Senior Product Costing Engineer

Blue Bird, Michigan
1040 E Maple Rd
Troy, MI 48083, USA

Blue Bird, Michigan
1040 E Maple Rd
Troy, MI 48083, USA

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation.

The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio,  .

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Product Cost Engineer is responsible for developing and executing the product cost strategy for a next-generation commercial chassis platform from concept through production launch. This role owns engineering cost modeling, design-to-cost execution, value analysis/value engineering (VA/VE), design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA), and cost optimization across the complete vehicle. Working alongside Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Strategic Sourcing, this position ensures cost objectives are achieved without compromising safety, quality, reliability, manufacturability, or vehicle performance.

This engineer will influence vehicle architecture, supplier selection, manufacturing processes, and engineering decisions by providing data-driven cost analyses, technical trade studies, and design recommendations throughout the product lifecycle.

This is a high-impact role for an experienced engineer who thrives in ambiguity, challenges conventional thinking, and wants meaningful ownership over one of the primary drivers of program profitability and launch success.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Product Cost Ownership:
  Own product cost development, tracking, and optimization across the complete commercial chassis platform from concept through production launch.
• Design-to-Cost Strategy:
  Establish and drive design-to-cost objectives by partnering with engineering teams to balance cost, performance, quality, manufacturability, durability, and customer requirements.
• Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VA/VE):
  Lead VA/VE activities to identify cost reduction opportunities through design optimization, material selection, process improvements, supplier innovation, and product simplification.
• Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFM/DFA):
  Drive DFM/DFA principles throughout product development to improve manufacturability, reduce assembly complexity, minimize labor content, and improve production efficiency.
• Cost Modeling & Trade Studies:
  Develop detailed component, subsystem, and vehicle-level cost models to support architecture decisions, supplier sourcing strategies, make-versus-buy analyses, and engineering trade-offs.
• Cross-Functional Cost Leadership:
  Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Development, Quality, Finance, and Program Management to ensure technical decisions support program cost objectives.
• Supplier Cost
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Work directly with suppliers to evaluate technical proposals, identify cost reduction opportunities, benchmark competitive solutions, and support commercial negotiations through engineering analysis.
• Product Change Cost Analysis:
  Evaluate engineering changes for piece cost, tooling investment, manufacturing impact, lifecycle cost, warranty exposure, and overall business case.
• Manufacturing & Launch Support:
  Support prototype builds, manufacturing launch, and early production by identifying cost optimization opportunities while maintaining production readiness and launch timing.
• Continuous Cost Improvement:
  Establish ongoing cost reduction roadmaps throughout product development and production while maintaining product performance, quality, and customer expectations.
• Operate in Ambiguity:
  Create structure and drive execution where product definitions, supplier strategies, manufacturing…