Tooling Manager

Great Plains Mfg•Assaria, KS

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Great Plains Manufacturing, a Kubota company, is seeking a Die & Tooling Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for Advanced Tooling and Manufacturing Operations. The position leads tooling, fixture design and fabrication, prototype shop support, material handling solutions, special manufacturing projects, and the development of scalable operating systems that improve visibility, accountability, responsiveness, and resource utilization. The role supports engineering and manufacturing needs across GP AG, Land Pride Implements, and CE product groups. Reporting to the Senior Engineering Manager, the manager balances daily shop execution with long-term department development. Responsibilities include establishing the department's strategic direction and capability, managing operations and resources, implementing processes for low-volume, non-current, and emergency parts manufacturing, and coordinating work across product groups and functions.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive leadership experience in tooling, manufacturing, engineering operations, prototype development, production support, or a related technical environment.
Demonstrated ability to lead strategic process implementation while managing daily operational execution across multiple product lines or business priorities.
Experience with tooling, fixtures, material handling equipment, prototype builds, low-volume manufacturing, or special manufacturing operations.
Strong understanding of engineering documentation, manufacturing processes, fabrication, machining, welding, assembly, and cross-functional project execution.
Experience with workflow management, project management, digital operations systems, metrics, dashboards, and continuous improvement.
Strong leadership, communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, organizational, analytical, and presentation skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities, balance urgent requests with planned work, and lead teams through change.
Follow Great Plains and OSHA safety regulations and wear prescribed safety and protective equipment.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field; equivalent experience may be considered.
Knowledge of ERP/MRP, PLM, engineering change, and manufacturing transaction systems.
Experience with Windchill, IBM i, Microsoft 365, or similar platforms.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the strategic vision for Advanced Tooling and Manufacturing Operations; build department capability, establish priorities and performance expectations, lead implementation of the non-current and emergency parts function, and align resources with enterprise engineering, manufacturing, service parts, and business needs.
Lead Advanced Tooling and Manufacturing Operations, including tooling, fixtures, prototypes, material handling equipment, and special manufacturing work.
Manage daily department operations, project priorities, schedules, resources, budgets, and personnel.
Develop department goals, operating standards, capacity plans, and continuous improvement priorities supporting safety, quality, responsiveness, cost effectiveness, and scalability.
Implement processes for low-volume, non-current, and emergency parts manufacturing, including work intake, prioritization, material control, communication, and escalation.
Coordinate priorities across GP AG, Land Pride Implements, and CE product groups while maintaining visibility to capacity, tradeoffs, schedule impact, and business risk.
Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Materials, Quality, Service Parts, Validation, and Customer Support to resolve constraints and execute business-critical work.
Establish workflow governance for intake, ownership, required information, status updates, time tracking, returned-work loops, escalation, and closure standards.
Develop performance metrics, dashboards, and management reviews for workload, project aging, response time, capacity, quality, and execution performance.
Lead, coach, and develop department personnel while planning staffing, training, and resource allocation for current demand and future growth.
Communicate project status, resource constraints, priorities, and execution risks to engineering and business leadership.
Follow all Great Plains and OSHA safety regulations and wear prescribed safety and protective equipment.
Perform other duties that may be assigned and require additional qualifications, physical demands, and/or work environment.