Job Title: Product Cost Manager Advanced Robotics PlatformsJob DescriptionThe Product Cost Manager owns the bill of material (BOM) cost for advanced robotic platforms from first prototype through high-volume production. In this role, you establish and defend the single source of truth on product cost, build robust should-cost models, and drive the roadmap from current cost to target cost. You work upstream with design and engineering while geometry and process intent are still being defined, and downstream with sourcing and manufacturing to convert cost strategy into awarded parts at target. You serve as the authoritative voice on product cost to leadership and clearly explain every cost element and movement.Responsibilities
- Own total product cost at the BOM line level across all robotic platforms, maintaining a single auditable source of truth from prototype through high-volume production.
- Build, maintain, and continuously refine bottom-up should-cost models by commodity, covering material price, process, machine rate, labor, overhead, and yield at realistic production volumes.
- Use should-cost models to set negotiation targets and challenge supplier quotes, rather than accepting supplier pricing as the default baseline.
- Define and drive a detailed cost roadmap from current actual cost to the production cost target, including named owners, dated milestones, and quantified savings for each cost lever.
- Partner closely with design and manufacturing engineering during concept and development phases to influence material selection, process selection, part consolidation, and tolerancing before designs are released.
- Lead make-versus-buy and vertical integration analyses on the highest-cost content, quantifying capital, tooling, yield, and volume breakeven points to support executive-level investment decisions.
- Deliver clear and transparent cost roll-ups to program and leadership that distinguish quoted content from placeholder content and explicitly highlight data gaps.
- Tie every cost movement to a clear root cause and communicate cost drivers, risks, and opportunities in a structured and data-backed manner.
- Support supplier cost negotiations by providing commodity owners with should-cost analysis, teardown benchmarks, and detailed cost breakdown requirements in advance of negotiations.
- Audit supplier cost submissions for material, labor, overhead, and margin build-up, and challenge assumptions to ensure alignment with should-cost expectations.
- Establish and enforce cost governance mechanisms, including engineering change cost impact reviews, documentation of volume price improvements on every award, and variance analysis between quoted, awarded, and actual cost.
- Lead cross-functional cost discussions and influence design, manufacturing, finance, and sourcing organizations without direct authority.
- Mentor commodity managers, sourcing engineers, and other stakeholders on cost methodology, should-cost practices, and cost accountability.
- Apply advanced analytical and modeling capabilities to large BOM data sets and perform detailed cost variance analysis to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
- Contribute to building a scalable cost management framework as the robotics platform evolves from pilot builds to a purpose-built high-volume factory environment.
Essential Skills
- Bachelors degree in engineering, science, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 10+ years of experience in product cost, cost engineering, should-cost analysis, or technical commodity sourcing in high-volume manufacturing.
- Proven ownership of bill of material cost for a complex, multi-commodity product through a full development cycle.
- Demonstrated experience building bottom-up should-cost models from manufacturing process fundamentals, including machine rate and yield assumptions.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and manufacturing process specifications.
- Experience leading and influencing cross-functional engineering and sourcing teams without direct authority.
- Strong cost engineering expertise with a deep understanding of manufacturing processes and their cost drivers.
- Advanced analytical skills with the ability to work with large BOM data sets and perform detailed cost variance analysis.
- Clear and confident communication skills, including the ability to defend cost positions line by line to leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain a single auditable source of truth for product cost across the product lifecycle.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Masters degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, or a related field.
- Experience taking a product from prototype cost to a high-volume cost target with a documented order-of-magnitude cost reduction.
- Hands-on process knowledge across machining, casting, forging, powder metal, injection molding, stamping, and electronics assembly.
- Experience with teardown analysis and competitive benchmarking methodologies to inform should-cost and negotiation strategies.
- Experience auditing supplier cost breakdowns and negotiating on a cost-plus or open-book basis.
- Experience in new product introduction within automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, or robotics.
- Proven track record of mentoring cost, sourcing, or commodity management professionals.
- Strong data modeling capabilities and proficiency in building structured cost models that integrate material, labor, overhead, and yield assumptions.
- Ability to design and implement cost governance mechanisms that ensure transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Comfort working in a fast-moving, early-stage environment where cost ownership is a decision-making function, not just a reporting function.
Work EnvironmentYou will work in a fast-paced industrial robotics environment that is building a robotics platform from the ground up, progressing from pilot builds to a purpose-built high-volume factory. The supply chain organization owns sourcing, cost, and material readiness across the program, and the team is small, early in its lifecycle, and moves quickly. Cost ownership is treated as a core decision-making function that actively shapes product design and manufacturing strategy, rather than a purely reporting or back-office role. You will collaborate closely with design engineering, manufacturing engineering, finance, and sourcing teams, often working with detailed engineering drawings, BOM data, and cost models. The environment emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and a high degree of ownership over cost outcomes. Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Austin, TX. Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $90.00 - $95.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Austin, TX. Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Nov 6, 2026. Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Austin,TX.About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.