Site Planning, Verification, and Validation Engineering Manager

Descripción

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.

Position Summary

The Engineering Manager for Site Planning, Verification, and Validation (SPVV) will lead a multi-disciplinary team responsible for ensuring that Site Energy Solutions technologies meet the highest standards of reliability, durability, and performance in real-world applications.

This role combines deep technical expertise with strong people leadership to define and execute validation strategies across laboratory and field-follow test environments. The SPVV Manager will be accountable for developing robust validation plans, designing test methodologies, and ensuring that products are thoroughly verified prior to deployment and production.

A critical aspect of this role is fostering a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement, while partnering cross-functionally to accelerate innovation and ensure successful product delivery.

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing engineering ream focused on site planning, verification, and validation
• Set clear goals, expectations, and development plans aligned with organizational priorities
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning
• Recruit, mentor, and retain top engineering talent across validation, testing, and analysis disciplines
• Promote a strong safety-first mindset and ensure team adherence to all safety protocols and best practices
• Mentors others to enhance their technical competence and its application to achieve more effective technical solutions.
• Coaches others in promoting, defining, analyzing, and providing superior technical solutions to business problems.

Validation Strategy & Testing

• Define and execute comprehensive validation strategies to ensure system performance, reliability, and durability across diverse applictions and operating conditions
• Ensure the creation of scalable, repeatable, and data-driven test methodologies supporting development and deployment
• Oversee both laboratory and field-follow validation activities, including test site planning and readiness
• Drive continuous improvement of validation processes, tools, and infrastructure
• Communicates complex ideas and concepts in a clear and concise manner so that others can understand.
• Exhibits depth and breadth of knowledge, skill, and experience in the relevant field.
• Provides relevant, timely and objective subject matter/process expertise and key insight regarding multiple client business areas and affiliated fields.
  

Root Cause Analysis & Issue Resolution

• Lead structured root cause analysis efforts for system failures, performance gaps, and field-follow issues
• Utilize data-driven methods and engineering rigor (e.g., DFMEA, fault tree analysis) to identify and resolve issues
• Partner with design, systems, and manufacturing teams to implement corrective and preventative actions
• Ensure lessons learned are captured and integrated into future designs and validation plans
• Adapts standard communication approaches when conducting dialogue with different audiences or conveying messages
• Explains others' view points and asks questions to ensure mutual understanding.
  

Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with engineering, product management, manufacturing, and operations teams to align validation efforts and program objectives
• Act as a key technical interface between internal teams and external partners, suppliers, and customers
• Communicate validation progress, risks, and outcomes to senior leadership with clarity and transparency
• Influence design decisions by providing validation insights and field-follow feedback
• Implements improvements to methods for maintaining customer responsiveness.
• Recommends new products and services based on changing customer needs and success criteria.
  

Laboratory & Test Site Safety, Compliance, and Operations

• Champion a culture of safety as a top organizational priority across all lab and field-follow testing environments
• Ensure all validation activities comply with applicable safety standards, regulations, and internal policies
• Oversee safe operation of laboratory facilities and test sites, including hazard identification, risk mitigation, and incident prevention
• Develop, establish, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for testing activities
• Evaluates different viewpoints and reconciles conflicting interests to achieve a collective understanding and a group mission.
• Trains others on the new technologies or techniques used to facilitate group interactions and improve collaboration.

Why This Role Matters

This role is critical to ensuring that innovative Site Energy Solutions technologies perform reliably in the real world. By leading validation efforts and instilling a strong safety and quality culture, the SPVV Engineering Manager will directly enable successful product deployment and long-term customer trust

What you have:

Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or related field)

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Differentiates assumptions, perspectives, and historical frameworks.
• Evaluates past decisions for insights to improve decision-making process.
• Assesses and validates decision options and points and predicts their potential impact.
• Advises others in analyzing and synthesizing relevant data and assessing alternatives.
• Uses effective decision-making approaches such as consultative, command, or consensus.
• Ensures that assumptions and received wisdom are objectively analyzed in decisions.

