Die & Tooling Manager

Great Plains Mfg•Assaria, KS

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Great Plains Manufacturing, a Kubota company, is seeking a Die & Tooling Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for GPM Advanced Tooling and Manufacturing Operations, including tooling, fixture design, prototype shop support, material handling equipment, and the implementation of new processes supporting non-current and emergency parts manufacturing. This position will support engineering teams and business needs across GPM product brands, including GP AG, LP Implements, and CE product groups, while leading both the day-to-day execution of shop operations and the development of scalable workflow systems that improve visibility, accountability, responsiveness, and resource utilization across Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and related business functions. This position reports to the Senior Engineering Manager and will be responsible for building and sustaining a high-performing organization capable of supporting engineering development, production support, critical parts response, tooling execution, and future-state workflow management across the GPM enterprise. The role must be capable of balancing brand-specific engineering requirements with shared corporate tooling, prototype, fixture, material handling, and special manufacturing priorities.

Requirements

5 to 10 years of progressive leadership experience in engineering operations, tooling, manufacturing, prototype development, fixture design, production support, or related technical operations.
Demonstrated ability to lead strategic process implementation while managing daily operational execution across multiple product lines, brands, or business priorities.
Experience developing or managing tooling, fixtures, material handling equipment, prototype builds, low-volume manufacturing, or special manufacturing operations.
Strong understanding of engineering documentation, manufacturing processes, product development workflows, and cross-functional project execution.
Strong leadership, communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, balance urgent requests with planned work, and lead teams through change.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to use metrics, dashboards, and operational data to drive decisions.
Strong presentation skills and ability to communicate effectively with engineering teams, shop personnel, senior leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders.
Mechanical aptitude and practical understanding of tooling, fixtures, fabrication, machining, welding, assembly, and manufacturing support operations.
Proficient using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the ability to learn and use other software systems required for workflow, reporting, and operational management.
Must be able to read, write, and communicate effectively in English; other languages a plus.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or other related technical field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
Experience coordinating technical work across multiple engineering teams, product lines, manufacturing groups, or internal business customers preferred.
Experience with workflow management, project management, or digital operations systems preferred.
Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, PLM systems, engineering change processes, and manufacturing transaction systems preferred.
Experience with Windchill, IBM i or similar manufacturing systems, Microsoft 365, and workflow management platforms preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the strategic vision for GPM Advanced Tooling and Manufacturing Operations, aligning department capabilities with engineering, manufacturing, service parts, and business priorities across GPAG, LP Implements, and CE product groups.
Lead the implementation of a new operational function responsible for non-current and emergency parts manufacturing, including process definition, resource planning, workflow development, and cross-functional coordination.
Establish department goals, priorities, operating standards, and performance expectations that support safety, quality, responsiveness, cost effectiveness, and long-term scalability across multiple GPM product brands.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on workflow efficiency, shop throughput, resource utilization, communication, and reduction of operational delays.
Develop and maintain key performance indicators, dashboards, and management review processes for workload, aging projects, response time, capacity, quality, and execution performance.
Support engineering teams aligned to GPAG, LP Implements, and CE product groups by providing advanced tooling, prototype, fixture, material handling, and special manufacturing capabilities that meet brand-specific engineering and business requirements.
Coordinate priorities across multiple product groups to ensure resources are aligned to the highest business need while maintaining transparency around capacity, tradeoffs, and schedule impact.
Partner with engineering leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to understand product-line requirements, department priorities, urgent support needs, and long-term tooling or manufacturing capability gaps.
Ensure special-build, prototype, tooling, and non-current or emergency parts work is prioritized and executed in a way that supports the broader GPM enterprise rather than a single product group only.
Provide clear communication and escalation paths when competing brand or product-group priorities create resource constraints, schedule conflicts, or business risk.
Manage day-to-day operations for tooling, fixture fabrication, fixture design support, prototype shop activities, material handling equipment, and special manufacturing projects.
Coordinate priorities and schedules for tooling, fixtures, prototypes, material handling needs, and support requests to ensure work is completed safely, accurately, and on schedule.
Oversee design and fabrication support for tooling, production fixtures, weld fixtures, assembly aids, prototype tooling, and material handling solutions.
Ensure shop equipment, resources, and personnel are effectively planned and utilized to support engineering and manufacturing requirements across supported GPM product brands.
Review project requirements, drawings, specifications, schedules, and resource needs to establish execution plans and resolve constraints.
Develop and manage operational processes supporting low-volume, non-current, and emergency parts manufacturing outside traditional high-volume plant production flow.
Coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Materials, Quality, Service Parts, Customer Support, and brand-aligned engineering teams to prioritize and execute critical parts needs.
Establish workflow, material control, communication, and escalation processes that support rapid response while maintaining engineering standards and manufacturing discipline.
Partner with appropriate system owners to ensure manufacturing activity, inventory movement, engineering documentation, and workflow status are properly controlled and visible.
Identify opportunities to improve responsiveness, reduce disruption to plant operations, and create a sustainable process for special-build and critical-parts support across GPAG, LP Implements, and CE product groups.
Lead implementation and continuous improvement of workflow management processes that provide visibility to project status, ownership, blockers, shop queues, engineering response needs, brand/product-group priorities, and completion timing.
Partner with Engineering leadership and business system owners to define how workflow management systems interface with engineering documentation, manufacturing transactions, product-line needs, and operational reporting tools.
Establish governance for work intake, status updates, required project information, prioritization, escalation, time tracking, and closure standards.
Drive adoption of digital tools and reporting practices that improve accountability, communication, and decision-making across engineering and shop operations.
Ensure workflow processes support returned-work loops, incomplete information escalation, shop feedback, and rapid engineering response.
Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Materials, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Quality, Service Parts, Validation, and other departments to align priorities, resolve constraints, and support business-critical work.
Communicate project status, resource constraints, manufacturing needs, brand/product-group priorities, and execution risks to engineering and business leadership.
Coordinate support for product development, prototype builds, production readiness, tooling readiness, manufacturing issue resolution, non-current parts support, emergency parts support, and special business requests.
Balance urgent business needs with planned tooling, fixture, prototype, and department workload requirements.
Interface with other departments to ensure deadlines are met and operational commitments are clearly understood.
Lead, coach, develop, and manage department personnel to build capability, accountability, teamwork, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Plan workforce requirements, training needs, staffing priorities, and resource allocation to support current workload, future department growth, and multi-brand engineering support requirements.
Maintain appropriate labor-management relationships and resolve employee issues in a fair, consistent, and professional manner.
Initiate personnel actions as appropriate, including hiring recommendations, promotions, transfers, performance improvement actions, and disciplinary measures.
Develop or revise standard operating practices and ensure compliance with safety, quality, productivity, and operational standards.