Cost Engineer

East Trailers LLC; Kentucky; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Job summary

East Trailers LLC in Kentucky is seeking a Cost Engineer to support cost transparency and continuous improvement within our manufacturing team. You will partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Finance to analyze costs, drive cost reduction, and improve reporting accuracy through data-driven analysis.

In this role, you will monitor costs and KPIs, support inventory accuracy, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify process improvements and waste elimination.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field.
• 1–3 years of experience in manufacturing cost engineering, production engineering, industrial engineering, or process improvement.
• Experience analyzing manufacturing costs, cost variances, and production KPIs.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyze manufacturing costs, variances, and recommend corrective actions.
• Identify and support cost reduction initiatives across manufacturing operations.
• Monitor production KPIs, labor efficiency, and material utilization to improve operational performance.
• Support inventory accuracy through cycle counts, physical inventories, reconciliations, and obsolete inventory analysis.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to identify process improvement opportunities and eliminate waste.
• Participate in continuous improvement and capital projects by providing cost analysis and project support.
• Support internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance initiatives.
• Provide actionable cost insights that support operational and financial decision-making.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field

Tools

Excel

Power BI

ERP systems

Job description

We are looking for a Cost Engineer to join our manufacturing team and help drive cost transparency, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.

In this role, you will partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Finance to analyze manufacturing costs, identify savings opportunities, improve reporting accuracy, and support strategic business decisions through data-driven analysis.

What you'll do

• Analyze manufacturing costs, identify variances, and recommend corrective actions.
• Identify and support cost reduction initiatives across manufacturing operations.
• Monitor production KPIs, labor efficiency, and material utilization to improve operational performance.
• Support inventory accuracy through cycle counts, physical inventories, reconciliations, and obsolete inventory analysis.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to identify process improvement opportunities and eliminate waste.
• Participate in continuous improvement and capital projects by providing cost analysis and project support.
• Support internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance initiatives.
• Provide actionable cost insights that support operational and financial decision-making.

What we're looking for

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
• 1–3 years of experience in manufacturing cost engineering, production engineering, industrial engineering, or process improvement.
• Experience analyzing manufacturing costs, cost variances, and production KPIs.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Advanced Excel skills (Pivot Tables, Power Query); Power BI is a plus.
• Experience working with ERP systems.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or Value Stream Mapping is preferred.
• Ability to collaborate across Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Finance in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.