Sr. Cost Specialist

Yazaki North America; Canton Charter Township (MI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

401K match

Tuition assistance

Generous holiday schedule

Job summary

Yazaki North America seeks a Sr. Cost Specialist in Canton, MI to accelerate cost reduction and safeguard margin. You will analyze supplier costs, support category management, and collaborate across supplier, engineering and business units in a hybrid work setting.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree and 5–10 years of automotive purchasing with cost engineering experience often preferred, plus travel up to 25% as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required.
• 5–10 years of automotive purchasing or similar experience.
• 5 years of cost engineering experience preferred.
• Travel up to 25% locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement processes, tools, and systems for cost engineering.
• Lead cost breakdown analyses and prepare supplier cost data.
• Support global category teams in cost reduction negotiations and proposals.
• Collaborate with supplier, engineering and other units to reduce cost drivers.

Skills

Cost engineering

Automotive purchasing

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Tools

SAP

SharePoint

Microsoft Office

Siemens TCPCM

Job description

Yazaki is a global leader in the research, development, and delivery of vehicle power and data solutions.

Yazaki works with virtually every major auto manufacturer globally, and we've strived to maintain strategic and stable growth throughout our 84-year history. Today, we're looking for energetic people with the potential to perform and the ability to strengthen - and thrive in - the positive work environment we pride ourselves on.

Location: Canton, MI, USA

What We Are Looking For

Yazaki is looking for a Sr. Cost Specialist to join our Purchasing team in Canton, MI. This person will accelerate cost reduction necessary to compensate for revenue shortfalls and maintain margin. They will be responsible for calculating cost while analyzing supplier cost structures, manufacturing, and logistic processes. Additionally, they will support category management in fact-based negotiations and leverage supplier capabilities in cost-reduction efforts, and collaborate with supplier, engineering, and other business units to challenge and eliminate cost drivers in supply chain and product design. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a collaborative and action-driven environment making lasting impacts on the organization. This position is hybrid.

What You Will Be Doing

• Design and implement all processes, tools, and systems necessary.
• Support the roll out of cost engineering globally
• Lead and support preparation of cost break downs for bottom up calculation, and evaluate cost break down sheets and cost analysis.
• Prepare data to identify measures for cost reduction of purchased parts in alignment with manager or functional expert.
• Support regional and global category teams with analysis and counterproposals to negotiate and challenge supplier market driven price increase requests
• Evaluate, benchmark, and maintain data of supplier rate commitment cards.
• Conduct supplier VA/VE, VSM and cost reduction workshops to improve competitiveness of suppliers based on selected KPI's.
• Support engineering to reduce cost through standardization of specifications as well as through reduction of complexity.
• Identify, evaluate & deploy cost reduction projects along the entire end-to-end product realization process.
• Encourage and challenge suppliers to submit cost saving proposals to achieve overall cost reduction of products and services purchased and as a result improve competitiveness.
• Prepare cost estimates for purchased components and tools for new business during RFQ phase as well as for running business.
• Lead interdisciplinary teams with the target to reduce complexity and total cost of ownership
• Collect, verify, track, and implement resulting cost reduction initiatives.
• Report savings opportunities and achievements (pipeline) to budget owner
• Present key projects to senior management.
• C02 Emissions, calculations, and reporting
• Develop tool cost estimates from ground up
• Work with our Purchasing leads long with Customer Costing and Sales teams to ensure tool budgets are reasonable and achievable

What You Will Bring To The Table

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• 5-10 years of previous automotive purchasing or similar experience
• 5 years of previous experience with cost engineering preferred
• Spanish language preferred, Japanese language encouraged
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and SharePoint with SAP and Siemens TCPCM encouraged
• Travel: <25% local, regional, national, and international
• Ability to resolve issues by applying creative thinking
• Ability to think and act logically under pressure
• Ability to resolve issues or propose resolutions to responsible parties
• Must work independently and collaboratively
• Key Competencies: active learning, analytical thinking and problem solving, customer orientation, results orientation and execution, initiative, and teamwork

What We Can Provide You

• A safe collaborative learning work environment that stimulates creativity and exploration
• Diverse teams of experts
• Resources from around the globe
• Supportive leadership and team members to help you do your best work
• Opportunities for professional growth
• Competitive compensation and benefits package including incentive compensation, 401K match, tuition assistance and a generous holiday schedule
• A hybrid work schedule

Yazaki North America is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, handicap, veteran status, or other legally protected status or characteristic. Equal opportunity extends to all aspects of the employment relationship. Yazaki North America complies with federal and state equal employment opportunity laws and strives to keep the workplace free from all forms of harassment.