Facilities Project Engineer – Sanford Advanced Manufacturing

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.

Caterpillar is developing a new advanced manufacturing campus in Sanford, North Carolina, to expand production capacity for compact track loaders and telehandlers. The modern, technology-enabled operation is expected to incorporate automation, robotics, digital production systems and integrated logistics capabilities to enhance safety, quality and operational performance. Employees will help build the products our customers rely on while developing skills in advanced manufacturing and supporting the continued growth of Caterpillar’s Cat Compact℠ business.

Job Summary

We are hiring three Facilities Project Engineers: one focused on Electrical systems, one on Mechanical systems, and one on Infrastructure. Together, these roles will help build a new state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility from the ground up. Candidates will be considered for the focus area that best aligns with their experience and business need.

Each engineer will manage an assigned facilities engineering workstream from initial requirements and design coordination through supplier selection, construction, installation, system integration, commissioning, startup, issue resolution, and handoff to operations. You will lead consultants, engineering design firms, and contractors; coordinate internal and external specialists; and ensure all deliverables meet Caterpillar requirements.

Success requires strong knowledge of the relevant functional areas and the ability to connect them into a safe, complete, production-ready facility. You will coordinate with Manufacturing, Legal, Accounting, Purchasing, Information Technology, Safety, and other partners to resolve dependencies and keep the project moving. You will also provide leadership with clear verbal and written updates on progress, risks, decisions, and overall system integration.

What You Will Do

Review, challenge, and approve technical drawings, specifications, calculations, design packages, and changes from external engineering partners. Confirm that the work is accurate, constructible, compliant, and aligned with operational needs.

Manage scope, schedules, estimates, risks, changes, action items, commissioning plans, and operational readiness. Coordinate decisions and deliverables across internal functions, engineering partners, contractors, suppliers, utilities, and regulatory authorities.

Resolve issues through containment, root cause analysis, corrective action, testing, verification, and documented closure.

Translate evolving manufacturing needs into facility designs, technical standards, utility strategies, acceptance criteria, and scalable solutions.

Integrate connected facility technologies, including building management systems, utility monitoring, advanced metering, sensors, automated controls, alarms, equipment connectivity, and condition-monitoring data.

Use building information modeling, digital coordination, system data, commissioning records, and readiness metrics to identify conflicts, guide decisions, and improve startup performance.

Coordinate planning and executing acceptance testing, system energization, integrated systems testing, commissioning, turnover, and startup.

Provide concise verbal and written updates to leadership on integration progress, key decisions, emerging risks, cross-functional dependencies, and actions needed to support startup.

Electrical Focus:

Lead the design, implementation, and operation of facility electrical infrastructure, including power distribution, automation controls, and equipment integration.

Drive electrical capacity planning, protection systems, energy management, advanced metering, and digital facility solutions to support operational and future growth needs.

Oversee commissioning, startup, maintenance, and troubleshooting activities to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient facility performance.

Mechanical Focus:

Lead the strategy, design, and optimization of mechanical and utility systems, including HVAC, compressed air, water systems, plumbing, natural gas, fire protection, and process utilities.

Drive utility capacity planning, equipment sizing, controls integration, energy performance, maintainability, digital facility solutions, and future production readiness.

Oversee commissioning, startup, preventative maintenance, and resolution of mechanical and equipment interface issues to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations.

Infrastructure Focus:

Lead the development of site and facility infrastructure, including civil systems, utilities, drainage, transportation access, and building interfaces.

Coordinate utility networks, security systems, telecommunications, site lighting, digital technologies, and future expansion planning.

Drive permitting, construction execution, commissioning, and issue resolution to ensure operational readiness and successful project delivery.

What You Will Have

Functional and Technical Knowledge: Working knowledge of the relevant electrical, controls, mechanical, civil, structural, utility, and manufacturing interfaces. Ability to evaluate external engineering work, ask informed questions, and make sound approval decisions.

Engineering Project Management: Ability to lead engineering work across multiple functional areas, external firms, contractors, and internal partners while managing technical dependencies and system integration.

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Ability to evaluate developing technical and business information, assess alternatives, identify consequences, and recommend practical solutions that support launch and long-term operations.

Planning: Ability to organize work into actionable steps, anticipate bottlenecks, align cross-discipline dependencies, and maintain focus on construction, commissioning, and production-readiness milestones.

Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to align technical and business stakeholders, including internal functions, engineering partners, consultants, contractors, suppliers, utilities, and regulatory authorities.

Service Excellence: Ability to understand internal customer requirements and respond with urgency, ownership, and practical solutions as the operation transitions from project delivery into production.

Technical Troubleshooting: Strong knowledge of structured troubleshooting methods and the ability to drive complete, sustainable solutions across complex, connected, multi-vendor systems.

Top Candidates Will Also Have

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Demonstrated experience supporting facilities, building systems, or industrial engineering projects

Demonstrated executive-level written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex engineering and integration topics into clear progress updates, risks, decisions, and recommended actions for leadership.

Experience supporting a advanced manufacturing facility, plant startup, major expansion, or complex capital program from early design through operational handoff.

Professional Engineer (PE) licensure

Experience with LEED requirements or certification

Experience working within facilities with high standards related to overall building conditions, environmental stewardship, safe work practices, and continuous improvement

What You Will Get

You will own a critical workstream that shapes how a new advanced manufacturing facility operates, connects, and grows. Your work will help move the pla