Cost Estimator Engineer

The Cost Estimating Engineer develops manufacturing cost estimates for new business pursuits, engineering changes, and production programs. This position translates drawings, specifications, and statements of work into detailed labor, material, tooling, and outside-processing content, and prepares the supporting basis of estimate documentation required for government and prime contractor proposals. Based at the West Point manufacturing facility, the role works directly with manufacturing engineering, production, supply chain, and quality to build estimates that reflect how ND Defense will actually produce the part, and provides that cost content to Finance and Contracts for rate application and proposal assembly.

General Responsibilities

• Review customer drawings, models, specifications, statements of work, and RFQ packages to define the scope of work to be estimated, and identify missing or conflicting requirements before quoting.
• Develop detailed manufacturing cost estimates covering direct labor hours by operation, material and raw stock, purchased components, outside processing, tooling and fixturing, non-recurring engineering, and first article and qualification costs.
• Build and maintain routings, work center assignments, cycle times, setup times, and yield and scrap assumptions in coordination with manufacturing engineering; apply time study, MTM, or MOST-based labor standards where available and document the method used where standards do not yet exist.
• Validate estimating assumptions on the floor by observing actual operations, conducting time studies, and confirming with production supervision that assumed methods and manning are achievable at the quantities being quoted.
• Prepare written basis of estimate documentation that ties every element of cost to a source, whether historical actuals, quoted price, engineering judgment, or a published standard, in a form that will withstand customer and government review.
• Provide unburdened cost content and supporting detail to Finance and Contracts for application of approved rates, factors, and fee, and support their assembly of proposal cost volumes consistent with customer instructions and FAR 15.408 Table 15-2 requirements. Rate development, burden application, and pricing decisions remain with Finance and Contracts.
• Solicit and analyze supplier quotations with supply chain, evaluate make-versus-buy alternatives, and perform price and cost analysis to support supplier selection recommendations.
• Support fact-finding, audit requests, and negotiation by producing backup detail and written responses on the technical and labor content of the estimate.
• Maintain estimate records, cost history, and estimating templates so that prior estimates are traceable and reusable, and support the documentation practices expected of a compliant estimating system under DFARS 252.215-7002.
• Perform variance analysis comparing estimated to actual cost on completed and in-process work, identify root causes of significant variances, and feed findings back into future estimates and labor standards.
• Support should-cost, value engineering, and cost reduction studies, including analysis of alternate materials, processes, tooling approaches, and production volumes.
• Develop estimates for engineering change proposals, requests for equitable adjustment, and production rate changes, including the effect on tooling, capacity, and learning curve position.
• Extract and analyze cost, routing, and production data from Infor LN and shop floor systems, and work with IT and manufacturing engineering to improve the accuracy of the underlying data.
• Present estimates and assumptions to internal leadership review, clearly identifying risk, contingency, and the ranges within which the estimate is valid.
• Contribute to capital justification and capacity analysis by providing cost and labor content for new equipment, new work, and facility decisions.
• Maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, competition-sensitive, and controlled information, and comply with ND Defense export control, cybersecurity, and quality system requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field. Equivalent combination of education and directly applicable estimating experience will be considered.
• 3-5 years of cost estimating, manufacturing engineering, or industrial engineering experience in a machining, fabrication, welding, or assembly environment.
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, weld symbols, and material and process specifications.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes relevant to ND Defense, including machining, plate fabrication, forming, welding, surface finishing, and mechanical assembly.
• Experience developing labor standards and cycle times through time study or a predetermined motion time system.
• Advanced Excel skills, including the ability to build and audit multi-tab cost models. Experience with an ERP system, preferably Infor LN, and with extracting and validating cost and routing data.
• Familiarity with government contracting cost principles, including FAR Part 31 allowability concepts and the proposal support expectations of FAR Part 15. Prior experience supporting DCAA or DCMA reviews is preferred.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to document assumptions clearly enough that a reviewer outside the company can follow the logic.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues at other locations and to represent plant capability accurately to teams that are not on site.
• Must be able to satisfy ND Defense export control requirements applicable to ITAR-controlled technical data.

Preferred

• Defense, aerospace, or heavy vehicle industry experience, particularly tactical wheeled vehicles or shipbuilding subcontract work.
• Experience with AS9100 or ISO 9001 quality systems and with first article inspection requirements.
• ASPE, AACE, or SCEA/ICEAA certification, or similar credential.

Essential Functions

The physical demands described below are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer.
• Regular presence on the manufacturing floor to observe operations, conduct time studies, and verify process assumptions, including exposure to noise, dust, temperature variation, and moving equipment, with required personal protective equipment.
• Ability to move about the plant, including stairs and uneven surfaces, and to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to hear and communicate clearly in a production environment.
• Specific vision abilities including close vision and the ability to review detailed drawings and data on screen and in print.