisfaction. Lead communication and implementation of engineering deviations, product changes, advance change notices, and configuration updates to maintain production continuity. Represent Engineering on the Material Review Committee (MRC), supporting non-conformance disposition, containment activities, issue resolution, and cost-reduction opportunities. Analyze manufacturing, warranty, quality, and statistical data to identify trends, evaluate risks, and recommend design or process improvements. Support New Product Introduction (NPI), FMEA development, validation activities, product change implementation, and continuous improvement initiatives across assembly operations. Maintain compliance with engineering and quality standards through documentation control, audit support, issue tracking, and effective cross-functional coordination with manufacturing, suppliers, and engineering stakeholders. What Makes This Role Exciting:  As the link between product design engineering and manufacturing, you will contribute daily to the success of our East Peoria plants with direct impact to quality and velocity.   What skills you will have: Quality Management Systems: Working knowledge of QMS processes, requirements, documentation, quality indicators,