What are the responsibilities and job description for the Tooling Manager position at Great Plains Mfg?
Die & Tooling Manager
Assaria, Kansas | Salaried, On-Site | Monday-Thursday, 6:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Great Plains Manufacturing, a Kubota company, is seeking a Die & Tooling Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for Advanced Tooling and Manufacturing Operations. This role 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 position supports engineering and manufacturing needs across GP AG, Land Pride Implements, and CE product groups, reports to the Senior Engineering Manager, and balances daily shop execution with long-term department development.
Strategic Leadership
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.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
- 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 that support 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.
- Other duties may be assigned that require additional qualifications, physical demands, and/or work environment.
Preferred Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
- 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.
- Knowledge of ERP/MRP, PLM, engineering change, and manufacturing transaction systems preferred; experience with Windchill, IBM i, Microsoft 365, or similar platforms is beneficial.
- 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.
Great Plains Manufacturing, headquartered in Salina, KS, is a proud subsidiary of Kubota with more than 50 years as a Kansas leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of agricultural implements, including seeding, tillage, and landscaping equipment. Our new Construction Equipment Division adds Kubota-branded skid steers, compact track loaders, and CE attachments, supported by Kubota Construction R&D Engineering in Salina. Operating in eight Kansas communities with multiple divisions, including Great Plains Ag; Land Pride; Great Plains International; and the Construction Equipment Division, we employ over 2,000 people and are committed to innovation and professional growth. If you are self-motivated, goal-oriented, and collaborative, explore our open opportunities at www.WorkForGPM.com.