Manager, Technical Service - 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 in the Twin Cities to build a career.

It's an exciting time to work at The Toro Company. Why? We are venturing into robotic and electrification products at a rapid speed. If you are a person that likes solving problems for customers, having variety in your work, using your current or learning new mechanical and robotic/electrification skills and knowledge, playing an integral part of designing new products or improving existing products, have a natural curiosity about how things work and a desire to learn and grow, this may be the job for you. On top of it, you get to work with a team that has fun working together and learning from one another as you solve problems together. You would become the go-to person for the product line you support and work with the sales, marketing and engineering teams to make products come to life.

Job Purpose:

Leads the division Technical Assistance Center (TAC) providing technical support for division products on a global basis. The TAC team is comprised of Technical Service Representatives assigned to various product categories that resolve technical issues with Toro distributors and end-customers. This manager leads the TAC team in providing Toro Distribution customers with a positive customer service experience through building strong relationships, responsive technical support, and problem resolution. The ultimate goal is to provide a low-effort, easy-to-do business-with approach to technical assistance.

This role ensures the TAC team actively advocates for the customer in the timely and effective resolution of technical issues. This team provides technical assistance and input on serviceability, historical technical issues, and maximization of distributor set-up time. Manager leads the team in developing innovative approaches that continuously improve the team's capability to meet and exceed customer expectations. Works in partnership with key cross-functional individuals to identify, manage and support the implementation of customer responsive technical service.

What will you do?

• Develop and manage a technical service team that actively advocates for the customer while ensuring product issues are addressed expeditiously. Team members take personal responsibility to guarantee follow through with the customer.
• Set the standard for teamwork and collaboration with other departments, functions, and suppliers to ensure that the number one priority is to earn the highest possible customer loyalty.
• Utilize a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, Sales Force, to enter all customer interactions.
• Innovate and improve organizational structures, processes, tools, skills. Leverage technology to continuously improve customer responsiveness and advocacy while improving team efficiency and productivity.
• Implement customer-focused metrics that are constantly analyzed and result in the development of action plans that ensure continuous improvement and Lean principals.
• Develop and implement long range plans that are focused on meeting distributor customer requirements.
• Provide leadership for all technical service support activities including response to customer technical inquiries; preparation of service programs, manuals, and bulletins; and teamwork with Distribution and Training organizations to deliver service training schools.
• Oversee the preparation and editing of service bulletins. Obtain feedback from the field regarding product issues and follows up with specific remedies to resolve the issues.
• Assist in analyzing and evaluating warranty claim data to identify origin of field failures and recommends corrective action. Work with engineering, test, quality, and manufacturing departments to ensure that field problems are resolved in a timely manner.
• Lead the team in supporting the warranty team with Policy Adjustments and technical advice. 11. Participate in new product development activities to ensure serviceability considerations and field failure experiences are included in the product development process.
• Ensure team supports the product safety committee.
• Perform duties normally associated with supervision including hiring, training, coaching and writing performance appraisals.
• Manage department budget.

What do you need?

• Work requires the level of education normally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree in business management, technical field, or applicable equivalent.
• Six to Eight years of applicable Technical Support Services experience including a minimum of 2 years of experience in managing a technical assistance center is required.
• Ideal candidate is a self-starter, who takes initiative and has a strong internal drive to succeed. Is able to work with little or no direct supervision.

The Preferred Candidate will have:

• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Budget management experience.
• Mechanical equipment (hydraulic and electrical systems) knowledge.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Goal focus with ability to overcome barriers to achieve results.
• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to interact effectively with internal and external customers.
• Ability to create and deliver effective presentations for internal and external use.
• Ability to adapt to and drive change within the organization.
• Understanding of and experience using Lean/Kaizen processes.
• Strong team building and mentoring skills.
• Able to build and maintain effective cross-functional teams.
• Strong PC skills including ability to effectively use Microsoft Office applications.
• Demonstrated systems and process thinking.
• Effective problem-solving skills. Exhibits creativity and forward thinking in problem resolution.
• Strong listening skills.

Other Job-Related Components:

• Provides direct supervision to Technical Service Representatives who support Toro distributor customers.
• Direct interaction with division leadership and engineering teams.
• Represents The Toro Company at Distributor or business meetings and events.
• Travel requirement: 15 - 25%.

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 our Bloomington, 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 cafe, 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.
• Competitive Salary - Salary will be determined by experience and qualifications

#LI - Onsite

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.