Senior Production Manager - Assembly

Caterpillar Inc.•Decatur, IL

1d•$128,470 - $192,710•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. As Senior Manager Production, you will manage the day-to-day operations across all shifts of a large facility or multiple manufacturing facilities, ensuring safe, compliant, and high-performing manufacturing outcomes. You will build and develop a strong leadership team, drive measurable improvements in production performance, and strengthen the operating systems that enable safety, quality, delivery, and cost results at scale.

Requirements

Production Training: Ability to assess skill gaps, develop training approaches for safe and efficient operation of production machinery, and validate training effectiveness using performance metrics.
Problem Solving: Ability to organize problem resolution efforts, analyze and synthesize information, and drive successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact operational problems.
Influencing: Ability to influence decisions within and outside the organization using sound, persuasive arguments and strong awareness of stakeholder decision-making styles.
Performance Management: Strength in setting expectations, delivering ongoing feedback, recognizing achievement, addressing performance gaps early, and building a high-performing culture.
Analytical Thinking: Ability to break complex problems into components, quantify cost/benefit/risk tradeoffs, and select appropriate analytical tools to guide decisions.
Planning and Organizing: Ability to prioritize, manage interdependencies, develop contingency plans, and track execution to ensure outcomes are achieved.
Effective Communications: Ability to communicate clearly upward, downward, and outward; adapt messaging for the audience; and coach others to improve communication effectiveness.
Manufacturing Operations skill expectations: Demonstrated strength across core manufacturing leadership skills such as Problem Solving, Analytical Thinking, Planning and Organizing, Decision Making and Critical Thinking, and Performance Management.

Nice To Haves

Degree or equivalent experience (as noted in the job profile).
Experience leading manufacturing operations with exposure to skills such as Lean Manufacturing, Standard Operating Procedures, Manufacturing Safety, Capacity Planning & Management, Process Management, and Production Scheduling & Control.
Experience operating in complex environments where cross-functional alignment and sustained execution discipline are critical to results (safety, quality, delivery, cost).

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee daily manufacturing operations across all shifts for a large facility or multiple facilities, ensuring schedules, safety expectations, and performance requirements are met.
Build the operating organization by managing staffing, development, and performance management programs for operations staff; coach, motivate, and develop the management team.
Drive measurable results by ensuring system resources are used effectively and operational execution is stable, disciplined, and aligned to production priorities.
Deliver continuous improvement by driving improvements for overall operations performance and implementing production safety, cost, and quality control mechanisms.
Ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines and maintain a safe and sound manufacturing environment for employees and operations.
Lead structured, data-informed problem solving to address operational issues, prevent recurrence, and improve throughput, quality, and safety outcomes.
Communicate and influence across the organization to align stakeholders, manage priorities, and sustain execution excellence in a dynamic production environment.