Cost Engineer, LV Switchboards & MV Switchgear

Giga Energy; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Giga Energy in Houston is seeking a Cost Engineer for LV/MV switchboards to own cost analysis from components to full lineups. You will build should-cost and true landed cost models, lead tariff engineering, and drive design-to-cost with Engineering while measuring and reducing cost of quality across the supply chain.

As we scale toward a 500MW deployment, you will provide data to Sourcing for negotiations and support Sales and Finance with margin insights, traveling ~15% to supplier sites and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in cost engineering, should-cost analysis, or value engineering in electrical equipment/industrial manufacturing.
• Direct experience costing LV switchboards, switchgear, or similar power distribution equipment.
• Working knowledge of HTS classification, USMCA, and tariffs with cost-reduction applications.
• Experience building landed cost models for BOMs, subassemblies, and finished products.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain should-cost and parametric cost models for LV switchboards and MV switchgear, covering components and labor.
• Break down supplier quotes into material, labor, overhead, and margin to identify cost gaps.
• Maintain cost roll-ups and BOM costing; partner with Finance on standard costs and variance analysis.
• Build true landed cost models for components and finished products, including duties, freight, and insurance.
• Lead tariff engineering and assess HTS classifications to cut duty exposure.
• Collaborate with Sales, Finance, and Engineering on cost estimates for quotes and configurations.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Cost engineering

Excel modeling

Reading electrical schematics

VA/VE workshops

Education

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

Tools

aPriori

Job description

What you’ll do

Giga is seeking a Cost Engineer, LV Switchboards & MV Switchgear to own cost analysis for our power distribution products, from individual components to complete lineups. You will build should-cost and true landed cost models, lead tariff engineering, drive design-to-cost and value engineering with Engineering, and measure and reduce cost of quality across our supply chain. You will give Sourcing the cost data it needs to negotiate, and help Sales and Finance understand true product cost and margin by configuration. As we scale toward a 500MW deployment pipeline, this role makes sure every switchboard and switchgear lineup we build is cost-competitive and that we know exactly where every dollar goes.

Where you’ll work

Velocity matters when you are building physical infrastructure, and the best decisions happen in the room. This role is based in our Houston office, with full-time onsite expectations outside of bi-weekly WFH Fridays, and travel of 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 (alternate origin, alternate materials, kit vs. assembled import, final assembly location).
• 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 (scrap, rework, line stoppages), and external failure (field failures, warranty, site rework).
• 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, and evaluate make-vs-buy for busbar, enclosures, wiring harnesses, and subassemblies.
• 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.

Requirements

• 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%.

Bonus points

• Experience with costing software (e.g., aPriori).