Cost Estimator – Manufacturing

Pertinent Information: Full-time, direct hire position. Ideal candidate is one who has both a technical/engineering mindset but also strong grasp of finance. Full details to be provided at time of interview.

Wage: $65,000 – $90,000/year – depending on experience. Intermediate candidates can expect to be within the $65-75K range – while more experienced candidates can expect to be within the $80-90K range. Comprehensive benefits package included.

Location: Oldcastle, ON.

Job Description

The Cost Estimator is responsible for supporting the quoting and commercial activities of new business opportunities and engineering changes. The successful candidate will work closely with Sales, Program Management, Engineering, Purchasing, Manufacturing and Operations to develop accurate cost estimates, customer quotations and supporting documentation for automotive injection molding and assembly programs.

Key responsibilities include the following, but not limited to:

New Business RFQ Support

• Review customer RFQ packages with the Manager and identify any concerns, risks or missing information required to complete the quotation.
• Review customer CAD models, engineering drawings, specifications and technical requirements.
• Generate and maintain Program Summary documentation for all assigned quote opportunities.
• Distribute quote requests to approved commodity suppliers and collect supporting cost information.
• Develop internal cost calculation models including material, labour, machine, tooling, overhead and purchased component costs.
• Prepare customer quotation packages, cost breakdown forms and supporting commercial documentation
• Prepare and submit completed quotations and supporting analysis to the Manager for review and incorporate feedback as required.

Engineering Change Quoting

• Review ECN requests received from Program Management and identify any concerns or missing information.
• Analyze commercial impacts associated with engineering changes, including tooling, material, labour, and processing requirements.
• Update customer cost breakdown forms and internal costing documentation to reflect approved changes.
• Prepare and submit completed ECN quote responses to the Manager and Program Manager for final review, customer submission and follow-up.

Pricing & Commercial Support

• Support the maintenance and updating of the Master Pricing Summary and related commercial tracking tools.
• Assist in maintaining accurate cost databases, machine rates, labour rates and supplier pricing information.
• Support quote revisions, customer negotiations and commercial analysis as required.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Sales, Program Management, Engineering, Purchasing, Manufacturing and Finance teams to ensure accurate and competitive quotations.
• Attend and support weekly APQP meetings to provide commercial updates and review program status.
• Support departmental initiatives focused on process improvement, quote accuracy, efficiency and standardization
• Work closely with the Manager to identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities within the Cost Estimating function

Qualifications

• Minimum three (3) years of experience in automotive cost estimating, quoting, program management, etc
• Experience with injection molding, assembly operations, tooling, and automotive manufacturing processes preferred
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, CAD data and customer specifications
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other MS Office applications
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively in a cross-functional