Electronics Cost Engineer

About the role

The Software & Electronics Cost Engineer develops, validates and defends cost estimates for automotive software, electronics and connected‑vehicle technologies throughout the product development lifecycle. Acting as the technical bridge between Engineering, Purchasing, Finance and Suppliers, the role ensures competitive cost targets while preserving functionality, quality and performance.

Key responsibilities

• Analyse technical specifications, software requirements, architecture diagrams and system designs from vehicle level down to module level.
• Develop detailed cost models for automotive software and electronics programmes and validate supplier quotations, labour, licensing and tooling costs.
• Lead competitive benchmarking activities for software, hardware, electronics and connected services.
• Conduct supplier technical reviews and plant visits (GEMBA) to validate manufacturing and development assumptions.
• Perform Design‑to‑Cost (DTC) assessments and evaluate alternative architectures to reduce lifecycle costs.

Required profile

• 3‑8 years of experience in cost engineering, product costing, software estimation or electronics engineering within the automotive industry.
• Proven ability to manage cross‑functional projects and engage multiple stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, especially in supplier quotation challenges.
• Experience leading benchmarking initiatives and delivering cost‑optimization recommendations.
• Excellent analytical mindset with a solid understanding of automotive EE architectures.

Required skills

• Cost modeling techniques
• Benchmarking methodologies
• Cost estimation for software and electronics
• Automotive software architecture analysis
• Design‑to‑Cost (DTC) assessments