Senior Consultant – VAVE Program

Senior Consultant – VAVE Program

Location:

Cottage Grove, MN (Each location to be visited once. USA (CA, NE, ND, NC, OH) and Tijuana (Mexico). May add few more locations.)

Onsite/Hybrid/Remote:
Hybrid

Duration: 3 Months

Role

Summary:

The Senior VAVE Consultant will lead, anchor, and execute the end-to-end VAVE program directly at the supplier's facility for Industrial products. This role ensures that the supplier generates credible, feasible, and implementable cost-reduction ideas without compromising quality, reliability, performance, or regulatory compliance. Consultant will work closely with the Program Manager, the client's cross-functional teams, and the supplier's cross-functional teams to ensure the program delivers validated savings.

• VAVE Strategy, Planning Alignment
• Translate client expectations, product scope, and savings targets into a structured VAVE execution roadmap for the supplier.
• Establish clear governance, cadence, workshop plans, and decision gates for supplier-side execution.
• Ensure supplier leadership and cross-functional teams (Design, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality etc.,) are aligned, resourced, and accountable.
• Define VAVE work streams: material, design, process, standardization, and specification optimization.
• Technical Analysis Baseline Preparation
• Review supplier's current product cost structure, BOM, routing, manufacturing processes, tooling.
• Perform structured analyses: functional analysis, cost driver mapping, tear-down insights, benchmarking, alternate material/process feasibility.
• Identify major value levers and prioritize high-impact VAVE zones.
• Facilitation of Workshops Ideation Sessions
• Lead and facilitate on-site VAVE workshops using industry-standard methods (FAST, DFMA, 7-step VAVE, idea funneling etc.,).
• Drive supplier participation, ensuring ideas originate from their teams.
• Promote creative but practical ideation, leveraging benchmarks and cross-industry best practices.
• Maintain a traceable idea register.
• Technical Cost Feasibility Development
• Guide supplier engineers in developing VAVE concepts to a technically defensible level.
• Review supplier calculations: BOM impact, Labor/cycle time changes, Tooling implications, Yield and scrap effects, Supply chain and logistics impacts
• Ensure savings assumptions are realistic, evidence-backed, and auditable.
• Coordinate supplier's risk assessments (DFMEA/PFMEA updates).
• Validation Planning Coordination
• Work with supplier teams to define prototype, test, and qualification needs for each shortlisted idea.
• Coordinate trials, PPAP/FAI readiness, and supplier internal testing.
• Ensure ideas meet client's quality, regulatory, safety, and performance standards.
• Reporting, Documentation Stakeholder Management
• Maintain up-to-date documentation—idea funnel, business cases, risks, decisions, and validation progress.
• Provide weekly progress reports to the Program Manager with clear risks, dependencies, and decisions needed.
• Present VAVE outputs to client engineering, procurement, and leadership stakeholders.
• Drive alignment between supplier and client during reviews.
• Implementation Readiness Handover
• Ensure ideas approved by client are ready for implementation (complete drawings, process updates, validation evidence).
• Support supplier to prepare implementation timelines, investment requests, and transition plans.
• Ensure a clean handover into implementation tracking.

Experience:

15+ years in VAVE/Value Engineering, NPD, Manufacturing Engineering, Cost Reduction, or Industrial Engineering. Proven experience leading VAVE programs at tier-1 or tier-2 suppliers in relevant industries (electro-mechanical, industrial, automotive, electronics, consumer products, etc.). Strong background in product cost breakdown, design-for-manufacture/assembly, and manufacturing processes.

Technical

Skills:

Deep understanding of BOM, cost modeling, manufacturing processes, tooling, materials, and supply chain economics. Skilled in structured VAVE tools and methodologies: FAST diagrams, DFMA, Tear-down/value analysis, Benchmarking, Cost driver modeling Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, engineering change documents.

Behavioral

Skills:

Strong workshop facilitation and cross-functional leadership. Excellent stakeholder management across supplier teams and client teams. Able to handle conflicts, push for accountability, and maintain neutrality. High clarity in communication, documentation, and presentations.

• VAVE roadmap execution plan
• Baseline cost analysis teardown insights
• VAVE workshop outputs and idea funnel
• Technical and commercial feasibility packs
• Savings validation documents
• Risk register, validation plan
• Final VAVE report for client approval
• Implementation readiness package