Sr. Manager-R&D Innovation - The Toro Company

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a school/employment visa at this time, regardless of expiration date.

Who Are We?

The Toro Company is a homegrown, Minnesota-based company that has been in business since 1914. We pride ourselves on providing world class equipment to help maintain the environment that we love, while putting an emphasis on giving back to the communities that surround us. From residential lawns and gardens to venues such as St. Andrews Links and Target Field, we are a company with a global footprint and a passion for helping people beautify whatever landscape they may be in. With 100 years of operation under our belt and an average employee tenure of 15 years, come find out what makes The Toro Company the best place in the Twin Cities to build a career.

What Will You Do?

In order to grow and build a successful career with The Toro Company, you will be responsible for: 

• Focused on solving unmet needs for external and internal customers across the breath of TTC.

• Facilitate Voice of the Customer activities and other market and technology research required to scope opportunities and validate hypothesis.

• Partner to build relationships across business units, channel partners, and end customers.

• Research parallel industries, OEM technologies, and competitive products to bring technology & customer insights to the R&D group and TTC divisions.

• Represent the R&D group on TTC emerging tech roadmaps and contribute to divisional multi-generational product plans.

• Ownership of the CTRI R&D roadmap, utilizing as a means to organize priorities and facilitate divisional discussion. Work with department leaders to understand needs driven by emerging technology.

  • Utilization of Lean Startup methodology – hypothesis with build-measure-learn expedited feedback loop.

  • Align business case and potential solutions in the intersection of Customer Needs, Technology Feasibility, and TTC Businesses.

• Business case development – estimate Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM). Potential return on investment (ROI).

• TTC spokesperson for CTRI, ELT, investors, divisional emerging tech, and other key R&D areas.

• Manage the CTRI budget for resources and expenses.

JOB DIMENSIONS:

• Strong analytical skills with emphasis in electric, autonomous, smart connected, data, and AI.

• Self-starter with a bias for action

• Effective communicator with customers and across multiple levels of the organization using multiple communication methods

• Manage 3-5 direct reports

• Travel requirement: up to 25%.

What Do You Need?

To be considered for this role, an individual should meet the following minimal requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related, Master’s degree in business, engineering or related discipline preferred. Minimum of ten years of relevant experience.

• Demonstrated strength in the fuzzy front end of problem solving

• Demonstrated familiarity with battery electric, autonomous, and smart connected technologies.

• Strong business and technical aptitude enabling communication, understanding, and collaboration between technical service and engineering.

• Experience in product development required.

• Strong analytical abilities to review and summarize data for presentation, direction and decision making.

What Can We Give You?   

At The Toro Company, we are always working to make sure our employees know just how valued they are. In addition to a competitive salary, an affordable and top tier medical/dental/vision plan, 401k, and many other great benefits - The Toro company offers employees at ourBloomington, MN HQlocation a variety of perks, including: 

Dress for your day - We know you're more productive when you're comfortable, which is why TTC employees are encouraged to take advantage of our casual, corporate environment. 

Location – Conveniently located near both St. Paul and Minneapolis, we are centrally located for most commuters! 

Food - Take advantage of our onsite café, which serves both breakfast and lunch. With a Caribou Coffee attached, you can grab a snack and a coffee at any time during your day. 

Wellness - The Toro Company’s HQ offers complimentary use of our onsite fitness facility to employees. In addition to physical wellbeing, TTC offers a variety of mental health and financial health resources to all employees. 

Volunteerism - The Toro Company is proud to provide employees 20 hours of paid time to volunteer in the community. 

Summer Hours – Enjoy a flexible schedule during the summer! By working a little more during the first few days of the week, TTC employees at our Bloomington HQ are able to start their weekends early and leave by noon on Friday. 

Flexible Work Arrangements – This team is currently implementing a hybrid work schedule. The opportunity to collaborate in the office and work from home part-time, has promoted team-building and flexibility. 

Competitive Salary – The pay range takes into account skills, experience, education, and location. It is not common to be hired at or near the top of the range; compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the annual pay range is between ​$135800 - ​$185000​. Cash compensation is one piece of our competitive total rewards package. You may be eligible to participate in an incentive program, which rewards employees based on individual and organizational performance. Eligibility and award amounts are determined by company policy and performance metrics. If you need to, you can access your pay early with the One@Work app, formerly the Even app.

The Toro Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants based on merit and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service, or other non-merit factors. We are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all employees

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