Cost Engineer

Packaging and Containers Cost Specialist (Cost Engineer)

The Packaging and Containers Cost Specialist, also known as a Cost Engineer (CE), is responsible for developing, analyzing, and validating cost estimates and cost targets for logistics packaging systems. This role supports the Global Purchasing and Supply Chain (GPSC) Logistics and Packaging organization across returnable and expendable packaging, containers, engineered racks, dunnage, pallets, totes, and related material-handling solutions.

Responsibilities:

• Develop detailed, bottom-up should-cost estimates and target costs for returnable and expendable packaging, containers, engineered racks, dunnage, pallets, totes, and related logistics equipment.
• Analyze supplier quotations and commercial proposals; validate assumptions, identify cost gaps, and support fact-based negotiations with GPSC purchasing.
• Evaluate packaging concepts for material selection, design complexity, manufacturing processes, labor content, overhead, tooling, capital, maintenance, repair, packaging density, transportation, and total landed cost.
• Build cost models for common packaging processes, including steel fabrication, tube, stamping, machining, welding, fastening, coatings, plastics conversion, corrugated and expendable packaging production, dunnage assembly, and final packaging-system integration.
• Assess the financial impact of design changes, volume, capacity, regional manufacturing differences, commodity pricing, freight, return loops, packaging utilization, and supplier footprint.
• Partner with packaging and logistics engineers to identify cost-reduction opportunities while protecting part quality, ergonomics, safety, cube utilization, material flow, sustainability, and program timing.
• Serve as an active partner to the internal GPSC purchasing team by providing fair, competitive, and transparent cost targets.
• Support sourcing, supplier selection, design reviews, launch readiness, supplier performance discussions, and post-launch cost-improvement initiatives.
• Analyze, organize, and interpret large amounts of technical, operational, and financial data; condense findings into concise recommendations for cross-functional and leadership teams.
• Develop and maintain cost-estimating tools, databases, benchmarks, and process assumptions to improve consistency and speed across estimates.
• Communicate cost drivers, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to technical and nontechnical stakeholders across regional and global teams.
• Travel occasionally to supplier facilities, manufacturing locations, and other relevant sites to support cost reviews, process validation, launch activities, and sourcing collaboration.

Essential

Skills:

• Experience evaluating the financial impact of technical concepts and a comprehensive understanding of manufacturing and logistics processes.
• Experience developing or validating cost estimates, supplier quotations, should-cost models, target costs, or business cases for industrial products, packaging, containers, logistics equipment, or automotive components.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and assignments with a high degree of autonomy, organization, and accountability.
• Ability to lead change, resolve conflicts, and influence decisions without direct authority.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to address unique and complex cost or process challenges.
• Ability to assimilate large amounts of cost and operational data and clearly communicate conclusions, assumptions, and next steps to the broader team.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to build productive relationships with global team members, cross-functional partners, and suppliers.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office, including advanced Microsoft Excel capabilities; experience with Power BI or similar data-visualization tools.
• Ability to use or learn cost-estimating tools and systems.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally to support supplier and manufacturing-site activities.

Additional Skills &

Qualifications:

• At least five years of relevant experience in automotive cost estimating, packaging or container manufacturing, logistics engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing, product design, purchasing, supplier development, or a related field.
• Experience developing supplier quotations or cost breakdowns for an automotive OEM, Tier 1 supplier, Tier 2 supplier, packaging provider, or logistics service provider.
• Experience with packaging-system design, containerization, material flow, launch, plant operations, or supplier implementation in an automotive or industrial environment.
• Experience with returnable packaging, expendable packaging, engineered racks, dunnage, pallets, totes, bulk containers, and packaging repair or lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes used in packaging and containers, including metal forming, tube and wire forming, stamping, welding, cutting, machining, fastening, plastics conversion, corrugated…