Assembly Training Manager

Caterpillar Inc.•Decatur, IL

8d•Onsite

About The Position

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. Assembly Training Manager Location: Decatur, IL Travel: Up to 5% Relocation Assistance: Available Visa Sponsorship: Not Available Job Summary As a 2nd shift Assembly Training Manager, you will lead the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of assembly training programs that enable safe, high‑quality, and efficient production across the manufacturing floor in Decatur, Illinois. You will partner closely with production leaders, engineers, and safety teams to ensure assembly employees are trained to standard work, quality expectations, and safety requirements. This role combines hands‑on shop floor presence with structured training design, coaching, and performance measurement. If you are passionate about building people capability, standardizing assembly processes, and driving operational excellence through training, this role offers a highly visible and impactful opportunity.

Requirements

Production leadership & supervision: Ability to spend significant time in the production environment observing work, coaching employees, and validating training effectiveness.
Safety & quality discipline: experience enforcing safety and quality standards through clear procedures, training, and consistent follow‑through.
Problem solving & analytical thinking: Ability to support employees through process changes, new tooling, or new product introductions by updating training and ensuring smooth adoption.
Planning, organizing, and communication: ability to plan work, manage priorities, and communicate clearly across shifts and stakeholders with strong attention to detail

Nice To Haves

Experience developing standard work, job instructions, or training matrices for assembly operations.
Exposure to continuous improvement or Lean manufacturing concepts applied through training and standardization.
Experience supporting new hire onboarding, upskilling, or cross‑training programs in manufacturing.
Comfort working directly with hourly employees, team leads, and production supervisors in an on‑site environment.

Responsibilities

Lead assembly training strategy and execution for production teams, ensuring employees are trained to define standard work, safety, and quality requirements.
Develop, maintain, and improve assembly training materials, including work instructions, job breakdowns, training matrices, and certification documentation.
Train, coach, and certify assembly employees and team leads, supporting new hire onboarding, skill progression, cross training, and readiness for production demands.
Partner with production, quality, and safety leaders to identify skill gaps, address performance issues, and deploy targeted training solutions.
Ensure compliance with safety and quality standards by embedding those requirements into all assembly training content and delivery.
Monitor training effectiveness using data such as quality results, safety incidents, rework, and productivity metrics; adjust training plans accordingly.
Support continuous improvement initiatives by updating training to reflect process changes, new tooling, or improved assembly methods.
Promote a culture of learning and accountability on the shop floor through clear communication, coaching, and consistent reinforcement of expectations.
Ability to coach hourly employees and team leads, provide constructive feedback, and reinforce expectations in real time.
Ability to identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and improve assembly training processes and effectiveness.