Cost Estimator

DIRECT Staffing Solutions; Michigan; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

DIRECT Staffing Solutions seeks a cost estimator for automotive interior programs in Michigan. After initial training you will operate in a hybrid role with 3 days in the office and 2 days remote, supporting quotes for new programs and major changes.

You will interpret BOMs and drawings, develop manufacturing and labor plans, and analyze costs to ensure competitive quotes across multiple locations. Strong analytical skills and PE/ME are highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree a plus.
• Automotive manufacturing background required.
• Experience with automotive interiors plastic products and complex manufacturing processes.
• Experience preparing cost estimates for new programs and large-scale engineering changes.
• 5–8 years of cost estimation experience.
• Travel: up to 5% to US plants.

Responsibilities

• Prepare cost estimates for new program quotations and large-scale engineering changes; deliverables include piece price, tooling, capital equipment, process flows and design time.
• Interpret engineering BOMs, drawings and models to understand part requirements.
• Develop manufacturing and labor plans with understanding of process capabilities across locations.
• Determine baseline cycle times based on equipment or labor bottlenecks; assess total manufacturing hours and impacts on operations.
• Assist updating plant layouts for quotes; understand material flow, capacity, WIP, and capital equipment footprints.
• Maintain and update capacity by equipment and plant location.
• Analyze internal and external costs to ensure quote accuracy and competitiveness.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Purchasing, Sales, Manufacturing, Plant and Corporate teams; present business cases to exec mgmt.

Skills

Strong analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Engineering background (PE/ME)

Cross-functional collaboration

AutoCAD familiarity

Cost estimating

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

PE or ME license

Tools

AutoCAD

Excel

Job description

Job Description

This will be a hybrid role after the initial training period, 3 days in the office and 2 days remote

Primary Roles/Responsibilities:

Responsible for preparing cost estimates for new program quotations and large-scale engineering changes. Quotation deliverables include the following: piece price, tooling, capital equipment, process flows and engineering/design time.

Interpret engineering BOM’s, drawings and models to fully understand part requirements.

Responsible for developing manufacturing and labor plans with a full understanding of process capabilities in several manufacturing locations.

Determine baseline cycle times based on equipment or labor bottlenecks, understand total manufacturing hours and impacts to operations.

Assist with updating plant layouts for quotes. Understand material flow, current capacity, WIP requirements, capital equipment footprints.

Maintain and update capacity by piece of equipment and plant location.

Analysis of internal and external costs to ensure quote accuracy and competitiveness.

Cross functional collaboration with Purchasing, Sales, Manufacturing, Plant and Corporate teams

Ability to present business cases to executive management clearly and concisely ensuring all financial metrics are at or exceeding corporate targets.

Products/industry to be estimated will include: automotive interiors

Key Must Have’s:

Bachelor’s degree mandatory, Master’s degree a huge plus.

Must have automotive manufacturing background.

Must have strong knowledge of automotive interiors plastic product structures, injected plastics or very complex manufacturing commodities and manufacturing processes.

Must know how to prepare and cost for new program quotations and large-scale engineering changes. Quotation deliverables include the following: piece price, tooling, capital equipment, process flows and engineering/design time.

5 - 8 years’ experience +/- :

• Candidate should be able to develop a costed bill of material.
• Candidate should also have the ability to interpret engineering data in various forms; i.e., drawings, CAD data, hand-sketches, BOMs, in order to understand part requirements, etc.
• Candidate must have a understanding of labor routings and variable/fixed overhead structure cost drivers.
• Be able to develop manufacturing and labor plans with a full understanding of process capabilities in several manufacturing locations.
• Determine baseline cycle times based on equipment or labor bottlenecks, understand total manufacturing hours and impacts to operations.
• Needs to understand how to put together manufacturing plans, plant capacity during quote phase, skilled in capital requestion, tooling requisition, mfg labor, labor takt time, how to mfg part and what is all needed to do that, etc. in order to be prepared for quotes that they are bidding and then winning.
• Be able to maintain and update capacity by piece of equipment and plant location.
• Candidate must be able to function well within a cross functional team in order to develop final product costing.

• Strong analytical skills in terms of business case development to quote stage.
• Must have a strong engineering background (PE or ME).
• Must have a understanding of labor routings and variable/fixed overhead structure cost drivers.
• Must be able to function well within a cross functional team in order to develop final product costing.
• Previous interiors costing estimation experience.
• Business/finance background.
• Travel: Yes, 5%, To plants in the USA, as needed.

Current process is all manual and done in excel.

Any AutoCAD background is preferred in terms of looking at cad data.

Strong focus with interpersonal skill set, working with teams of people, good communication and good follow up skills from mfg, plant personnel, other dept so that they can pull the whole financial picture

Will look at the customer request and need to take in all the manufacturing “needs” for it like Safety, SCAFF, Pain points in mfg plan and estimate with that in mind.

SCAFF is an internal project code for:

• Build preparation
• Prototype assembly
• Production launch activities
• Temporary assembly f