Career Area:Strategy
Job Description:Role Definition:Leads a team of project management & engineering professionals while overseeing the operational functions and strategies of complex manufacturing processes and workflows, with a focus on identifying and eliminating waste across quality processes, internal logistics, labor, and other areas - setting the strategy for modern manufacturing initiatives within the facility.
What You Will Do:Oversee the hiring, development and management of all project teams within the program, including both internal staff and external contractors. Also, directs day-to-day work assignments while coaching, mentoring and setting priorities.
- Manufacturing Process Design: Designs and optimizes complex manufacturing processes to improve throughput, reduce variability, and ensure scalable, cost-effective production.
- Quality Assurance & Control: Supports & advises quality leadership to ensure compliance, reduce defects, and drive continuous improvement across all manufacturing operations.
- Lean Manufacturing: Leads the deployment of lean principles to eliminate waste, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity and flow across the value stream.
- Problem Solving: Uses structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., A3, DMAIC, 8D) to identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and prevent recurrence.
- Project Management: Manages complex, cross functional projects by defining scope, timelines, and resources while ensuring on time delivery and alignment with strategic goals.
- Transformation / Industry 4.0: Drives digital transformation by implementing smart manufacturing technologies, data driven decision tools, and automation to accelerate operational maturity.
- Leadership: Develops and leads high performing teams through coaching, clear expectations, and continuous capability building across engineering and operations.
Degree Requirement:
Bachelor's degree in Engineering - mechanical, industrial, or manufacturing preferred.
What Skills You Have:Extensive experience in high volume, high complexity manufacturing functioning in engineering and operations leadership.
Planning: Tactical, Strategic: Knowledge of effective planning techniques and ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1-2 years) and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the overall business plan.
Extensive Experience:
- Develops, refines, and communicates tactical plans for own responsibilities.
- Provides the right level of detail as input for strategic plan development.
- Demonstrates the value and necessity of linking tactical plans to overall strategic plan.
- Ensures attention to the detail and dependencies of existing departmental-level plans.
- Plans for allocation of resources in line with unit goals, technical and business objectives.
- Ensures the planning process is integrated with the overall business plan.
Consulting: Knowledge of techniques, roles, and responsibilities in providing technical or business guidance to clients, both internal and external; ability to apply consulting knowledge appropriately.
Working Knowledge:
- Explains the requirements, deliverables, costs, and criticalities of the assignment.
- Participates in developing consulting opportunities or assignments.
- Uses formal and informal means to keep client informed on progress and issues.
- Carries out the agreed-upon consulting assignment in a professional manner.
- Documents client's objectives and project scope.
Effective Communications: 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.
Extensive Experience:
- Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.
- Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
- Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.
- Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
- Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.
- Maintains focus on the topic at hand.
Strategic Thinking: Knowledge of the importance of "big picture" thinking and planning; ability to apply organizational acumen and competitiveness to identify and maintain focus on key success factors for the organization.
Working Knowledge:
- Implements the group's go-to-market strategy.
- Raises awareness of potential strategic alliances and partnerships.
- Explains elements of the strategy to others and encourages questions.
- Monitors marketplace trends, opportunities, and vulnerabilities; reports findings.
- Makes sound recommendations when faced with complex and contradictory alternatives.
Visioning: Understanding of the value of articulating an intended business outcome and ability to create and communicate a vision of the organization that motivates others to superior performance.
Working Knowledge:
- Reinforces and reiterates linkages between the team's work and the vision.
- Makes decisions grounded in relevant tenets of the vision.
- Eliminates from consideration those scenarios that are inconsistent with the vision.
- Inculcates new group members in the organizational vision and values.
- Surfaces constructive dissent.
Stakeholder Management: Knowledge of stakeholder management techniques; ability to systematically identify stakeholders, analyze their needs and expectations, and implement various tasks to engage with them.
Working Knowledge:
- Assesses the role of the board and its committees in promoting governance and accountability to stakeholders.
- Uses an appropriate range of technology mediums to communicate effectively with stakeholders in formal and informal situations.
- Provides assistance to colleagues promoting a culture of inclusion, collaboration, ethics and compliance.
- Applies empathy and cultural sensitivity with diverse stakeholders.
- Assesses the opportunities and risks of pursuing a corporate strategy in the context of ever-increasing complex stakeholder considerations.
Cross-Team Integration: Understanding of the importance of inter-team collaboration in breaking down silos
and achieving business results; ability to lead employees from various functions to communicate, coordinate work across divisions, and collaborate in solving problems as one team.
Extensive Experience:
- Involves key stakeholders in upfront planning efforts.
- Enlists formal and informal network contacts to improve collaboration among teams
- Generates "win-win" strategies to gain support for key initiatives from others across boundaries.
- Establishes ways to encourage teamwork across functions.
- Coaches others on best methods for performing teamwork across organizational boundaries.
- Recommends systems and technology to promote widespread collaboration.
Additional Information:- This position requires the selected candidate to work on-site five days a week in the Pontiac, IL facility.
- Domestic relocation assistance is available.
- VISA sponsorship is not available for this position.
- Please ensure you frequently sign in to your Candidate Home for any updates or correspondence for positions that you have applied for: https://cat.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CaterpillarCareers
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Summary Pay Range:$147,760.00 - $221,640.00
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.
Benefits: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.
Posting Dates:November 12, 2026 - November 19, 2026
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.
