Value Optimization Engineer

Mission

Position Summary

Identify and implement cost and mass optimization opportunities across vehicle systems while maintaining vehicle performance, durability, safety, manufacturability, regulatory compliance, and customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

• VA/VE Leadership: Lead value-analysis and value-engineering (VA/VE) activities across major automotive domains.

• Competitive Benchmarking: Benchmark competitor designs, materials, features, specifications, manufacturing processes, and supplier solutions.

• Opportunity Identification: Develop fact-based cost, weight, complexity, and commonization opportunities supported by clear technical rationale.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Facilitate structured workshops with Engineering, Purchasing, Finance, Manufacturing, Quality, CAE, Validation, and Tier-1 suppliers.

• Engineering Assessment: Assess proposed design changes against performance, fatigue, NVH, corrosion, safety, homologation, serviceability, and warranty requirements.

• Business Case Development: Build robust business cases detailing piece cost, tooling, capital investment, validation, timing, implementation risk, and annualized net savings.

• Execution & Coordination: Coordinate feasibility studies, design changes, sourcing inputs, validation plans, and engineering implementation schedules.

• Pipeline Tracking: Track the opportunity pipeline from ideation through approval, validation, engineering release, and realized savings.

• Technical Reviews: Support teardown analysis, should-cost modeling, design-to-value (DtV) reviews, and lessons-learned documentation.

• Executive Communication: Present design recommendations, trade-offs, risk mitigation strategies, and decision requirements to program leadership.

Key Deliverables & Success Measures

• Validated cost and mass reduction opportunities

• Approved cross-functional business cases

• Clear, no-regret technical trade-off decisions

• On-time engineering release and implementation

• Realized financial savings while protecting vehicle quality and performance

Profile

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive, Manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline.

• Technical Depth: Strong understanding of vehicle components, vehicle attributes, automotive materials, manufacturing processes, and design validation methodologies.

• Relevant Experience: Practical background in value engineering, product cost optimization, design release, purchasing engineering, or competitive benchmarking.

• Analytical Skills: Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, test data, and supplier manufacturing assumptions.

• Business Acumen: Proficiency in structured problem-solving, financial business case development, and cross-functional workshop facilitation.

• Communication: Exceptional presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with teardown costing, should-cost tools, VA/VE workshops, or supplier technical cost reduction initiatives.

• Familiarity with NX, Teamcenter, PLM environments, cost databases, or lightweighting techniques.

• Vehicle launch experience along with a solid understanding of APQP/PPAP processes and engineering change control systems.

Core Competencies

• Technical Ownership & Accountability

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Structured Problem-Solving

• Quality Mindset & Customer Focus

• Clear Technical & Executive Communication

Location

LocationAddress

Auburn Hills, United States

Would you like to calculate the access time? Click here

Share this ad

• Share this ad on LinkedIn (new window)
• Share this ad on X (new window)
• Share this ad on Facebook (new window)
• Share this ad by email (new window)