New Product Development Manager (Sourcing) - 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.

What Will You Do?

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

• Manage, develop, and recruit skilled sourcing staff to initiate, plan, and implement new product sourcing activities to enable successful new product launches and transitions to stable ongoing production.
• Maximize TTC profits through strong market and competitive analysis and professional negotiations in order to secure the best material cost, quality, and supplier service to meet business needs.
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with division business managers to ensure thorough, proactive communications so that all business needs related to material and service acquisition are fully met. Be an active member of monthly project updates and the 1PDS process to include stage gate meetings.
• Participate in business/division LRP process and the establishment of annual key objectives.
• Gain thorough understanding of assigned business(es) product and technology roadmaps and proactively work with suppliers and commodity leaders to ensure the suppliers' capability and technology roadmaps and investments are well aligned to support Toro's future needs.
• Ensure that sourcing strategies are followed by new product development teams which includes analysis and review of customer requirements, product requirements, quality requirements, market conditions, supplier capabilities, and the approved supplier list.
• Facilitate appropriate stakeholder engagement and consensus on critical supplier selections.
• Integrate the sourcing process with Toro divisions, manufacturing plants, and suppliers to include lean initiatives, design for manufacturing and assembly, and plan for every part to ensure successful new product launches.
• Lead and coach both strategic sourcing and purchasing activity from early prototype phases in a lab environment through factory production.
• Partner with factory, quality, buying, and materials management teams to ensure material readiness at launch and a smooth transition into sustained production.
• Promote early supplier involvement in new product development teams to drive down costs, improve manufacturability of parts for suppliers and maintain highest quality of products.
• Provide forum for suppliers to share latest technologies with engineering and sourcing teams (lunch and learns).
• Confer with trade associations, suppliers, professional and governmental agencies to broaden knowledge of industry trends and development.
• Recommend and develop supplier partnerships or alliances that aid in meeting total delivered cost, innovative solutions and quality and service objectives while building a competitive advantage. Communicate potential supplier additions to strategic commodity teams and leaders.
• Participate in sourcing long-range planning processes and the establishment of annual objectives.
• Collaborate with other sourcing leadership team members toward achieving departmental goals.
• Track metrics for the new product sourcing team and report monthly on status of cost savings, number of parts released to production, number of business awards to grow, maintain and eliminate suppliers.
• Ensure proper levels of staffing, manage budget, and administer tasks associated with direct reports.
• Utilize employee development plans for each employee to enhance the skills of the team, promote career development, and create a depth of talent ready to enable the roadmap of future products.

Note: The responsibilities and tasks outlined in this document are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the company.

What Do You Need?

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

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA desired, CPSM or APICS certification preferred
• Minimum of seven (7) years' experience in strategic sourcing to include new product development, global sourcing and cost analysis projections
• Minimum of three (3) years' experience in supervising (with sourcing professionals preferred)
• Demonstrated leadership skills including interpersonal relationship building, team facilitation, coaching and mentoring, performance management, and ability to provide both positive and constructive feedback
• Experience with a variety of mechanical, electro-mechanical, and electrical commodities preferred
• Working knowledge of purchasing and planning fundamentals preferred
• Demonstrated experience implementing business and/or commodity strategy; strong ability to develop, understand, and articulate business cases
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to clearly and concisely communicate information at multiple levels and capable of effective executive management presentations / communications
• Ability to adapt easily to change and work in a fast-paced environment
• Advanced contracting and negotiations skills - win/win approach, strategy and tactic development, knowledge of contracting principles, laws, regulations and industry standards
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite; SAP ERP software proficiency desired
• 10 to 20% travel (domestic and international)

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 HQ 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.

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.

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. Cash compensation is one piece of our competitive total rewards package.

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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