Cost Engineer — LV/MV Switchboards & Switchgear

Giga Energy; Georgia; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Giga Energy is seeking a Cost Engineer for LV/MV switchboards and switchgear to own cost analysis from components to full lineups. You’ll build should-cost, landed cost models, lead tariff engineering, and drive design-to-cost with Engineering, Sourcing, Finance, and Sales.

As we scale toward a large deployment, you’ll ensure cost-competitive products and provide cost data to negotiate effectively. Expect approximately 15% travel and full-time onsite work in Houston, with bi-weekly WFH Fridays.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years in cost engineering, should-cost analysis, product costing, or value engineering in electrical equipment, industrial, or heavy manufacturing.
• Direct experience costing LV switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, MCCs, or similar power distribution equipment.
• Working knowledge of breaker, busbar, and enclosure cost drivers, plus copper and steel commodity pricing.
• Strong grasp of manufacturing processes including sheet metal fabrication, busbar fabrication, welding, painting and powder coating, and electrical assembly and wiring.
• Hands-on experience building true landed cost models for globally sourced components and products.
• Working knowledge of HTS classification, country-of-origin rules, USMCA, and Section 232/301 tariffs, with experience applying them to cut duty cost.
• Experience measuring and reducing cost of quality in a manufacturing environment.
• Track record of building should-cost and parametric cost models and delivering measurable cost reductions through design-to-cost and VA/VE.
• Ability to read electrical schematics, single-line diagrams, BOMs, and mechanical drawings (GD&T).
• Advanced Excel modeling skills, and comfort with ERP systems for BOM, routing, and cost data.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to present cost findings clearly to Engineering, Sourcing, Quality, Finance, and leadership.
• Ability to travel about 15%.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain should-cost and parametric cost models for LV switchboards and MV switchgear, covering breakers, busbar, enclosures, structural fabrications, wiring, instrument transformers, relays, and labor, and estimating cost by ampacity, voltage class, breaker count, section count, and options.
• Break down supplier quotes into material, labor, overhead, and margin to find cost gaps and negotiation targets.
• Maintain cost roll-ups and BOM costing, and partner with Finance on standard costs and variance analysis.
• Build and own true landed cost models for components, subassemblies, and finished products, covering ex-works price, freight, insurance, duties and tariffs, brokerage, port and drayage fees, payment terms, inventory carrying cost, and quality and warranty exposure.
• Compare total landed cost across suppliers, regions (US, Mexico, Asia), and Incoterms, model the effect of copper and steel indices, tariffs, and freight volatility, and make landed cost the standard basis for sourcing awards and make-vs-buy decisions.
• Lead tariff engineering for LV and MV products and components, cutting duty exposure through HTS classification, country-of-origin strategy, and design or assembly changes.
• Assess substantial transformation, USMCA qualification, and regional value content, and build mitigation scenarios for Section 232, Section 301, and other tariff exposure across the BOM.
• Evaluate duty-reduction programs such as Foreign Trade Zones, duty drawback, and tariff exclusions with Trade Compliance, Finance, and customs brokers, and make sure strategies are compliant and documented.
• Build and own the cost of quality framework with the Quality team, covering prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure.
• Quantify the cost of supplier quality issues, support supplier chargeback and recovery programs, and lead cross-functional initiatives to reduce the biggest cost of quality drivers.
• Build cost of quality into supplier selection and sourcing decisions so low-price, high-defect suppliers get scored accurately.
• Partner with Electrical and Mechanical Engineering on design-to-cost targets for new products and configurations.
• Lead VA/VE workshops on busbar optimization, material and gauge choices, part standardization, platform commonality, and fabrication-friendly design.
• Quantify the cost impact of engineering changes, component substitutions, and alternate suppliers before they are approved.
• Give Sourcing should-cost targets, cost breakdowns, and total cost of ownership comparisons for breakers, metals, fabrication, and electrical components, and validate savings from supplier cost-reduction programs.
• Work with Sales and Applications Engineering on cost estimates for quotes and custom configurations, analyze margin by product, configuration, and customer, and track actual vs. estimated costs on delivered projects.
• Build labor standards and routing-based cost estimates with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations.
• Own the LV and MV cost reduction roadmap and report on cost performance, landed cost, tariff exposure, cost of quality, savings pipeline, and margin trends to leadership.
• Build cost tools, templates, and databases that scale with our product portfolio.

Skills

Advanced Excel modeling

Analytical & communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering

Tools

aPriori costing software

ERP systems for BOM, routing & cost data

Job description

Giga Energy is seeking a Cost Engineer for LV/MV switchboards and switchgear to own cost analysis from components to full lineups. You’ll build should-cost, landed cost models, lead tariff engineering, and drive design-to-cost with Engineering, Sourcing, Finance, and Sales.

As we scale toward a large deployment, you’ll ensure cost-competitive products and provide cost data to negotiate effectively. Expect approximately 15% travel and full-time onsite work in Houston, with bi-weekly WFH Fridays.