.**Career Area**:Purchasing & Procurement**:**Job Description**:**At Caterpillar, the right materials matter.**At Caterpillar, we're working to help our customers build a better world. We wouldn't be the Caterpillar we are today without the exceptionally talented, bright and driven people who get the job done. This is your chance to help us make progress possible around the world - for our customers, our growing communities and for every member of our team.**JOB PURPOSE**:The position of Supplier Collaboration Engineer will be the leader and key communicator for various Collaborative Product and Process Development teams to interface with Suppliers and Purchasing to ensure early supplier collaboration on design for manufacturability, assembly and costs as well as adherence to APQP guidelines. The Position leads Cost Modeling activities that support the setting of Target Costs and managing product cost to achieve target while optimizing value. Additional functional responsibilities include: supplier selection at a part- number level aligned to category strategies, supplier tooling validation & management, design for X elements & provide PFEP requirements to deliver on engineered value chains.**JOB DUTIES**:A focus of this position is the development of detailed component cost models and high level cost estimates in both the NPI and Current product arena. This position will also provide cost reports as necessary to support the assigned project and programs.This role is accountable to meet product cost, quality and time targets in the product- life cycle including NPI through supplier collaboration at a part number level for their respective components, systems and/or categories (specify total cost management to include Ex- works, packaging & logistics).The position will lead a cross functional team in trade off discussions to balance performance, quality, velocity, and cost that provides work direction to Cost Modelers to develop detail process based cost models. The Incumbent is responsible to lead cross-functional teams (employees from quality, service, design, manufacturing, etc).The goal for this position is to lead the team through identifying cost opportunities, identifying requirements of a part(s) for each area and ultimately leading the team to meet their individual area requirements within the cost target. Leading these discussions and projects will be difficult in nature due to the multiple "trade offs" (negotiations / compromises) each area will need to make to achieve the quality and cost goals. Completed cost models and expert guidance will be used to identify cost reduction opportunities for subsequent delivery through the Strategic Cost Management, Purchase or NPI teams in the form of negotiation, resource or design change.This position leads the cross functional team to a solution that meets multiple objectives and balance performance, quality, velocity, and cost