Director, Cost Engineering, Automotive Electronics

HARMAN’s engineers and designers are creative, purposeful and agile. As part of this team, you’ll combine your technical expertise with innovative ideas to help drive cutting-edge solutions in the car, enterprise and connected ecosystem. Every day, you will push the boundaries of creative design, and HARMAN is committed to providing you with the opportunities, innovative technologies and resources to build a successful career.

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do everyday.

Introduction: A Career at HARMAN Automotive

We’re a global, multi-disciplinary team that’s putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. At HARMAN Automotive, we give you the keys to fast-track your career.

• Engineer audio systems and integrated technology platforms that augment the driving experience

• Combine ingenuity, in-depth research, and a spirit of collaboration with design and engineering excellence

• Advance in-vehicle infotainment, safety, efficiency, and enjoyment

About the Role

The Director, Cost & Sustainability Engineering defines and executes cost and sustainability engineering strategy across HARMAN's Automotive division considering all regions, business units and customers. 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 with driving cross-functional implementation of Technical and Commercial measures in collaboration with, mainly but not exclusively, Procurement, Engineering, Customer Account Management, Manufacturing and Suppliers. The role is also responsible for optimizing a multibillion-dollar spend and expected to deliver benchmark performance and 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 and will have a global team of ~ 15 team direct reports and 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 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 on respective areas (see above) with senior leadership of the division.

• Develop, align and execute divisional wide strategy to assemble and enable highly effective cross-functional teams (including Procurement/Engineering/Manufacturing/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 framework of reaching cost transparency and best cost which ensures HARMAN's overall competitiveness on the market.

• Support Make versus Buy analysis process to Controlling, Category and Operation organization.

• Define and deliver advanced sourcing, design to cost, CO2e reduction and manufacturing and sourcing strategy of current and new HARMAN products in close collaboration with state of the art supply chain partners.

• Create and execute supplier and customer cost negotiation strategy with Procurement and Customer Account teams.

• Ensure day-to-day development and delivery of cost and 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 Samsung Group to leverage scale in business.

• Lead Component Engineering effort across the Division to create component library which meets HARMAN Automotive’s long term product strategy, profitability, sustainability and growth.

• Build development strategy of internal teams to reach a cost-conscious mindset across all teams of Automotive division.

• Lead, coach and develop staff through training and succession planning processes to maximize their potential for the benefit of the individual and company.

What You Need to Be Successful

• Minimum 15+ years of experience in Cost Engineering /Sustainability/VM/Procurement or Manufacturing/Engineering, preferably in the Automotive industry.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or 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 scientifical expertise in semiconductor as its related to chip, device, modem, memory device; more than 10 years in 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.

Bonus Points if You Have

• Master’s degree.

• Experience with automotive electronics is highly desirable.

• Demonstrated ability to build cross-functional collaboration models which 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%, domestic and international travel.

• Be willing to work in our office in Garching in a hybrid setup.

What We Offer

• Flexible work environment with a culture encouraging work-life integration and collaboration in a global environment.

• Access to employee discounts on world-class HARMAN/Samsung products (JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG etc.).

• Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University.

• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development

• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.

• Work on best-in-class emerging technologies and an atmosphere that motivates you to give your best.

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HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard torace, 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.