Mgr I, Engineering

Job description

Job Purpose
Progress Rail Services Corporation, a Caterpillar Company and a leading provider of services to the Railroad industry in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, seeks an experienced Test Manager (Cloud) at our facility in Independence, MO.

The successful candidate will lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of test engineers.

They will define team goals, career development paths, and performance metrics along with driving a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.


Company Description
Progress Rail stands at the intersection of legacy and innovation—driving the future of rail with a pioneering spirit.

Since its founding in 1983, the company has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most trusted providers of railroad products, services, and technologies.

Today, Progress Rail delivers a comprehensive portfolio of cost-effective solutions to railway customers around the globe.

From the rails themselves to the EMD® locomotives that ride them, the company’s products are in operation across more than 100 countries—powering progress and connecting communities.

In 2006, Progress Rail joined Caterpillar Inc., further strengthening its ability to lead the rail industry with cutting-edge technology, unmatched expertise, and a commitment to excellence.

At Progress Rail, the team is not just building the future of rail—they are making history every day.
Key Job Elements
Test Strategy & Execution
• Define and execute end-to-end test strategies across unit, integration, system, and acceptance levels;
• Establish automation frameworks and continuous testing practices aligned with CI/CD pipelines;
• Manage regression, performance, stress, and compliance testing;
• Ensure test environments, lab setups, and test infrastructure are designed, maintained, and optimized.

Process & Quality Assurance
• Champion quality engineering best practices across the SDLC;
• Define and enforce clear Definition of Done and test entry/exit criteria;
• Drive metrics collection (defect leakage, code coverage, test execution progress, etc.) to inform quality gates;
• Align testing processes with industry standards (e.g., ISO, AREMA, FCC, NIST 800-53, IEC 61508 depending on the product line).

Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with engineering managers, systems engineers, and product management to align test activities with requirements and release goals;
• Collaborate with DevOps and IT to integrate test automation into build pipelines and cloud infrastructure;
• Support field trials, validation in real-world environments, and customer escalations.

Compliance & Risk Management
• Ensure testing aligns with regulatory, safety, and cybersecurity requirements;
• Proactively identify product risks and mitigation strategies;
• Lead test documentation efforts for audits, certifications, and customer assurance.


Qualifications and Experience
Required Experience
• 8+ years in test engineering with at least 3+ years in a leadership or management role;
• Strong knowledge of test methodologies, automation frameworks, and defect tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Zephyr, TestRail);
• Proven experience managing testing in embedded systems, firmware, and/or cloud software environments;
• Hands-on experience with scripting or automation languages (Python, JavaScript, etc.);
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Experience
• Experience with compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST 800-53, FCC, IEC, AREMA);
• Familiarity with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab, Bitbucket Pipelines);
• Knowledge of hardware/firmware validation, sensor systems, or safety-critical environments;
• Prior experience in railroad, automotive, aerospace, or other regulated industries.

Essential and Physical Activities Functions
• Strength – Position typically involves work in a standard office environment.

Occasional standing and walking.

Occasional light to medium lifting;
• Motion – Position regularly requires standard repetitive motions and hand/eye coordination associated with office communications.

Constant sitting, frequent walking, occasional standing;
• Vision/Hearing Requirements – Constant verbal communications, including both talking and hearing.


• Work Environment – Position is consistent with standard office environment;
• Emotional Demands – High level of responsibility; high sense of urgency.

Ability to multitask and coordinate multiple issues simultaneously.

Requires ability to coordinate work of a team to accomplish mission success;
• Safety – Position includes safety requirements consistent primarily with a standard office environment.


Benefits
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 Progress Rail.**

• Competitive Salary
• 401(k) plan with up to 6% company match (no waiting period with immediate vesting)
• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life/Disability Insurance
• Supplemental Accident, Critical Care, and Hospital Insurance available along with an HDHP and HSA with seed money
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Time-Off (PTO)
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Education Assistance Program
• Employee Recognition Programs
• Site specific Production and Incentive Plans
• Site specific Step and Skill Level Wage Adjustment Plans
• Site Specific Relocation and Sign-on Bonus Programs

*Benefits eligibility varies by job position, full-time/part-time and regular/temporary status.

The provisions of the plan documents control such benefits.

**Subject to position, eligibility, and plan guidelines.

Required Skill Profession

Operations Specialties Managers