Manufacturing
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.
The Production Manager leads hourly employees within a gear manufacturing environment, providing day-to-day direction while receiving technical and engineering support from the Value Stream Manager as needed. This role is responsible for driving shop floor execution, supporting modernization initiatives, and reinforcing team-based manufacturing practices. The position may support second or third shift operations with limited immediate supervision.
The Production Manager directs and coordinates the activities of approximately 10 to 30 hourly employees to ensure production, quality, and engineering requirements are achieved in alignment with safety, cost, efficiency, and schedule targets.
Hourly employees reporting to this role are engaged in gear manufacturing processes including, but not limited to: gear hobbing, shaping, and grinding; CNC machining; part setup and verification; in-process inspection; deburring; and final inspection activities. Additional responsibilities include material handling, tooling control, and support of overall shop operations.
The Production Manager operates in a dynamic production environment, balancing short lead times, changing priorities, and operational challenges such as equipment issues, staffing gaps, and shifting customer demand. This role functions as a coach and leader, fostering accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement across the shop floor.
The position requires coordination across multiple functional areas, including engineering, quality, maintenance, and production control. The supervisor is responsible for assigning work, addressing employee relations matters, and ensuring compliance with company policies and labor agreements.
A key challenge in this role is effectively resolving problems and conflicts while maintaining production flow and meeting performance expectations. Decisions impacting schedules, cost, or product quality are escalated to the Unit Manager as appropriate.
This role requires a hands-on leader capable of organizing teams, managing production priorities, and delivering results in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
For any position that will require you to work two or more hours per week on average within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, please note that the Company will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.
Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position. This employer is not currently hiring foreign national applicants that require or will require sponsorship tied to a specific employer, such as, H, L, TN, F, J, E, O. As a global company, Caterpillar offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S which can be found through our employment website at www.caterpillar.com/careers.
$89,210.00 - $133,810.00
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.
Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.
This position requires working onsite five days a week.
Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.
Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.
Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.
Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.
Headquartered in San Diego, California, USA, Solar Turbines Incorporated, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial gas turbines, with more than 16,000 units and over 3 billion operating hours in over 100 countries. Products from Solar Turbines play an important role in the development of oil, natural gas and power generation projects around the world. Solar Turbines’ products include gas turbine engines (rated from 1,590 to 52,500 horsepower), gas compressors, and gas turbine-powered compressor sets, mechanical-drive packages and generator sets (ranging from 1 to 39 megawatts). Solar’s customers put the company’s products to work in many areas including production, processing and pipeline transmission of natural gas and crude oil and generation of electricity and thermal energy for processing applications, such as manufacturing chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food products.
Solar’s foundation is people and Solar’s culture is one where individual contributions are valued, diversity in the workplace is encouraged, and safety is emphasized in all aspects of the business. Solar Turbines, founded in 1927, is comprised of a dedicated and multi-talented workforce of more than 8,000 employees with decades of experience working as a global team.
