Manager Production Scheduling

Career Area:

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.

Role Definition
Supervises schedulers, schedules, coordinates, and controls the production schedules; reviews and manages the production process efficiency and quality.

Responsibilities
• Analyzing and troubleshooting planned production scheduling problems; recommending process improvements to optimize the scheduling process.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve product-related issues and incorporate customer and business requirements.
• Directing complex production schedules; reviewing workflow of production workers, inventory levels, capacity constraints, machine breakdowns, product quality, etc. to ensure operational excellence.

Degree Requirement
Degree or equivalent experience desired

Skill Descriptors
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.
Level 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.

Process Management: Knowledge of business process improvement tools and techniques; ability to understand, monitor, update, control, or enhance existing business or work processes.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Helps others learn the tools and techniques for process value analysis.
• Carries out process evaluation, diagnosis, and optimization.
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of a major process flow, its components and issues.
• Synchronizes the efforts of, and resource requirements for, several teams within a process.
• Makes the business case for new processes, including their cost-benefit ratios.
• Possesses knowledge of tools and techniques for designing and implementing new processes.

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.
Level 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.

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 Extensive Experience:
• Ensures capture of lessons to be learned from a problem-solving effort.
• Organizes potential problem solvers and leads problem resolution efforts.
• Uses varying problem-solving approaches and techniques as appropriate.
• Contributes to standard practices for problem-solving approaches, tools, and processes.
• Analyzes and synthesizes information and devises alternative resolution strategies.
• Develops successful resolutions to critical or wide-impact problems.

Manufacturing Requirements Planning (MRP): Knowledge of the processes, practices and systems used in manufacturing requirements planning (MRP); ability to optimize planning for manufacturing cycles and ensure capacity and materials availability.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Monitors total plant production scheduling vis-a-vis orders.
• Evaluates considerations for synchronizing demand for products with production capabilities.
• Participates in sequencing work to meet targeted delivery dates for multiple and critical orders.
• Participates in setting parameters for reorders, min/max levels, lead days and job days.
• Coordinates capacity and materials planning for net demand within a planning period.
• Adjusts plans based on sales forecasts, custom orders and demand-driven orders.

Production Scheduling and Control: Knowledge of procedures and tools for scheduling and controlling production runs; ability to utilize knowledge of daily manufacturing processes to assure quality deliverables.
Level Extensive Experience:
• Manages the job cycle to ensure completion of jobs according to agreed-upon schedules.
• Communicates with customers and sales staff on scheduled and unscheduled production work.
• Resolves critical or costly workflow problem areas and recommends improvements.
• Schedules and oversees all production runs for a specific plant or assembly line.
• Produces master schedules for overall plant activities; shows all dependencies and contingencies.
• Oversees production acceptance testing and associated performance measures.

This position requires the candidate to work a 5-day-a-week schedule in the office.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For nearly 100 years, we’ve been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed and contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed.

Posting Dates:

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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