Design Engineer – Heavy Structures

Job Description

We are seeking a Design Engineer with strong experience in Heavy Structures to support Caterpillar’s onsite engineering team in Decatur, IL. The ideal candidate must have hands-on design experience in heavy equipment, particularly in off-highway and mining applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop heavy structures, including chassis, upper frame, and large welded fabrications.
• Create and modify sheet metal designs, applying DFMA principles.
• Support welding and fabrication design for large structural components.
• Reverse-engineer, update, and release engineering drawings using Caterpillar standards.
• Work on mechanical system integration for off-highway trucks/mining machines.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure manufacturability and design quality.
• Troubleshoot and independently solve design issues throughout the product lifecycle.
• Utilize CAD tools (Creo or similar), Teamcenter, and VisMockup.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent experience).
• 5–7 years of relevant experience in heavy structures or large fabrication design.
• Strong analytical, conceptual, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proven expertise in:
• Creo or similar CAD tools
• Teamcenter
• Caterpillar print creation & release processes
• Heavy welded structures, sheet metal, DFMA
• Off-highway trucks or mining equipment