Principal Costing Engineer

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Full Time Professional Auburn Hills, MI, US

2 days ago Requisition

Making the Improbable
Profitable.

The Opportunity

Munro & Associates is seeking a highly experienced Principal Costing Engineer with experience in manufacturing cost engineering, cost estimation, or related technical disciplines. This individual contributor role requires extensive expertise in tooling cost estimation, manufacturing economics, and cost modeling, along with the ability to evaluate global market conditions and geopolitical factors that influence manufacturing costs and business competitiveness.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical knowledge with strategic thinking, business acumen, and the ability to independently develop cost assessments and present actionable recommendations to clients and leadership. This individual will evaluate cost structures, identify key cost drivers, benchmark manufacturing economics, and assess opportunities to improve cost competitiveness.

About Munro & Associates

With over 35 years of industry experience, Munro & Associates is an engineering consulting firm that helps companies rethink how products are designed, developed, and manufactured. Known for its design-first approach and Lean Design® methodology, Munro partners with organizations across a wide range of industries to reduce costs, improve design and quality, and simplify production.

Through engineering expertise, product teardown and benchmarking, cost analysis, and manufacturing optimization, Munro helps clients solve complex challenges and turn innovative ideas into practical, measurable results. Our team thrives on curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement, working on diverse projects that push the boundaries of engineering and technology.

At munro, you'll work alongside experienced professionals on diverse projects, applying your expertise to solve real-world problems and help clients build better products at lower cost.

What You’ll Do

• Develop detailed cost estimates and cost models for tooling, manufacturing processes, equipment, and related production requirements.
• Evaluate tooling costs, including design considerations, materials, fabrication methods, manufacturing complexity, production volumes, and supplier economics.
• Analyze product and manufacturing cost structures to identify key cost drivers, cost-reduction opportunities, and potential inefficiencies.
• Assess Munro & Associates' cost position and competitiveness relative to industry benchmarks, suppliers, manufacturing regions, and global market conditions.
• Evaluate the impact of geopolitical developments, tariffs, trade restrictions, labor markets, supply chain disruptions, and regional manufacturing strategies on cost and sourcing decisions.
• Conduct independent research and analysis to validate cost assumptions, compare manufacturing alternatives, and develop accurate, defensible cost estimates.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost accuracy, estimation methodologies, and overall cost transparency.
• Translate complex technical, financial, and economic information into clear, actionable recommendations for clients, internal stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Present findings and recommendations confidently to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, and consulting teams to support cost assessments and strategic business decisions.
• Monitor emerging manufacturing technologies, material pricing, tooling methods, and global economic trends that may affect cost competitiveness.
• Demonstrate Munro & Associates' core values of Integrity, Competency, and Collaboration.

What You’ll Bring

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant professional experience in manufacturing cost engineering, cost estimation, should-cost analysis, or a closely related technical discipline; 20+ years preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in tooling cost estimation, including tooling design, construction, materials, fabrication methods, manufacturing complexity, and lifecycle costs.
• Extensive understanding of manufacturing processes, production economics, and the relationship between engineering decisions and total cost.
• Proven experience developing, validating, and presenting detailed cost models, benchmarks, and independent cost assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate global cost…