Director, Product Cost Excellence and Value Engineering
Scout Motors · Charlotte, NC
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Lean / CI
- Base pay
- $160k–$193k
- Experience asked
- 12+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level continuous improvement role at Scout Motors (automotive) in Charlotte, NC.
- They ask for
- 12+ years
- Tools it names
- Tooling
- Base pay
- $160k–$193k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Continuous Improvement roles in North Carolina: typical posted base $160k–$193k. This one lists $160k–$193k.
Median of the low and high ends of 6 live postings that list pay, out of 15 continuous improvement openings in North Carolina, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
North Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 14 other live lean / ci postings in North Carolina.
- Experience asked
- More than usual (12+ vs 7+)
Similar roles usually ask 7+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Lean 73%
- Value stream mapping 73%
- Six Sigma 40%
- Root cause 40%
- Kaizen 33%
- OEE 33%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Lean / CI team at Scout Motors
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is CI run from the plant floor or from a corporate OpEx group?
- Which metrics does leadership actually watch: OEE, scrap, cost per unit?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Scout Motors in Charlotte
3 other open roles at this site.
- ADAS Calibration and Validation Engineer · Quality
- ADAS Calibration & Validation Engineer · Quality
- Lead Engineer - Automation Tooling · Controls · Manager
Full description from Scout MotorsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
— an all-electric powertrain as well as the Harvester™ range extender powertrain which includes a built-in gas-powered generator with an estimated 500 miles of combined range.
At Scout Motors, we empower our talented, inclusive, and entrepreneurial teams to innovate. What makes a Scout employee? Someone who is a visionary and a leader, who seeks new paths and shares lessons learned. A knowledgeable doer who collaborates across the company to build better. A go-getter with unrivaled passion.
Join us at Scout Motors and be part of shaping the future of transportation. If you're ready to drive change and make history, apply now!
What you’ll do
Scout Motors | Senior Leadership Role | Driving product cost excellence, value engineering, and cross-functional transformation for the next generation of all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs
Scout Motors is building a modern, purpose-driven automotive company rooted in iconic American heritage and focused on the future of electrified mobility. We are looking for a Head of Product Cost Excellence and Value Engineering to establish and lead a cross-functional program that improves product cost competitiveness while protecting customer value, quality, performance, and brand integrity.
Become part of an iconic brand that is set to revolutionize the electric pick-up truck & rugged SUV marketplace by achieving the following:
- ✓Lead Product Cost Excellence and Value Engineering initiatives within product development, partnering closely with Engineering, Procurement, Finance, Manufacturing, Quality, Logistics, and Supplier Development.
- ✓Drive execution of product cost excellence strategy and contribute to its continuous evolution across programs and platforms.
- ✓Drive adoption and improvement of governance, operating cadence, KPI tracking, and roadmaps to monitor cost optimization ideas through approval, execution, and financial realization.
- ✓Lead cross-functional cost optimization workshops with internal teams and suppliers to generate practical, high-impact ideas balancing cost, customer value, quality, timing, and technical feasibility.
- ✓Apply value engineering, design-to-value, competitive benchmarking, teardown insights, should-cost analysis, supplier cost breakdowns, and total cost of ownership methods to improve cost competitiveness.
- ✓Develop business cases for cost optimization initiatives, including savings potential, investment needs, tooling impacts, engineering effort, timing, risks, payback, and overall financial impact.
- ✓Collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to identify productivity improvements, localization opportunities, logistics efficiencies, material cost improvements, and process optimizations.
- ✓Leverage data-driven cost analytics, digital workflows, and emerging technologies to improve visibility, decision quality, and execution speed.
- ✓Lead and develop a team of product cost optimization and value engineering specialists.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Here at Scout Motors, we're carrying forward the heritage of one of the most iconic American vehicles in history. A vehicle dating back to 1960. One that forged the path for future generations of rugged SUVs and trucks and will do so once again.
But Scout is more than just a brand, it’s a legacy steeped in a culture of exploration, caretaking, and hard work.
The Scout brand is all about respect. Respect for the past and the future by taking an iconic American brand that hasn’t been around for a while, electrifying it, digitizing it, and loading it with American innovation. Respect for communities by creating a company that stands for its people and its customers. Respect for both work and play, with vehicles that are equally at home at a camp site, a job site, or on a Tuesday commute. And respect for our customers by developing two powertrains that meet their
Location & Travel Expectations
- •This role may be based out of the Scout Motors corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC / Novi, Michigan.
- •This role requires 4-5 days per week in the office, with regular in-person meetings and events.
- •Applicants should expect that the role will require the ability to convene with Scout colleagues in person and travel to participate in events on behalf of the company from time to time.
What you’ll bring
We expect all Scout employees to have integrity, curiosity, resourcefulness, and strive to exhibit a positive attitude, as well as a growth mindset. You’ll be comfortable with change and flexible in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You’ll take a collaborative approach to achieve ambitious goals. Here's what else you'll bring:
- •12+ years of experience in automotive engineering, procurement, product cost management, cost engineering, value engineering, manufacturing, or a related field.
- •Proven success leading cost optimization and value engineering initiatives in complex product development environments.
- •Strong understanding of vehicle systems, product development processes, supplier cost structures, industrialization, and lifecycle cost drivers.
- •Experience using value analysis/value engineering, design-to-value, should-cost modeling, competitive benchmarking, teardown analysis, supplier cost breakdowns, and total cost of ownership approaches.
- •Ability to translate technical and commercial opportunities into clear business cases, implementation plans, stakeholder decisions, and measurable financial outcomes.
- •Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional collaboration across engineering, procurement, finance, manufacturing, quality, logistics, product, and supplier partners.
- •Strong financial acumen, analytical capability, and comfort working with cost databases, KPI dashboards, business cases, and executive-level reporting.
- •Experience with digital tools, advanced analytics, AI-enabled workflows, or data-driven decision-making in product development or cost optimization is a plus.
- •Entrepreneurial mindset, high ownership, strong communication skills, a