Senior Cost Engineer

The Team

As part of the Manufacturing organization, Supply Chain secures the materials, equipment, and supplier partnerships required to support manufacturing and business operations. The team builds resilient supply chains while ensuring quality, cost, and delivery performance.

The Role

• Develop and maintain should-cost models for components, assemblies, and services to support sourcing and negotiation strategy.
• Partner with Sourcing, Engineering, and Finance to identify cost drivers and high-impact savings opportunities across the supply base.
• Analyze supplier quotes and cost breakdowns to validate pricing and identify negotiation leverage.
• Support Make-vs-Buy decisions and cost trade-off analysis as Valar scales production.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain should-cost models (materials, labor, overhead, tooling) for direct and indirect categories.
• Analyze supplier quotes, RFx responses, and cost breakdowns to identify gaps versus should-cost and benchmark data.
• Partner with Sourcing and Engineering to support negotiation strategy with data-driven cost insights.
• Support Make-vs-Buy analysis, evaluating total cost of ownership across sourcing options.
• Track cost trends (materials, labor, logistics) and update models to reflect market conditions.
• Identify cost reduction opportunities through design, process, or sourcing changes, and quantify potential savings.
• Present cost analysis and recommendations to Sourcing and Engineering leadership.
• Maintain cost databases and tools, improving accuracy and scalability as the product portfolio grows.
• Act as a m entor within the supply chain organization on cost drivers, market indices, design /cost implications, supplier economics, and manufacturing trade-offs.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Enginee ring, Supply Chain, or related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in cost engineering, should-cost modeling, or manufacturing cost analysis.
• Strong understanding of BOM structures, specifications, engineering drawings, manufacturing processes and cost drivers.
• Hands-on experience with cost modeling tools and ERP/sourcing systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Nuclear, aerospace, or other highly regulated industry experience.
• Experience building a should-cost or cost engineering function from the ground up.
• Familiarity with Design-to-Cost or Value Engineering methodologies.
• Start-up / fast-growth company experience a plus.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary
• Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
• Comprehensive medical benefits
• Unlimited PTO
• Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite
• Generous PPE stipend
• High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy
• Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement
• Direct collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders
• The opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up