Quality Manager- 3rd Shift

Career Area:
Manufacturing
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.
Quality Manager
About LPSD
The Large Power Systems Division (LPSD) is part of Caterpillar’s Power & Energy segment. Through this global organization, Caterpillar designs and manufactures large (greater than 18 liters) diesel and natural gas engines, powertrains and key engine systems. LPSD products and solutions support customers across power generation, industrial, marine, oil & gas, rail, services and Cat® machine applications worldwide.
LPSD teams work across regions and function to deliver safe, reliable and compliant solutions that help solve our customers’ toughest challenges.
About LEC (Lafayette Engine Center)
The Lafayette Engine Center (LEC) manufactures the Cat 3500, Cat 3600 and C175 engines helping Caterpillar become the world’s leading manufacturer of off-highway diesel and natural gas engines.
The units built at LEC power mining trucks carrying ore to be processed, tugboats guiding ships to harbor, drill rigs tapping oil and gas reserves and generators bringing electricity to communities, hospitals and data centers
Job Summary
The Lafayette Engine center has a 3rd shift Quality Manager opening. This role oversees the administration and continual improvement of quality management systems.
What you will do
Lead and supervise a team of 10-15 Quality Team Leads, Quality Technicians, and Quality Gate Auditors, providing clear direction to achieve safety, quality, and production objectives.
Champion a strong safety culture by identifying and eliminating unsafe conditions while maintaining a safe, clean, and compliant work environment.
Determine processing requirements and ensure appropriate fixtures, tooling, and manufacturing methods are available to meet production schedules and operational demands.
Collaborate daily with production leadership to establish workload priorities, staffing requirements, and work sequencing.
Ensure effective workforce training, development, and utilization to maximize team performance and operational efficiency.
Manage staffing needs, including overtime planning and resource allocation to support business priorities.
Conduct performance evaluations, provide coaching and development opportunities, and administer corrective actions when required.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives by optimizing processes, improving efficiency, reducing waste, and eliminating non-value-added activities.
Support and integrate Caterpillar's Built-in Quality (BIQ), Small Business Teams (SBT), Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Six Sigma, and CQMS/ISO standards into daily operations.
Ensure product quality and compliance with Caterpillar Quality Management System requirements, manufacturing control plans, Job Instruction Sheets (JIS), and standard work procedures.
Oversee employee development, attendance management, Workday timekeeping, workforce planning, work assignments, and schedule adherence.
Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment through strong communication, interpersonal, and team-building skills.
Utilize strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving abilities to support manufacturing quality and operational excellence.
Demonstrate self-motivation, initiative, and the ability to make sound decisions with minimal supervision.
Promote a customer-focused culture through effective leadership, motivation, and accountability.
Maintain proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and other business systems.
Provide leadership support across multiple shifts, including 2nd and 3rd shift operations, while reporting to the 1st Shift Quality Manager.
Partner with cross-functional teams including Supplier Quality, Certification Coordinators, and other Quality organizations to support business objectives.
Maintain flexibility to support overtime, alternative shifts, and changing business requirements as needed.
Degree Requirement
Degree or equivalent experience desired
What you will have
Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision.
Level Working Knowledge:
Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and oversights.
Utilizes specific approaches and tools for checking and cross-checking outputs.
Processes limited amounts of detailed information with good accuracy.
Learns from mistakes and applies lessons learned.
Develops and uses checklists to ensure that information goes out error-free.
Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
Level Basic Understanding:
Explains characteristics and steps in an effective decision-making process.
Identifies issues and communicates with others when a decision needs to be made.
Names decision makers in own environment and cites examples of past decisions.
Describes types of decisions incumbent may and may not make in own job or function.
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 Basic Understanding:
Describes non-verbal behaviors that influence the interpretation of the message.
Cites examples of effective and ineffective communications.
Explains the importance of effective business communication.
Speaks/writes using correct language, mechanics, and gestures.
Lean Manufacturing: Knowledge of the philosophy, principles and implementation approaches of lean manufacturing; ability to integrate and implement lean manufacturing philosophy into existing production and management processes.
Level Basic Understanding:
Cites examples of benefits and risks associated with implementing lean principles.
Describes basic tools for observing existing processes and identifying waste.
Cites industry or company examples of successful and unsuccessful lean implementations.
Identifies key lean principles and highlights of the lean manufacturing process.
Performance Management: Knowledge of successful performance management techniques; ability to apply organization's performance management system, practices, and tools to developing and improving individual, team, and organizational performance.
Level Basic Understanding:
Demonstrates an understanding of performance management concepts.
Describes organization's performance management process.
Explains organization's core performance factors and ratings.
Participates in own performance review or performance checkpoint session.
Planning and Organizing: Knowledge of the process of planning and arranging tasks and resources; ability to plan and organize both time and resources to get things completed while structuring and maintaining work in a systematic and highly methodical way.
Level Basic Understanding:
Seeks help to modify priorities as new information surfaces or conditions change.
Demonstrates the ability to estimate the time and resources required to complete tasks.
Identifies own key assignments, schedules, and process steps.
Applies the concept of 'critical path' in order to complete work in a timely manner and keep larger tasks on track.
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.
Quality Management System (QMS): Knowledge of Quality Management Syst