Senior Manager Manufacturing Transformation

Caterpillar•Peoria, IL

11d•$172,630 - $258,950•Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Manager Manufacturing Transformation of Caterpillar’s Earthmoving division will lead global teams responsible for transformation in manufacturing, including automation, digital and robotic solutions in production as well as setting strategy for global footprint and sourcing. The Earthmoving division is responsible for the products at the core of Caterpillar including Medium Tractor Products, Motor Graders, Medium Wheel Loaders, and Paving products, which include the machines upon which our company was founded. Earthmoving serves dozens of industries and represents two brands, Caterpillar and SEM. Earthmoving works collaboratively as one team to grow services and create solutions superior to the competition while sharing a purpose to help our customers build a better world.

Requirements

Collaborating: Knowledge of collaborative techniques; ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.
Continuous Transformation: Knowledge of evolving the business to remain competitive; ability to understand, adapt oneself to, respond to and proactively seek changes and innovation in the business environment to improve the competitive advantage of an organization.
Engineering - MFG: Knowledge of processes, techniques, and methods of engineering in a manufacturing environment; ability to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems and processes that safely realize a desired objective or invention.
Influencing: Knowledge of effective influencing tactics and strategies; ability to impact decisions within and outside own organization.
Lean Manufacturing: Knowledge of philosophy, principles and implementation approaches of lean manufacturing; ability to integrate and implement lean manufacturing philosophy into existing production and management processes.
Project Management: Knowledge of effective project management strategies and tactics; ability to plan, organize, monitor, and control projects, ensuring efficient utilization of technical and administrative resources to achieve project objectives.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
Advanced Degree – preferred
Significant experience implementing and scaling Industry 4.0 solutions globally (MES, connected worker, predictive maintenance, quality analytics, digital performance management) while leading cross-functional initiatives across operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and IT/OT, and influencing leaders without direct authority.
Strong knowledge of Lean / CI practices (value stream, standard work, root cause, flow, visual management).

Responsibilities

Lead Modern Manufacturing Transformation Strategy & Roadmap
Drive division-wide transformation by leading cross-functional teams through value-chain engineering and continuous improvement initiatives, delivering operational excellence, efficiency, and scalability across global earthmoving production facilities.
Design and execute a multi-year industrial transformation roadmap in partnership with plant leaders and enterprise process owners, aligning initiatives to production schedules, capital plans, and business objectives to improve throughput, yield, scrap reduction, lead time, and cost-to-serve—supported by strong governance, milestones, and value tracking to ensure pilots scale and deliver measurable results.
Implement Smart Manufacturing / Industry 4.0
Lead global implementation and scaling of advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0 solutions, including connected shop-floor visibility, production control, predictive maintenance, quality analytics, and increased use of automation and robotics—working across operations, engineering, and IT/OT to improve safety, quality, velocity, and cost.
Integrate and sustain core manufacturing systems and data systems (shop-floor systems, ERP touchpoints, and data pipelines), establishing operating models, dashboards, and real-time decision workflows that enable plant teams to act on insights and ensure long-term adoption at scale
Workforce Enablement & Change Management
Lead advanced manufacturing change management by driving communications, training, and adoption metrics across Earthmoving, that embed new digital ways of working, standard work, and connected‑worker practices—accelerating frontline engagement and sustained use of digital tools.
Build future-ready manufacturing capabilities, growth mindset and talent pipelines by partnering with leaders to define role-based skill pathways (digital literacy, data-driven problem solving, advanced manufacturing technologies) and systematically upskill teams to support Industry 4.0, automation, and modern production environments.
Drive Operational Excellence / Continuous Improvement Scale
Define and execute strategies to achieve and sustain operational excellence by leading and coaching cross‑functional teams in Lean, structured problem solving, and continuous improvement to reduce waste, improve flow, and standardize best practice