Engineering Test Site Manager - The Toro Company

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 to build a career.

The Engineering Test Site Manager will be responsible for the management of a field test facility including the supervision of: Field Test Projects, Technical Personnel, and Test Site Operations including equipment, grounds maintenance, and temporary labor personnel management.

What Will You Do?

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

• Plan, supervise, and conduct field testing of various developmental and production Toro and competitive equipment using current technology, instrumentation, and communication methods to evaluate performance and durability, as specified, for design qualification and production validation tests. (50%)

  • Supervise Test Technicians, field test crews and other personnel in operation, training, service, and maintenance of Toro equipment with accompanying record keeping, i.e. maintaining daily operating logs on test equipment

  • Analyze failure modes of products on test and promptly reports results with suggested corrective action or changes in design

  • Make entries in logs on work in progress and prepare reports on all phases of tests on a timely basis through the appropriate electronic communication system.

  • Antenna maintenance (infrastructure) for projects

  • Furnish technical assistance, prepare test areas, and make logistical plans to meet the needs of Toro personnel working at the test facility and at additional contracted product testing locations

  • Collaboration with other Test Sites for similar products on field test and procedural consistency

  • Personnel Development – Site Technicians and Operators

• Facility Maintenance  (20%)

  • Building Infrastructure Services:  water, electricity, heat, structure, internet – ISP, Toro network, etc.

  • Shipping requirements:  HazMat training, UPS Worldship, LTL and Full truckload (Bookloads)

  • Finance Management:  invoice reconciliation for site expenses, temp labor personnel, uniforms, etc.

  • Grounds/Turf Maintenance:  nutrition, disease/pest control, irrigation, overseeding

  • Shop Equipment Maintenance:  reel and bedknife grinders, equipment calibration, etc.

  • Supply Management:  janitorial and shop supplies

• Temporary Labor Management (15%)

  • Negotiate for cost effective temporary labor sources and arrange for perceptive supervision to assure expected performance from field test operations.

  • Time Management:  Approve time cards; monitor personnel/jobs; communicate project timelines

  • Machine Training

• Site Safety (5%)

  • Ensure Safety training for all staff

  • Monthly Safety Call Reporting

  • Periodic walk-throughs

  • Support safety initiatives – behavior-based

  • Service of fire suppression devices

  • First aid supplies and defibrillator maintenance

  • Machine Safety – Forklift maintenance

• Site Agreements/Contracts (5%)

  • Maintain contacts to allow access to offsite turf areas used for performance or extended testing activities.  Manage the Toro Test Site and other Test Site turf areas to meet specified requirements for development projects.

  • Negotiate and assure compliance with remote site contractual agreements.

  • Review area requirements for test needs and make contacts for special requests

• Plan, or assist in planning, the test site fiscal operating budget.  Propose capital equipment expenditures for the improvement of the test site. (3%)

• Perform other related duties as apparent or assigned. (2%)

What Do You Need?

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

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering; Agronomy, Engineering Technology, or Business Management.

• Manager I-minimum of six years of experience in the powered equipment industry with two plus years of supervisory experience. Management of a business/project background required.

• Manager II-minimum of eight years of experience in the powered equipment industry with two plus years of supervisory experience. Management of a business/project background required.

• Has demonstrated exceptionally high level of competency in creativity, productivity and decision making over an extended period of time through successful completion of multiple projects.

• Strong mechanical and technical aptitude.

• Strong communication and organizational skills.

• MS Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) experience.

• Experience in a test engineering environment is desirable.

• Experience in agronomy and/or turf care business is desirable

Other Job-Related Components:(e.g., Physical demands, working conditions, travel)

• Provide physical and technical support to: Operations, The Center for Technology, Research and Innovation (CTRI), and Toro business unit Engineering departments including Commercial, RLC, SWS, International and other Toro companies.

• Interface with Test Engineers, Test Technicians, Vendors, Design Engineers, Designers, Drafters, PDL personnel (Specialists – Journeyworker and Apprentices, CNC- Machinist Journeyworkers and Sheetmetal Specialists,) Management, and other department staff (Media Production Resources, Marketing, Service, etc.) as needed.

• Communicate with Host Site Personnel, vendors, end user customers, and other agreement partners. 

• Off-site travel is <25%  (with most being local)

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 ourFlorida location 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. 

Wellness - For 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. 

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 ​$109200​ - ​$160000. 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.

At The Toro Company, we are committed to fostering a secure and trustworthy recruitment process for our applicants.  Recruitment fraud is a potential threat to job seekers, so please be aware that throughout our recruitment process, you’ll never be required to pay any fees or disclose personal financial details when applying to TTC opportunities. 

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit based factors. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

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