Manufacturing Operations Leader, Motorsports Components

Job Description

Job Description

Lead the shop floor that powers championship performance

At Toyota Racing Development (TRD), our components win races long before the green flag drops. As the Manufacturing Operations Leader, you’ll spend your mornings on the floor — see, touch, feel — and your afternoons shaping the roadmap that keeps TRD at the forefront of motorsports manufacturing.

What your day looks like

You start with a walk through a fleet of 18+ high-precision, 5-axis CNC machines, aligning teams on the day’s priorities across two workstreams: ultra‑low‑volume, tight‑tolerance race engine parts and higher‑volume commercial components. You check OEE dashboards — driving performance against ≥80% targets — and huddle with Manufacturing Engineering on process definition, advanced CNC programming, tooling and fixturing. Before lunch, you’re with Production Control, tuning schedules to meet short lead times. In the afternoon, you review inspection data with Quality, reinforcing a culture that raises internal and supplier quality. You close the day scoping ROI, capital plans, and automation, robotics, and AI‑assisted tools that elevate throughput, quality, and capability.

Scope and impact

• Own end‑to‑end operations strategy: equipment evaluation/selection, ROI and capital justification, process/automation development, facility and personnel planning.
• Lead Managers of Manufacturing Engineering, Production Control, and Quality — guiding a ~40‑member organization from postgraduate engineers to shop‑floor technicians.
• Champion a metrics‑driven mindset with OEE at the core; sustain ≥80% on 5‑axis assets while improving mix, complexity, and lead time.
• Partner across TRD: Planning/Purchasing, Design Engineering, Race Engine Build, Commercial Assembly, and EHS on safety matters impacting manufacturing.
• Advance technology adoption: automation, robotics, and AI‑assisted analysis/documentation to boost efficiency, quality, and capability.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s in Engineering or Operations Management (Master’s a plus).
• 10+ years in high‑precision, automated 5‑axis CNC environments; 5+ years leading teams/managers.
• Hands‑on mastery of process definition/optimization, production scheduling, and inspection methods.
• Proven success managing to OEE and operational KPIs using data to drive action.
• Advanced experience in complex, tight‑tolerance, 5‑axis high‑speed milling.
• Fluency with ERP/MRP and shop‑floor systems.
• Track record leading 40+ people across multiple functions, including managing managers.

Preferred

• Expert CAM/CAD/toolpath verification; HyperMill strongly preferred; Creo and Vericut a plus.
• Experience with AI‑assisted tools (e.g., LLMs for analysis, documentation, and process improvement).
• Background with billet, forging, and casting materials.
• Advanced Excel and MS Office skills.
• Designing/machining/assembling fixtures and tooling.
• Building complex production schedules across mixed‑volume and mixed‑complexity workstreams.

Travel and compensation

• Travel up to 10%, primarily to TRD facilities and motorsports events.
• Base salary range: $176,400.00 – $305,800.00 annually.

Who we are

Collaborative. Respectful. A place to dream and do. Toyota is one of the world’s most admired brands, advancing mobility with innovative, high‑quality solutions. TRD is committed to being the most respected motorsports engineering organization — and this role is pivotal to that mission.

Important eligibility note

To save time applying, Toyota does not offer sponsorship of job applicants for employment-based visas or any other work authorization for this position at this time.

Belonging at Toyota

Applicants for our positions are considered without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, military or veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.