Supply Chain Planning Engineer – Sanford Advanced Manufacturing

Career Area:

Supply Chain and Logistics

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

This role is ideal for someone who takes ownership of complex design and implementation challenges, anticipates risks, makes sound decisions, and drives solutions through launch and stabilization. You will work with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, maintenance, and digital teams to remove barriers and deliver logistics systems that improve flow, reliability, and execution.

The Supply Chain Planning Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and continuously improving logistics and supply chain processes that support safety, flow, space utilization, productivity, inventory accuracy, and delivery performance. This position applies lean manufacturing, industrial engineering, automation, and data analysis to establish scalable material-flow processes for a new operation. With automation designed into the facility from the start, the role identifies where automation can add value, selects fit-for-purpose solutions, integrates equipment with ERP and shop-floor systems, and optimizes material-handling equipment to deliver reliable throughput, availability, and return on investment.

The successful candidate will translate production needs into practical logistics/supply chain designs and work across technical and nontechnical teams to implement them. The role requires strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, communication, adaptability, and the ability to connect physical material flow with data, systems, and advanced manufacturing technology.

What You Will Do

Identify, define, and implement integrated supply chain solutions and performance improvements, including building internal and external alliances to explore opportunities.

Establishing effective linkages, partnerships, and best practices with business partners and internal functions.

Developing and analyzing data and information to identify and prioritize opportunities for improving performance and creating more cost-effective supply chains, inventory utilization, and business partnerships.

Design end-to-end material-flow processes for receiving, warehousing, kitting, line-side delivery, point-of-use replenishment, packaging, and outbound movement, including critical handoff points to and from production.

Develop greenfield logistics layouts, flow paths, storage strategies, replenishment models, material-presentation methods, equipment interfaces, and standard work for launch readiness.

Develop functional requirements, equipment specifications, capacity models, risk assessments, and acceptance criteria for automated logistics systems.

Build business cases and implementation plans for logistics equipment, systems, layouts, and process controls, aligning manufacturing, supply chain, facilities, maintenance, and digital partners.

Use performance data to optimize equipment utilization, throughput, availability, reliability, maintainability, system recovery, and future scalability.

Own design and implementation challenges through resolution by evaluating alternatives, aligning stakeholders, removing barriers, managing actions to closure, and verifying results.

Communicate recommendations, decisions, project status, and risks clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.

What You Have

Analytical Thinking: Knowledge of techniques and tools that promote effective analysis; ability to determine the root cause of organizational problems and create alternative solutions that resolve these problems.

Project Management : Knowledge of effective project management strategies and tactics; ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control projects, ensuring efficient utilization of technical and administrative resources to achieve project objectives.

Supplier Management (Manufacturing): Knowledge of processes and materials movement/process flow 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.

Supply Chain Management (Manufacturing): Knowledge of functions, principles and techniques used in supply chain management; ability to develop and use, strategies, practices and tools for controlling the logistical processes.

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 judgement

Top Candidates Will Also Have

Bachelor’s degree

Strong communication skills (oral and written)

Knowledge of one or more of the following: Transportation operations (domestic and/or international), manufacturing operations or service parts distribution, supply chain management, network flows, or data analytics.

Experience designing manufacturing logistics or material-flow processes for a greenfield facility, major production launch, or significant layout change.

Experience with logistics automation and material-handling technologies such as autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, conveyance, automated storage and retrieval, barcode/RFID, or connected equipment.

Experience integrating logistics equipment and processes with ERP, warehouse-management, manufacturing execution, fleet-management, or shop-floor systems.

Practical experience with lean manufacturing, industrial engineering, data analysis, capacity modeling, and flow optimization.

Experience evaluating suppliers or system integrators and supporting equipment implementation, commissioning, validation, and operational handoff.

What You Will Get

Help build logistics and supply chain processes for a new advanced manufacturing facility from launch through steady-state operations.

Work with partners across engineering, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, facilities, maintenance, and digital systems.

Apply lean manufacturing, data analysis, and practical advanced factory thinking to improve material flow, productivity, space utilization, and delivery performance.

Gain exposure to modern warehouse, manufacturing, material-handling, and connected shop-floor systems.

Contribute to meaningful work that supports safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and customer outcomes.

Additional Info:

Location: Sanford, North Carolina

Work Arrangement: Onsite, five days per week. Locations may flex between temporary offices while transitioning to new facility.

Travel: High percentage of travel (50+-75%) may be required during construction planning, supplier reviews, equipment installation, commissioning, startup and production ramp-up.

Schedule: This will be a demanding and very rewarding role. Selected candidate should have schedule flexibility to meet project requirements.

Relocation: US domestic relocation is available

Visa Sponsorship: Not ava