Global Procurement - 12 Month Placement Scheme

Career Area

Students and Graduates

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.

Global Procurement - 12 Month Industrial Placement Scheme

Discipline: Global Procurement

Location: Peterborough

Salary: £26,000, Share Scheme, Pension and 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays).

We currently have some exciting opportunities for industrial placement students to join Caterpillar. We are looking for talented, ambitious people from various backgrounds who are interested in setting out on the road to success and in return, we will provide you the training, mentoring, and support you need to have a successful placement year.

• Please note that in order to be eligible to complete a 12 Month Industrial Placement commencing July 2026, you must be in your penultimate year of study unless enrolled in an integrated master’s program.
  
  

Who is Caterpillar?

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Since 1925, we’ve been driving sustainable progress and helping customers build a better world through innovative products and services. Throughout the product life cycle, we offer services built on cutting-edge technology and decades of product expertise. These products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value to help our customers succeed.

We have a clear vision to be the global leader in providing customer value in the markets in which we operate. Our core values (Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, Commitment and Sustainability) are key to our success.

What do we do?

Energy and Transportation (E&T) Procurement provides Caterpillar with a sustainable competitive advantage by selecting, managing, developing, and collaborating with a worldwide supply base. With over $5 Billion of annual material purchases across 40+ Global facilities, placing this spend with the very best external suppliers is vital to the performance of the organisation. Delivering the lowest total cost for the materials, parts and services that our business needs is a vital element of Caterpillar’s strategy.

Diversity at Caterpillar

When we leverage our people's experiences, backgrounds, and cultures in an inclusive environment, we enable every individual to achieve their full potential, which drives business success. We are proud to be active partners with both the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) & Women's Engineering Society (WES). We also have numerous well supported employee resource groups. Caterpillar is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.

What experiences can we offer you?

You will be given the opportunity to experience different aspects of procurement, designed to provide you with an excellent foundation in the function.

These Aspects May Include

• Facility Supply – supporting supply chain and quality departments to improve supplier performance
• Product Supply – supporting New Product Introduction programmes
• Category Purchasing – supplier relationship and performance management of engine component suppliers covering multiple Caterpillar facilities
• Cost Centre of Excellence – development of data analytics to support optimised product cost
  
  

You will face a wide variety of challenges and have responsibility for either NPI (new product introduction) programs or managing supplier accounts as you will work closely with the extended global procurement teams, engage and visit global suppliers and directly contribute to Caterpillar’s success.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for people who can show us a highly participative working style, and who thrive in a team of committed professionals. Great analytical, presentation skills and an ability to communicate at all levels. You should be on track to achieve a 2:2 in a Business, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Economics or Aeronautical, Aerospace, Agricultural, Automotive, Mechanical Engineering degree.

Recruitment Process

Here is a brief overview of what you can expect when applying to our Early Career roles…

Online Application: The first stage of the process is to complete the online application and attach your CV, this must be done before the closing date of the role that you're applying for. Once we reach the close date, we will begin reviewing all our applications, this may take a little while and we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know if you have been successful in moving forward to the next stage.

Stage one – Video Interview: If selected, you will be invited to complete a user-friendly video interview which will then be reviewed by the Hiring Team. At this stage, if you are successful, you will be invited to attend an Assessment Centre which we anticipate will be held on 14th January 2026. We would also recommend that you check your spam emails and your Workday account for updates.

Stage two – Assessment Centre: The Assessment Centre day will look at a range of behaviours such as teamwork, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving. We aim to make these days fun, inclusive and as relaxed as possible.

Stage three – Offer: After the Assessment Centre, the Caterpillar team will review the feedback and extend offers to our preferred candidates, we aim to do this as quickly as possible. Placement Students will start on 6th July 2026. We look forward to receiving your application to join Caterpillar!

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know and we will accommodate wherever possible.

Notes

• Only one application is required, please do not apply for multiple roles. You may be given the opportunity of being considered for other roles/locations at a later stage.
• The panel cannot make assumptions when shortlisting therefore please demonstrate your qualifications and experience on your CV relevant to the criteria outlined.
• Pending the number of applications, the criteria for the position may be enhanced to facilitate shortlisting. This may also include an adjustment to the application deadline date.
• This role is based from the office in Peterborough and will require working from the site 5 days a week.
  
  

Posting Dates

October 15, 2025 - November 12, 2025

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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