Innovation Division Director

POSITION SUMMARY

The Innovation Division Director provides operational leadership and hands-on support across multiple shop locations to ensure safe, efficient, and profitable innovation, precision ag, and retail operations. This role is responsible for driving equipment uptime, parts and service profitability, inventory control, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and technician performance through consistent standards, data-driven oversight, and on-site engagement.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Provide support to each Innovation Center location through onsite visits, conference calls/webinars, and weekly team direction
• Drive safety and align all Innovation Center locations to best practices by completing safety audits of individual work areas and entire shops while onsite.
• Support and enforce Parts/Vendor programs at each location using approved vendors and suppliers established by the Innovation Leadership, ensuring price protection, goodwill support, and warranty recovery.
• Drive retail site profitability by supporting location teams in achieving revenue, margin, and expense control targets for parts and service operations.
• Support and drive parts turnover optimization by:
  • Maintaining appropriate stocking levels based on usage, seasonality, and vendor lead times.
  • Reducing obsolete, slow-moving, and excess inventory through transfers, returns, or disposition strategies.
  • Reviewing inventory turns and aging reports with site leadership to improve cash flow and reduce carrying costs.
• Lead product development and product cycle management with leadership of the product portfolio
• Conduct sales promoting activities and training with team members to support growth Support customer satisfaction by reinforcing consistent service standards, communication, and turnaround times across all retail locations.
• Address customer concerns or escalations related to parts and service as needed.
• Promote a customer-first culture focused on uptime, reliability, and value.
• Support preventative maintenance (PM) scheduling by utilizing internal systems to ensure accurate monthly schedules and minimize downtime.
• Utilize internal CMMS systems to manage mechanic performance maximizing technician efficiency and in-house repair capabilities.
  • Develop internal time-of-repair guides within RTA to measure allotted versus actual repair times
• Collaborate with Parts and Service teams to increase internal and external retail capture rates and retain service work that can be completed in-house.
• Maintain and track mechanic training and certification records within systems to ensure compliance and qualification standards are met.
  • Records may include Annual Vehicle Inspection, Inspector Certification, DOT Brake Inspector Certification, Cargo Tank Inspector Qualifications, Tire Certification, and related credentials.
• Spot check equipment for maintenance compliance while onsite to reduce DOT exposure and improve FMCSA safety scores for each DOT number.
• Utilize reporting tools (CMMS, BI, inventory metrics) to monitor performance trends, identify gaps, and implement corrective actions across locations.
• Coach and motivate team members to meet performance standards through coaching, feedback, goal setting, communicating and maintaining fair and consistent application of policies and practices.
• Provide leadership in managing team performance, including setting measurable goals, tracking metrics, and holding employees accountable.
• Adheres to all safety regulations, requirements, policies and procedures, including OSHA regulations, the vehicle policy and fleet safety program and DOT regulations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Eight years or more of progressively responsible leadership or management experience.
• Ten or more years of related experience in fleet maintenance, shop operations, equipment service, parts and service operations or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• High school diploma or GED.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
• English Proficiency.
• Must be 18 years or older.
• Strong working knowledge of fleet maintenance, shop operations, and retail parts/service environments
• Proven ability to manage inventory, control costs, and improve operational profitability
• Strong leadership, communication, and coaching skills
• Knowledge of DOT, FMCSA, and safety compliance requirements
• Ability to travel regularly to multiple locations

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor's degree, or technical training, in fleet maintenance, automotive or diesel technology, business, operations, or a related field.
• Previous experience overseeing multiple locations or leading managers or supervisors.
• Experience in agricultural equipment, precision agriculture, or a cooperative environment.
• Experience with CMMS or a similar fleet maintenance management system.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Business Understanding: Demonstrates understanding of business and how actions contribute to company performance.
• Delivering Team Results: Drives operational excellence by planning, organizing, and owning work assignments from start to finish and holding people accountable for results.
• Developing the Team: Builds team capability, manages team dynamics, recognizes, and rewards high performance.
• Interpersonal Relationships: Relates well to and effectively influences others within and across functions through effective communication and collaboration.
• Professional Conduct: Recognizes impact behavior has on others and demonstrates commitment, adaptability, and resilience.

PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical and work environment characteristics described in this description are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions or as otherwise required by law. Employees needing reasonable accommodation should discuss the request with the employee's supervisor.

• This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 50 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, frequently requires standing, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions and occasionally requires walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling and reaching with hands and arms.
• Work has complex vision requirements to include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
• May be exposed to extreme hot or cold conditions.
• Work may be exposed to moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; and outside weather conditions.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate
• Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Nothing in this job description limits management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.