Manager Production -1st Shift
Caterpillar Inc.
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Manager Production for the Lafayette Engine Center. The role oversees a significant production line, coordinates daily activities, and ensures safety and quality standards are met.
You will prepare schedules, resolve issues, and drive continuous improvement with cross-functional teams. The position rewards strong leadership, 1st shift availability, and collaboration across operations, quality, and maintenance.
Qualifications
- Proven leadership experience in a manufacturing/industrial setting.
- Strong communication skills across teams and management levels.
- Ability to plan, schedule, and coordinate production activities.
- Experience with problem solving and process improvement methodologies.
Responsibilities
- Oversee and coordinate activities of a complex production line.
- Prepare schedules and resolve issues while ensuring safety and quality standards.
- Supervise daily activities of production workers and coordinate between teams.
- Train new hires and manage scheduling, safety, and internal communications.
Skills
Education
Tools
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.
The Large Power Systems Division (LPSD) is part of Caterpillar’s Power & Energy segment. Through this global organization, Caterpillar designs and manufactures large (greater than 18 liters) diesel and natural gas engines, powertrains and key engine systems. LPSD products and solutions support customers across power generation, industrial, marine, oil & gas, rail, services and Cat® machine applications worldwide.
LPSD teams work across regions and function to deliver safe, reliable and compliant solutions that help solve our customers’ toughest challenges.
The Lafayette Engine Center (LEC) manufactures the Cat 3500, Cat 3600 and C175 engines helping Caterpillar become the world’s leading manufacturer of off-highway diesel and natural gas engines.
The units built at LEC power mining trucks carrying ore to be processed, tugboats guiding ships to harbor, drill rigs tapping oil and gas reserves and generators bringing electricity to communities, hospitals and data centers.
The 1st shift Manager Production oversees and coordinates the activities of a more complex production line, prepares schedules, resolves issues, and ensures adherence to safety and quality standards.
- Creating reports and records of production processes, tools issues performance, and inventory; sharing them with managers and providing suggestions to improve safety, productivity and quality.
- Preparing, maintaining, and updating documentation related to operating procedures and safety and quality standards; ensuring all processes and products meet desired safety and quality standards.
- Supervising and directing the daily activities of production lines workers, assigning tasks, ensuring coordination between different teams, ensuring their safety and monitoring their performance.
- Training new hires, managing scheduling and work conflicts, monitoring safety, and promoting internal communication to create a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
- LEC Assembly Experience
- Prior 6 Sigma/Lean manufacturing experience.
- Strong communication skills
- Strong leadership and managerial skills
- Ability to direct a diverse team of people to ensure divisional goals are met.
- Change management and innovative critical thinking skills in a competitive large engine industry.
- Have a mechanical aptitude
- Achieved a professional certification (ASQ, SME, etc.)
- Experience working within an extended value stream methodology with cross departmental collaboration amongst operations, quality, manufacturing engineering, design engineering, supply chain & maintenance
- Experience with 3500, 3600, and/or C175 Engines and component manufacturing or other assembly areas
- Experience in a management role in machine shop operations, assembly operations, or operations quality
Degree or equivalent experience desired
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.
- Identifies and documents specific problems and resolution alternatives.
- Examines a specific problem and understands the perspective of each involved stakeholder.
- Develops alternative techniques for assessing accuracy and relevance of information.
- Helps to analyze risks and benefits of alternative approaches and obtain decision on resolution.
- Uses fact-finding techniques and diagnostic tools to identify problems.
Knowledge of data gathering and analysis tools, techniques, and processes; ability to collect and synthesize data from a variety of stakeholders and sources in an objective manner to reach a conclusion, goal, or judgment.
- Participates in gathering and analyzing an organization's data based on requirements.
- Follows proper data gathering and analysis processes and policies.
- Utilizes basic data collection and evaluation tools and techniques.
- Reports problems that arise in the data collection process.
- Documents data from various sources and in various formats.
Knowledge of successful performance management techniques; ability to apply organization's performance management system, practices, and tools to developing and improving individual, team, and organizational performance.
- Identifies opportunities to enhance performance, e.g., practice assignments, training, shadowing.
- Ensures performance goals, checkpoints, and feedback focus on behaviors.
- Provides documented input to formal performance review conducted by manager.
- Observes individual performance and provides fair and objective feedback.
- Uses formal and informal rewards and recognition programs for employees.
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.
- 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.
Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
- Applies an assigned technique for critical thinking in a decision-making process.
- Identifies, obtains, and organizes relevant data and ideas.
- Participates in documenting data, ideas, players, stakeholders, and processes.
- Recognizes, clarifies, and prioritizes concerns.
- Assists in assessing risks, benefits and consideration of alternatives.
Knowledge of the process of planning and arranging tasks and resources; ability to plan and organize both time and resources to get things completed while structuring and maintaining work in a systematic and highly methodical way.
- Raises awareness of potential bottlenecks and disruptions to the schedule.
- Breaks tasks into manageable steps that can be incorporated into a personal work plan.
- Escalates concerns over competing or conflicting priorities.
- Monitors progress continuously and adjusts tactics for handling situations on a case by case basis.
- Creates action plans that ensure the accomplishment of responsibilities.
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.
- 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.
Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision.
- 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.
- Learn from mistakes and applies lessons learned.
- Develops and uses checklists to ensure that information goes out error-free.
- Location of this position is in Lafayette, IN
- Domestic relocation assistance is available for this position.
- This position may require up to 10% travel.
- Position available on 1st shift
- Candidate must attach a resume.
$97,530.00 - $146,290.00
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 Caterpillar.
Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
- Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*
- 401(k) savings plans*
- Health Savings Account (HSA)*
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
- Health Lifestyle Programs*
- Employee Assistance Program*
- Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
- Career Development*
- Incentive bonus*
- Disability benefits
- Life Insurance
- Parental leave
- Adoption benefits
- Tuition Reimbursement
- These benefits also apply to part-time employees
This position requires working onsite five days a week.
Relocation is available for this position.
Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.
Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.
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