Manager, R&D Projects

You will build and lead a high- performing team focused on should costing, product teardown, and competitive benchmarking , partnering closely with R& D, sourcing, manufacturing, and product management teams. Your work will directly inform value engineering decisions, enabling cost optimization while maintaining performance, quality, and compliance standards.

REQUIREMENTS

Lead and scale a team responsible for should costing, product teardown, and competitive benchmarking across complex electro-mechanical and analytical systems

Drive cost transparency by developing detailed bottom-up cost models covering materials, manufacturing processes, labor, and supply chain inputs

Conduct structured product teardowns to identify cost drivers, design inefficiencies, and value improvement opportunities

Establish competitive benchmarking frameworks to assess product positioning, cost structures, and feature-performance trade-offs

Partner with R&D and product management to influence design-to-cost (DTC) strategies early in the product development lifecycle

Collaborate with sourcing and operations teams to validate cost models, support negotiations, and identify supplier optimization opportunities

Lead value analysis/value engineering (VAVE) initiatives to deliver measurable cost savings and margin improvement

Standardize tools, methodologies, and best practices for cost engineering and benchmarking across programs

Present insights and recommendations to senior leadership, enabling data-driven decision-making

Mentor and develop team members, fostering strong technical depth and business acumen

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Master’s degree with 6+ years of experience, or Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of experience in cost engineering, product teardown, benchmarking, or value engineering

Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics Engineering, or a related technical discipline

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Proven experience in should costing, teardown analysis, and competitive benchmarking for complex products or instrumentation

Strong understanding of manufacturing processes ( machining, sheet metal, injection molding, PCB/ PCBA, cable assemblies, precision assemblies)

Demonstrated success delivering cost savings through VAVE, design- to- cost, and supplier optimization initiatives

Experience working with cross- functional teams across R& D, sourcing, manufacturing, and product management

Expertise in building detailed cost models, including clean- sheet costing and parametric costing approaches

Familiarity with global supply chains, cost drivers, and regional manufacturing considerations

Experience with engineering documentation such as FMEAs, specifications, and validation plans

Knowledge of quality systems and regulatory requirements in a technology or scientific environment

Proficiency with relevant tools ( e. g., Excel- based cost modeling, CAD interpretation, PLM systems)

Experience with Agile or hybrid project execution environments

KEY COMPETENCIES

Strong commercial and technical acumen with a focus on cost competitiveness

Data- driven decision- making and structured problem- solving

Influencing and stakeholder alignment across global teams

People leadership, coaching, and capability development

Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline

Clear and compelling communication with senior stakeholders