Career Area:
Engineering
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.
Role Definition:
This position is in CFD and Engine Performance team which provides preliminary and detailed definition, analysis and experimental validation of turbine cooling systems, including design and analysis of secondary flow circuits, turbine disks, turbine diaphragms, and cooled airfoils. Other areas of responsibility include overall engine thermal management and transient thermal displacement analysis. This includes seal and rotor tip behavior, development of advanced cooling techniques, and design methods. The Heat Transfer engineer applies in-depth technical expertise to the design/analysis of existing and new/uprated turbine cooling systems.
The successful candidate will:
- Actively apply principles, theories, and concepts with their engineering and analytical skills working in a tight-knit team
- Propose, promote, and act on their own initiative and ideas
- Be highly engaged in team discussions and brainstorming activities
- Work effectively in inter/intra-disciplinary team settings
Minimum Qualifications:
- Advanced degree with emphasis in thermal/fluid systems
- 3+ years experience with a leading gas turbine OEM or equivalent experience
- Ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing; and bring assigned tasks to clear and concise closure
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and with minimal supervision
- Thorough knowledge of advanced heat transfer design and experimental techniques
- Direct experience applying advanced cooling/thermal management technology to high temperature turbomachinery
- Understanding of turbine secondary flow design and 1D flow network analysis
- Demonstrated ability to validate analytical models (steady-state and transient 2D/3D thermal FEA, CFD) with experimental test data
- Availability to travel to San Diego for training for a minimum period of three months
Preferred Qualifications:
- Understanding of turbine secondary flow design and 1D flow network analysis
- Experience with engine qualification testing, including pressure and temperature measurements
- 5+ years of experience applying Heat Transfer expertise to the design and analysis of high-temperature turbomachinery
Experience with the following software tools is highly desirable:
- ANSYS Mechanical APDL, Workbench, or equivalent
- CFD Applications: CFX or Star CCM+
- Pro-Engineer, NX, or other 3D CAD application equivalent
- 1-D flow network simulation tools
- Process automation using Python, VBA or equivalent
Skill Descriptors
Process Management: Knowledge of business process improvement tools and techniques; ability to understand, monitor, update, control, or enhance existing business or work processes.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Employs process flows, cycle time, process time and waste concepts as appropriate.
• Walks through steps, decisions, measurements, dependencies and hand-offs for a specific process.
• Creates process flow or work flow diagrams.
• Documents types of process decisions and potential impact of each decision.
• Identifies and monitors common process bottlenecks.
Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and oversights.
• Utilizes specific approaches and tools for checking and cross-checking outputs.
• Processes limited amounts of detailed information with good accuracy.
• Learns from mistakes and applies lessons learned.
• Develops and uses checklists to ensure that information goes out error-free.
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.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue and determining its significance.
• Makes a systematic comparison of two or more alternative solutions.
• Uses flow charts, Pareto charts, fish diagrams, etc. to disclose meaningful data patterns.
• Identifies the major forces, events and people impacting and impacted by the situation at hand.
• Uses logic and intuition to make inferences about the meaning of the data and arrive at conclusions.
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 Working Knowledge:
• Delivers helpful feedback that focuses on behaviors without offending the recipient.
• Listens to feedback without defensiveness and uses it for own communication effectiveness.
• Makes oral presentations and writes reports needed for own work.
• Avoids technical jargon when inappropriate.
• Looks for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.
Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Ensures capture of lessons to be learned from a problem-solving effort.
• Organizes potential problem solvers and leads problem resolution efforts.
• Uses varying problem-solving approaches and techniques as appropriate.
• Contributes to standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes.
• Analyzes and synthesizes information and devises alternative resolution strategies.
• Develops successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems.
Technical Excellence: Knowledge of a given technology and various application methods; ability to develop and provide solutions to significant technical challenges.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Provides effective technical solutions to routine functional challenges via sound technical competence, effectively examining implications of events and issues.
• Effectively performs the technical job aspects, continuously building knowledge and keeping up-to-date on technical and procedural job components.
• Applies technical operating and project standards based on achieving excellence in delivered products, technologies and services.
• Applies current procedures and technologies to help resolve technical issues in one's general area of technical competence.
• Helps others solve technical or procedural problems or issues.
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.
Level Basic Understanding:
• Identifies project management tools and requirements within own function.
• Describes the key objectives, phases and deliverables of a current project.
• Explains the concepts of phase, activity, task, and deliverable.
• Gives examples of critical paths in projects.
Computer-Aided Design & Engineering: Knowledge of tools and techniques of specialized graphics programs; ability to produce, analyze, simulate and test product design drafts.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Generates specifications for parts or components with CAD software.
• Reuses design components via reusable libraries following standard procedures.
• Uses CAD to perform basic drafting such as wire frames, solid objects and array of objects.
• Performs routine changes to computerized schematics or drawings.
• Creates views of objects in 2 and 3 dimensions; creates perspective drawings and orthogonal views.
Posting Dates:
December 10, 2025 - December 23, 2025
Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply
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