Technical Excellence: Proven experience in testing, validation, reliability engineering for complex systems; Strong expertise in validation methodologies, test design, and data analysis
Level Extensive Experience:
• Experience with root cause analysis and problem-solving frameworks

• Deep commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence

• Advises others on the assessment and provision of all technical solutions.
• Engages appropriate subject matter resources to effectively resolve technical issues.
• Mentors others to enhance their technical competence and its application to achieve more effective technical solutions.
• Coaches others in promoting, defining, analyzing, and providing superior technical solutions to business problems.

Additional preferred technical qualifications include:

• Experience with site energy systems

• Familiarity with lab and field-follow test site setup, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems

• Knowledge of applicable safety and regulatory standards for energy systems and testing environments

• Experience scaling validation processes for new product introduction

Communicating for Impact: Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders

Level Working Knowledge:
• Analyzes the interests or requirements of the audience; shares only relevant information in a direct and efficient manner.
• Adapts standard communication approaches when conducting dialogue with different audiences or conveying messages.
• Explains others' view points and asks questions to ensure mutual understanding.
• Recognizes and assesses cues or unstated intentions behind verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Provides persuasive messages using well-reasoned arguments to address audience concerns or reactions.

Customer/Market Focus: Understanding of the importance of remaining aware of shifting market priorities and ability to respond to internal and external customer needs in a manner that consistently adds value.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Implements improvements to methods for maintaining customer responsiveness.
• Recommends new products and services based on changing customer needs and success criteria.
• Responds proactively to market and competitive shifts so as to maintain advantage.
• Delivers superior customer value consistently and within targets.
• Negotiates successful outcomes on behalf of difficult or dissatisfied customers.
• Coaches others to improve focus on the customer.

Managing People: Demonstrated success leading and developing technical teams in a fast-paced environment
Level Extensive Experience:
• Anticipates and manages difficult interpersonal situations and conflicts; resolves them to mutual satisfaction.
• Consults within the team; seeks inputs from subordinates and considers all views while making decisions.
• Implements coaching and mentoring programs to ensure the holistic development of employees.
• Monitors employee morale and satisfaction; recognizes employee contributions and achievements.
• Regularly reviews employee performance and provides constructive feedback.
• Works collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds; understands their needs and perspectives.

Collaborating Globally: Knowledge of effective collaboration techniques and ability to build networks with people from different countries and cultures, think and work with them to bring positive impact and flourishing business results.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Evaluates different viewpoints and reconciles conflicting interests to achieve a collective understanding and a group mission.
• Provides optimum solutions for complex problems by using collective intelligence of colleagues' networks.
• Trains others on the new technologies or techniques used to facilitate group interactions and improve collaboration.
• Uses internal and external network of leaderships or experts to help achieve organizational and client goals.
• Facilitates group's thinking and brainstorming activities to collectively create and share ideas.
• Oversees a team collaboration to produce positive business results.

Influencing Through Expertise: Knowledge of effective influencing tactics and strategies; ability to use these to deepen own expertise and impact or challenge decisions within and outside own organization.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Communicates complex ideas and concepts in a clear and concise manner so that others can understand.
• Exhibits depth and breadth of knowledge, skill, and experience in the relevant field.
• Provides relevant, timely and objective subject matter/process expertise and key insight regarding multiple client business areas and affiliated fields.
• Provides others with information, opportunities, or resources to develop their skills in the area of expertise.
• Discards examples of persuasive arguments lacking evidentiary support or impact.
• Coaches others to enhance their proficiency regarding the tenets, practices, and examples of the 'trusted advisor' credential.

#LI

Other:

• Position is located in Mossville, IL
• Position requires 5 day in office work schedule
• Position offers domestic relocation
• Position does not offer sponsorship

Summary Pay Range:

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.

Benefits:

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*

• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*

• 401(k) savings plans*

• Health Savings Account (HSA)*

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*

• Health Lifestyle Programs*

• Employee Assistance Program*

• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*

• Career Development*

• Incentive bonus*

• Disability benefits

• Life Insurance

• Parental leave

• Adoption benefits

• Tuition Reimbursement

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees

Posting Dates:

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.

Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.