Manager Distribution

Career Area:

Supply Chain and Logistics

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.

"Updated: 09/29/2025

Role Definition

Leads to ensure the accomplishment of distribution center goals, including those related to budget and cost structure.

Responsibilities

• Making workflow decisions, improving service levels and costs for distribution center operations.

• Supervising and motivating distribution center employees through effective coaching and training, clear communication of job expectations, and positive reinforcement of exemplary performance; maintaining a positive distribution center working environment.

• Developing and implementing productivity, quality, and service standards. Resolving problems and identifying areas for improvements. Contributing performance data to strategic plans and reviews.

• Ensuring all equipment receives preventative maintenance and repairs, as necessary.

• Developing and ensuring execution for requirements and procedures for safety regulations.

Degree Requirement

Degree or equivalent experience desired

Skill Descriptors

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 Working Knowledge:

• Applies an assigned technique for critical thinking in a decision-making process.

• Identifies, obtains, and organizes relevant data and ideas.

• Participates in documenting data, ideas, players, stakeholders, and processes.

• Recognizes, clarifies, and prioritizes concerns.

• Assists in assessing risks, benefits and consideration of alternatives.

Distribution Center Management: Knowledge of distribution center management; ability to operate a warehouse or distribution center that handles the flow of goods from supplier to production to customer.

Level Basic Understanding:

• Describes the role of a distribution center in the supply chain.

• Cites examples of disruptions to the distribution process and common resolutions to these.

• Explains basic performance measurements for a distribution center.

• Demonstrates understanding of the processes for managing an inventory distribution center.

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 Working Knowledge:

• Delivers helpful feedback that focuses on behaviors without offending the recipient.

• Listens to feedback without defensiveness and uses it for own communication effectiveness.

• Makes oral presentations and writes reports needed for own work.

• Avoids technical jargon when inappropriate.

• Looks for and considers non-verbal cues from individuals and groups.

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.

Service Excellence: Knowledge of customer service concepts and techniques; ability to meet or exceed customer needs and expectations and provide excellent service in a direct or indirect manner.

Level Working Knowledge:

• Provides a quality of service that customers describe as excellent.

• Resolves common customer problems.

• Responds to unexpected customer requests with a sense of urgency and positive action.

• Provides direct service to internal or external customers.

• Documents customer complaints in a timely manner.

This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job. At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization. It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of “essential job functions” as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Posting Dates:

October 28, 2026 - November 10, 2026

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

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