Senior Category Buyer – Engine Blocks & Cylinder Heads

Mossville, United States

Career Area:

Procurement

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.

About E&T Procurement

Caterpillar’s E&T Procurement organization plays a critical role in supporting all divisions within Energy and Transportation. Our work is geared towards our pistons of Predictable Supply Excellence, Optimized Total Cost of Ownership, Supplier Relationship Management and Lifecycle Sourcing Strategy. We continue to develop suppliers who competitively deliver operational excellence, enabling our customers to build a better world. With a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and operational efficiency, E&T Procurement leverages advanced tools and processes to connect the physical and digital supply chain, enabling business units to deliver high-performance solutions that meet evolving customers and business needs.

Job Summary
As the Senior Category Buyer – Engine Blocks & Cylinder Heads, you will be responsible for providing supply network solutions expertise, using Quality, Cost, Logistics, Development, and Management (QCLDM) to deliver maximum value.

What You Will Do:

Developing, managing and executing the category strategy, managing policies, agreements, source catalogs, and special procurement programs.
Recognizing the potential for cost decreases, inventory reductions and quality improvement, capacity management as well as responsibility for soundness of business proposals and risk assessment.
Acting as the liaison between the organization and the supplier to communicate information explicitly, while considering production demands and suppliers' conditions.
Documenting the suppliers' performance on time sensitivity and production; maintains a strong relationship with suppliers.

What You Will Have:
Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
Level Extensive Experience:

Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.
Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.
Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.
Maintains focus on the topic at hand.

Negotiating: Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.
Level Extensive Experience:

Ensures negotiators have awareness of complementary yet diverse interests.
Successfully completes significant negotiations, both internal and external.
Details the risks of negotiation breakdown from each party's perspective.
Protects own position, while demonstrating willingness to achieve win-win.
Identifies similarities and differences in position and assesses impact on discussions.
Detects and addresses lack of progress or a stalemate.

Strategic Sourcing: Knowledge of strategic sourcing methods, technologies and processes; ability to analyze, improve and re-evaluate organizational procurement process continuously.
Level Working Knowledge:

Proven experience with design or manufacturing or supplier/project management of engine blocks / heads.

Works with various basic components of strategic sourcing, such as data analysis, market research and purchasing budgets examination.
Participates in enhancing institutional sourcing process continuously including identifying improvement opportunities.
Conducts strategic sourcing activities in a limited environment.
Follows relevant standards, policies and practices regarding strategic sourcing.
Assists senior sourcing professionals with strategic sourcing in multiple environments.

Supplier Relationship Management: Knowledge of supplier relationship management concept and strategies; ability to address critical issues to meet supplier needs and maintain engaged, partnering relationship with suppliers.
Level Extensive Experience:

Advises others on the organization's supplier relationship management practices.
Builds consensus, resolves conflicts, and applies techniques to achieve influence and impact results with different suppliers in the organization's supplier network.
Coaches juniors on selecting, evaluating, and managing suppliers.
Conducts periodic reviews of work effort, progress, issues, and successes in supplier relationship establishment and management.
Evaluates the impact of SRM on the organization's different financials.
Refines organizational processes for establishing and maintaining supplier partnerships.

Additional Information:

This position can be located in Mossville, IL or Lafayette, IN and requires a 5-day-a-week in office schedule
Travel expectation up to 20-25%
Relocation assistance is available for this position

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For nearly 100 years, we have been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed and contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed.

This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to specific employer, such as H, L, TN, F, J, E, O.

Summary Pay Range:

$126,000.00 - $189,000.00

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:

September 24, 2025 - October 7, 2025

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.

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