Cost & Estimating Engineer — Custom Machinery

Connect-Force; Farmington Hills (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect Force is partnering with an established machinery manufacturer in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to recruit a mechanically minded Cost & Estimating Engineer. You will translate customer requirements and engineering concepts into accurate estimates and compelling proposals, guiding projects from concept to production.

This on-site, full-time role offers a starting base salary of $85,000–$95,000 and opportunities to influence bid strategy, collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams,

Qualifications

• Experience in cost engineering, estimating, or proposals for custom machinery or industrial equipment.
• Ability to interpret drawings, BOMs and customer specs to build quotes.
• Strong Excel and organized, detail-oriented approach required.

Responsibilities

• Develop cost estimates and quotations for custom machinery, tooling, equipment modifications, and related manufacturing projects.
• Review RFQs, specs, drawings, and project requirements to define scope and identify cost drivers.
• Estimate materials, purchased components, machining, fabrication, assembly, engineering hours, and outside services.
• Collaborate with engineering, controls, purchasing, production, and service teams to build complete estimates.
• Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations, lead times, and technical information.
• Prepare clear proposals outlining pricing, scope, assumptions, and exclusions.
• Identify missing information, risks, and opportunities to improve cost or manufacturability.
• Support transition from quotation to project execution so teams understand what was included.
• Compare estimated costs with actual project data to improve future quoting.

Skills

Cost engineering

Estimating

Proposal engineering

Applications engineering

Technical quoting

Excel

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Connect Force is partnering with an established machinery manufacturer in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to recruit a mechanically minded Cost & Estimating Engineer. You will translate customer requirements and engineering concepts into accurate estimates and compelling proposals, guiding projects from concept to production.

This on-site, full-time role offers a starting base salary of $85,000–$95,000 and opportunities to influence bid strategy, collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams,