Director, Product Cost Strategy and Forecasting

Responsibilities

• Forecasting and Methodology
• Support and coach relevant technology teams and cost owners in the development of an enterprise-wide cost forecasting framework
• Develop and maintain parameterized cost models across major domains
• Define and document cost estimation methodologies, inputs, and governance processes
• Establish and manage a regular forecasting cadence
• Collaborate with Engineering and other technical cost owners
• Partner with Finance, Accounting, and FP&A
• Work with the Cost Accounting Manager
• Collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing teams
• Coordinate with the Strategy team and FP&A
• Foster strong communication and data-sharing practices
• Develop learning-curve and scaling frameworks
• Conduct sensitivity and scenario analyses
• Analyze cost trends, anomalies, and one-time events
• Provide data-driven recommendations
• Support internal pricing and contracting discussions
• Reporting and Communication
• Develop and maintain reporting tools
• Translate complex cost analyses
• Prepare and deliver presentations and summaries
• Ensure cost transparency
• Collaborate with FP&A, Accounting, and Strategy
• Team Leadership
• Build and lead a small team
• Foster a culture of rigor, transparency, and continuous improvement
• Establish clear development paths
• Collaborate with leaders across Engineering, Finance, and Manufacturing
• Encourage innovation in modeling methods, data integration, and visualization

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering, Corporate Finance or related discipline required
• Advanced degree in Engineering or Corporate Finance preferred
• 10+ years of experience in cost forecasting, cost engineering, or manufacturing finance, including a minimum of five years in a leadership role
• Experience at a manufacturer or hardware developer within the past five years
• Proven track record of developing and managing cost forecasting systems for complex engineered products or large-scale manufacturing programs
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in developing detailed cost and financial models
• Ability to integrate technical, operational, and financial data to support decision-making
• Exceptional communication skills and experience presenting to executive stakeholders
• Familiarity with ERP systems such as NetSuite or Oracle and advanced Excel modeling capability
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment and managing multiple priorities simultaneously