Die & Tooling Manager
Great Plains ManufacturingDie & Tooling Manager Assaria, KS 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. This is a salaried, on-site role based in Assaria, KS. Typical schedule is Monday-Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Primary Duties & Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership and Department Development 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. Multi-Brand Engineering and Business Support 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. Advanced Tooling, Fixture Design, and Shop Operations 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 …