Advanced Cost Engineering & Value Optimization Lead

Stellantis Financial Services; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Stellantis Financial Services seeks an Advanced Cost Engineering & Value Optimization Lead to drive cost-optimized design decisions from concept to hardware and software readiness. You will partner with Design, Product Development, Cost Engineering, and Manufacturing to embed Design to Cost and VE principles into vehicle architecture and component development.

The role operates within the Cost Engineering & Total Production Cost organization, ensuring cost targets, functional value, and design

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or related field; accounting/finance/business considered with strong engineering exposure.
• 8+ years in automotive or related industry; strong understanding of automotive systems and production processes.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical discussions and influence design outcomes.
• Data driven mindset with strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office toolbox (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, Word).

Responsibilities

• Lead Design to Cost and Value Engineering activities from early concept through TKOM, treating cost as a design parameter.
• Identify high-impact commodities, systems, and architectures for Value Engineering loops (Loop 1 & Loop 2) for functional optimization.
• Facilitate cross-functional Design to Cost workshops for actionable design changes tied to function and manufacturability.
• Drive Value Analysis to challenge over-design and cost drivers while preserving customer value.
• Collaborate with Advanced Project Engineering, Product Development Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and Suppliers to translate VE proposals into feasible designs.
• Challenge designs to improve cost-to-function ratios through architecture choices and material selection.
• Support design convergence by documenting cost-driven trade studies for leadership decisions.
• Monitor Design to Cost savings and track VE implementation; provide cost-based insights for major design decisions.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical mindset

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Teams

Outlook

Word

Job description

Advanced Cost Engineering & Value Optimization Lead supports vehicle programs by driving cost optimized design decisions from early concept through hardware and software readiness. This role partners closely with Advanced Design Engineering, Product Development, and Cost Engineering to embed Design to Cost and Value Engineering principles directly into vehicle architecture, system design, and component development.

Operating within the Cost Engineering & Total Production Cost organization, the specialist ensures that cost targets, functional value, and design intent are aligned early, enabling competitive vehicles without sacrificing performance, quality, or customer value.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Design to Cost and Value Engineering activities from early Advanced phases through Tooling KickOff (TKOM), ensuring cost is treated as a design parameter, not a post design constraint.
• Identify high‑impact commodities, systems, and architectures for Value Engineering loops (Loop 1 & Loop 2), focusing on functional optimization, design simplification, and material/process efficiency.
• Facilitate cross-functional Design to Cost workshops that generate actionable design changes tied to function, performance, manufacturability, and supplier capability.
• Drive Value Analysis activities, challenging over‑design, redundancy, and cost drivers while preserving customer‑relevant features.

Design Convergence & Technical Collaboration

• Partner with Advanced Project Engineering, Product Development Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and Suppliers to translate Value Engineering proposals into feasible design solutions.
• Actively challenge designs to improve cost‑to‑function ratios, including architecture choices, part integration, material selection, tooling strategy, and manufacturing processes.
• Support design convergence by ensuring cost‑driven trade studies and alternatives are evaluated early and documented for leadership decision‑making.

Cost Targeting & Benchmark‑Driven Design

• Support development of Total Production Cost (TPC) targets based on competitive benchmarking, reference vehicles, and “Best in Class” architectures.
• Translate competitive benchmarks into clear, component level and system level cost guidance for engineering teams.
• Promote a value based benchmarking mindset, focusing on how competitors achieve similar or better functionality at lower cost.

Program Economics & Decision Support

• Collaborate with the Project Economics Manager to:
  • Monitor Design to Cost savings and track Value Engineering implementation.
  • Provide cost based insights for Chief Vehicle Engineer arbitration and major design decisions.
  • Support project convergence on vehicle TPC and vendor tooling investments.
• Bring structured cost and value insights to stakeholders to provoke early action and informed design trade‑offs.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or related education field (Degrees in Accounting, Finance, or Business considered with strong engineering exposure)
• A minimum of 8 years of experience in theautomotive industry, advanced manufacturing or related industries
• Strong understanding of automotive systems, vehicle architectures, and production processes
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional, technical discussions and influence design outcomes
• Data driven mindset with strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and Word

Preferred Qualifcations:

• Direct experience in Design to Cost, Value Engineering, and Value Analysis
• Experience linking functional requirements to cost drivers
• Background in vehicle cost, product engineering, or manufacturing engineering
• Ability to synthesize complex technical and cost data into clear recommendations for leadership