Career Area:
Strategy

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.

It's More Than a Job, it's a Career - YouTube

Job Description:

Continuous Product Improvement (CPI) is the process Caterpillar uses to drive growth and cost reduction through improved quality and reliability by rapidly identifying and resolving problems for all products. The functions that belong to the CPI process are analyze, define and prioritize product problems; create, initiate and update product issues, initiate and update project plan; implement interim repair; define root cause; develop and validate solution; implement permanent repair action; identify process(es) that produced the defect; verify solution and process revisions fix problem. Reporting on a dotted line basis to this position are three Lean 6 Sigma Black Belts who have specific and measurable goals and objectives that pertain to successfully executing the LWL CPI project portfolio.

Job Duties/Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

Is responsible to meet CPI Metrics for LWL WDC Project portfolio (0,2,12 DPU, PCA, Timeliness, Coverage, Affordability)
Leads the LWL WDC CPI project list, health and the prioritization process collaborating with Service Engineers and process partners
Manages CPI Budget and forecast for the LWL List
Provides leadership for the additive process working closely with the factory quality teams to ensure robust stop capability and BIQ play to RCCA on 0-2MIS defects
Collaborates closely with the WPE Engineering, LPSD, IPSD, Drivetrain and Cat Electronics to align CPI priorities and execution to achieve quality goals.
Owns the Warranty analysis, reporting and forecasting
Leads the Find It investigation process to identify new CPI/BIQ projects to launch based
Supports Field Engineers with CPI updates with customer and dealer meetings
Collaborates with LWL Leadership with Quality OIA
Charters and/or sponsors Black Belt projects focused on product issues based on customer downtime (8-10 projects per BB / per year).
Coaches and develops CPI dedicated Green Belts and Black Belts.
Understands Caterpillar warranty and goodwill practice and the principle of intended value. Can effectively apply that knowledge to the design and implementation of effective field programs and individual customer issues.
Understands entire local process, and interaction with other departments and internal/external organizations.
Develops and deploys change plans and effectively communicates CPI process changes across assigned functional areas.
Influences upstream (Dealer data collection, NPI, Manufacturing, Procurement) and downstream processes (Dealer repair process) to improve quality of input and ensure modification of upstream processes to reduce future product failures.

Top Candidates Will Have:

Excellent interpersonal skills are required in order to deal with sensitive issues, develop others, or persuade others inside and outside the department to take specific actions.
Extensive experience in product group, product service, quality or as a CPI black belt
Demonstrated Project Management and team leadership with exceptional communication skills
Demonstrated success in the following:
- Knowledge of company products
- Product design/development
- Product applications
- Customer/dealer relationships
- Experience with the CPI Process
- Knowledge of the Quality Analytics Quality Metrics and RWA system
- Statistical methods
- Warranty/service goodwill practices and procedures
- Prior experience managing budget and forecast is a plus

Degree Requirement:

Degree preferred or equivalent experience

What Skills you will have:

Active Learning: Understanding the necessity for continuous personal growth and learning; ability to gauge one's strengths, limitations and interests accurately, and use this knowledge for purposes of performance effectiveness self-development.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Applies feedback and changes behavior accordingly.
• Learns new concepts, processes and tools applicable to the needs of the entire unit.
• Develops and monitors programs that integrate learning with practice opportunities.
• Helps others understand their learning styles and how to use them in self-development work.
• Maintains a network of professional contacts, internal and external.
• Demonstrates grasp of new information and its implications.

Analytical Thinking: 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.
Level Working Knowledge:
• 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.

Influencing: Knowledge of effective influencing tactics and strategies; ability to impact decisions within and outside own organization.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Develops basic persuasive arguments.
• Discusses organizational culture around providing input on decisions.
• Uses active listening skills and probing techniques to surface opportunities to influence.
• Identifies who the decision makers are and how they receive information.
• Regularly presents ideas or suggestions to associates in persuasive terms.

Interpersonal Relationships: Knowledge of the techniques and the ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Explains impact of interactions with individuals and groups.
• Identifies roles and responsibilities for self and others.
• Demonstrates an understanding of alternative points of view.
• Collaborates with departmental associates and management.
• Adapts interaction style to situations and people.

Problem Solving: 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.
Level Working Knowledge:
• 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.

Process Improvement: Understanding and insight into evaluating current product quality and production methods and ability to maintains focus on the continuous improvement of processes, products and services.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Defines the critical workflow for executing key processes.
• Identifies process problems that limit performance.
• Implements methods for improving and establishing controls for critical processes.
• Focuses on the most significant problems to maximize efficiency gains.
• Surfaces systemic problems to be addressed at the organizational level.

Six Sigma Methodology: Knowledge of the concepts of six sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) methodology; ability to use the methodology to improve the manufacturing processes and control the improvements by eliminating root causes.
Level Working Knowledge:
• Analyzes business priorities for selecting potential critical metrics.
• Uses tools (e.g. trend charts, Pareto charts, sigma conversion chart) to measure historical performance.
• Researches important causes that have an impact on quality and customer satisfaction with the use of statistical tools.
• Resolves routine problems in a cost effective manner.
• Reports deviances from process improvements.

Additional Information:

The primary location for this position is Decatur, IL

Domestic relocation assistance is available

Travel will be up to 20%

Sponsorship is not available

What you will get:

Our goal at Caterpillar is for you to have a rewarding career. Our teams are critical to the success of our customers who build a better world.

Here you earn more than just wage, because we value your performance, we offer a total rewards package that provides:

Competitive Base Salary
Annual incentive bonus plan*
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holiday, Volunteer, Etc.)
401k savings plan
Health savings account (HSA)
Flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
Short and long-term disability coverage
Life Insurance
Paid parental leave
Healthy Lifestyle Programs
Employee Assistance Programs
Voluntary Benefits (Ex. Accident, Identity Theft Protection)

*Subject to annual eligibility and incentive plan guidelines.

Final details:

Please frequently check the email associated with your application, including the junk/spam folder, as this is the primary correspondence method. If you wish to know the status of your application - please use the candidate log-in on our career website as it will reflect any updates to your status.

For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media

Posting Dates:
August 29, 2024 - September 9, 2024

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

EEO/AA Employer. All qualified individuals - Including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities - are encouraged to apply.

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Continuous Product Improvement Team Lead