Director, Cost Engineering & Sustainability

About the Role

The Director, Cost Engineering & Sustainability defines and executes cost and sustainability engineering strategy across HARMAN's Automotive division.

The created strategy is used to define overall profitability, sustainability, and growth goals for HARMAN AUTOMOTIVE. The role is responsible for reaching the defined goals by driving cross-functional implementation of Technical and Commercial measures in collaboration with, mainly but not exclusively with, Procurement, Engineering, Customer Account Management, Manufacturing, and Suppliers.

The role is responsible for optimizing a multibillion-dollar spend and is expected to deliver benchmark performance & defined sustainability goals over multiple years to enable divisional-level growth results. The role reports into Best Cost Analytics in the Strategic Procurement and Partnering Function of our global Operations.

Your Team

This position will report to the VP, Best Cost Analytics lead, and will have a global team of 15 direct reports, leading cost improvement strategy and execution from multiple stakeholder groups.
What You Will Do

• Establish the vision, goal, framework, processes, and methods needed to enable profitability, sustainability, and growth goals with highly accurate cost/ CO2e modeling (TCO) across the entire HARMAN Automotive division (all products, regions, and customers)
• Establish the vision for Lifecycle Assessment of emissions (CO2e) and build capabilities to achieve carbon neutrality per Harman Automotive Sustainability objectives
• Define divisional profitability, sustainability goal, and execution strategy in respective areas (see above) with senior leadership of the division
• Develop, align, and execute division-wide strategy to assemble and enable highly effective cross-functional teams, including Procurement, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Account Management, which create overarching profitability, sustainability strategies, and deliver commercial and technical measures.
• Build and enroll strategy with the executive leadership team of HARMAN and Suppliers to identify a framework for reaching cost transparency and the best cost that ensures HARMAN's overall competitiveness in the market.
• Support the Make versus buy analysis process for Controlling, category, and the Operations organization
• Define and deliver advanced sourcing, design to cost, CO2e reduction & manufacturing and sourcing strategy of current and new HARMAN products in close collaboration with state-of-the-art supply chain partners
• Create and execute a supplier and customer cost negotiation strategy with Procurement and Customer Account teams
• Ensure day-to-day development and delivery of cost & CO2e models by establishing required processes and methods to drive consistent practices within the cost engineering team and reflecting industry best practices.  This includes the processes necessary to keep the cost & CO2e models up to date with current information and best known methods.
• Develop synergy programs within the Samsung group to leverage scale in business
• Lead Component Engineering effort across the Division to create a component library that meets HARMAN Automotive’s long-term product strategy, profitability, sustainability, and growth
• Build a development strategy of internal teams to reach a cost-conscious mindset across all teams of the Automotive division
• Lead, Coach, and Develop staff and through training and succession planning processes to maximize their potential for the benefit of the individual and company

What You Need

• Minimum 15+ years of experience in Cost Engineering /Sustainability/ VM / Procurement or Manufacturing / Engineering, preferably in the Automotive industry
• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or Economy
• Minimum 10+ years of experience in cost engineering / VM / design to cost/manufacturing
• Minimum 10+ years of experience and ability to lead diverse global teams to improve profitability, sustainability, growth, innovation, and time to market commitments
• Proven experience with scientific expertise in Semiconductor as it’s related to chip, device, modem, memory device; more than 10 years in the Semiconductor   Industry
• Proven track record of outstanding engaging skills in diverse, cross-functional teams, including executive stakeholders, to embrace continuous improvement in a highly competitive environment
• Strong negotiation and relationship-building skills.

What is Nice to Have

• Master’s degree
• Experience with automotive electronics is highly desirable
• Demonstrated ability to build cross-functional collaboration models that identify and implement improvements in the area of sourcing, design, and manufacturing in automotive electronics
• Experience in corporate-level design to cost/manufacturing programs
• Proven team player with excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
• Change Orientation: Able to adapt to changing demands and conditions
• German, Chinese, and/or Hungarian Language skills are a plus

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 20%, domestically and internationally
• Be willing to work in an office in Novi, MI or work remotely full-time with occasional trips to all HARMAN locations (this could be on 24-hour notice)
• Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment (US Only)

What We Offer

• Flexible work environment, allowing for full-time remote work globally for positions that can be performed outside a HARMAN or customer location
• Access to employee discounts on world-class Harman and Samsung products (JBL, HARMAN Kardon, AKG, etc.)
• Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University
• Competitive wellness benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Access to HARMAN Campus Fitness Center and Cafeteria
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development

#Remote

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.