Chief Engineer - Paving Processing

This is Caterpillar

The Chief Engineer for the Paving Processing Product Group serves as the senior engineering leader responsible for the strategic direction, technical excellence, product development, and organizational capability of Caterpillar's global paving processing portfolio. As a member of the Paving leadership team, this position provides enterprise leadership across engineering, product strategy, technology development, and talent management to ensure long-term business success and customer value.

This role leverages deep expertise in Technical Excellence, Product Design and Development, Strategic Thinking, and Business Acumen to define and execute engineering strategies that support profitable growth, product leadership, operational excellence, and customer success. The Chief Engineer - Paving Processing partners closely with the Chief Engineer - Paving Compaction to establish aligned technology strategies, common engineering standards, integrated product architectures, and coordinated investment decisions across the broader Paving portfolio.

What You Will Do:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the long-term engineering and technology strategy for the Paving Processing product portfolio
• Apply Strategic Thinking, Business Acumen, and Planning: Tactical, Strategic to align engineering investments with customer requirements, market opportunities, and business objectives
• Influence product strategy, portfolio decisions, and capital investments as a key member of the product group leadership team
• Drive technology roadmaps supporting product differentiation, competitive advantage, sustainability initiatives, connectivity, autonomy, electrification, and digital solutions
• Lead enterprise discussions regarding future engineering capabilities and organizational readiness

Engineering & Product Leadership

• Champion Technical Excellence throughout the engineering organization
• Lead execution of complex product development programs utilizing expertise in Product Design and Development and Product Development in Manufacturing
• Ensure engineering decisions balance customer needs, business objectives, cost, quality, manufacturability, and schedule commitments
• Provide leadership in technology development, product architecture, validation, and product lifecycle management
• Establish technical direction and governance for major engineering initiatives and platform strategies
• Promote innovation through effective application of emerging technologies and engineering best practices

Organizational Leadership

• Lead and develop a global engineering organization through engineering managers, technical leaders, and subject matter experts
• Build organizational capability using strengths in Managing People, Staff and Career Development, and Team Management
• Drive workforce planning, succession planning, leadership development, and technical talent strategies
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and accountable culture focused on innovation, engagement, and performance
• Ensure engineering resources, organizational structures, and capabilities support current and future business needs

Enterprise Collaboration

• Demonstrate Collaborating Globally, Cross-Team Integration, and Influencing Through Expertise across multiple stakeholders
• Partner closely with Product Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Product Support, and Commercial organizations
• Build and maintain a strong partnership with the Chief Engineer for Paving Compaction to ensure alignment of engineering priorities, resource planning, technology investments, and product strategies
• Lead cross-functional initiatives involving electrification, autonomy, controls, connected assets, software integration, and common platform development
• Represent the Paving organization in divisional and enterprise engineering forums

Business & Customer Leadership

• Apply Customer Focus and Customer/Market Focus to understand evolving customer requirements and industry trends
• Balance engineering priorities with financial performance, business objectives, and growth strategies
• Utilize Judgment and Decision Making and Decision Making and Critical Thinking to resolve complex business and technical challenges
• Drive product excellence while improving quality, reliability, serviceability, and customer value
• Ensure engineering initiatives support Caterpillar's enterprise strategy and long-term growth objectives

What You Have:

• Customer Focus: Knowledge of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and ability to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions
• Planning: Tactical, Strategic: Knowledge of effective planning techniques and ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1-2 years) and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the overall business plan
• Technical Excellence: Knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges
• Team Management: Knowledge of effective team building techniques; ability to form and manage effective teams
• Cross-Team Integration: Understanding of the importance of inter-team collaboration in breaking down silos and achieving business results; ability to lead employees from various functions to communicate, coordinate work across divisions, and collaborate in solving problems as one team
• 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

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
• Significant engineering leadership experience with progressive responsibility across product development and engineering organizations
• Demonstrated success leading managers and large cross-functional engineering teams
• Experience influencing business strategy, investment decisions, and product portfolio direction
• Proven capability in Technical Excellence, Product Design and Development, Strategic Thinking, and Organizational Leadership

Top Candidates Will Also Have:

• Experience leading global product development organizations
• Experience managing complex technology, product, and portfolio strategies
• Strong understanding of construction industries, paving, compaction equipment, or related product segments
• Proven success developing engineering talent, organizational capability, and succession pipelines
• Demonstrated ability to influence executive-level decisions and drive enterprise-wide initiatives

Additional Info:

• The primary location for this position is Brooklyn Park, MN
• Domestic relocation assistance is available for those who qualify
• Sponsorship is not available
• International and Domestic travel up to 25%
• This position is eligible for stock or other equity grants pursuant to Caterpillar’s long-term incentive plan

About Caterpillar

For more than a century, Caterpillar has helped build a better, more sustainable world. With 2025 sales and revenues of $67.6 billion, Caterpillar Inc. is shaping the future as the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. Backed by one of the largest independent global dealer networks and financing services through Cat Financial, the company’s primary business segments: Power & Energy, Construction Industries and Resource Industries are solving customers’ toughest challenges through commercial excellence and advanced technology, driven by a highly skilled, dedicated global team.

Final details:

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