Design to Cost Specialist - Mechanical

Role: Design to Cost Specialist - Mechanical

Location: IBC Knowledge Park, Bengaluru

Reporting to: Lead - Product Costing & Budgeting

Team name: Costing & Budgeting – Team

About the Team and the Role

The Costing & Budgeting – Team at Ather is responsible for managing product costs, governing financial glidepaths, and ensuring cost efficiency through early design phase interventions and cross-functional collaboration.

This role is for a Design to Cost Specialist - Mechanical who will identify cost avoidance opportunities, execute benchmarking, and guide engineering teams to optimize product costs using a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) approach.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Engineering at early design phases to identify cost avoidance opportunities and make business cases using a TCO approach.
• Analyze product interfaces and manufacturing impacts (casting, machining, forging, etc.) using DFMEA principles to assess risks in form and function.
• Select cost-effective, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing processes and conduct Should Costing to drive financial efficiency.
• Lead teardown and benchmarking activities, studying competitor design philosophies to provide designers with optimized solutions.
• Develop and govern cost targets and glidepaths for new programs, ensuring alignment with gross margin goals across all cost drivers.
• Integrate cost considerations into the product lifecycle by collaborating with Sourcing, Manufacturing, Product, and Finance teams.
• Evaluate design alternatives and facilitate trade-off decisions to optimize costs while maintaining a Design to Cost mindset.
• Control NPD program costs (Capex and Opex) by applying first principles thinking to every financial decision and activity.

Experience and Qualifications

• BE Mechanical/Mechatronics
• 8-10 years of experience in product companies (preferably from two-wheeler OEMs)

Must Have Competencies

• Deep expertise in assessing manufacturing processes including casting, machining, forging, and injection moulding for cost-effectiveness and scalability.
• Advanced proficiency in conducting detailed cost analysis of new designs and identifying key cost drivers with a Design to Cost mindset.
• Technical mastery in applying DFMEA principles to study product interfaces and their effects on manufacturing, quality, and assembly.
• Specialized ability to execute teardown and benchmarking activities to guide design teams with optimized benchmark solutions.

Good to Have Competencies

• Functional ability to perform Should Costing for various mechanical manufacturing processes.
• Proficiency in governing cost glidepaths and developing cost targets for new product programs.
• Technical skill in managing and controlling NPD program costs including Capex and Opex.
• Competency in evaluating design alternatives and facilitating trade-off decisions to optimize product costs.

Want to know more

At Ather, we've built India's first intelligent scooter, from scratch. Based on the philosophy of clean design and smart technology, we are transforming the urban commute experience. We are expanding in India, and in the coming years, we look forward to scaling up and launching more products globally. Today, our product offerings include the Ather 450X, 450S, 450 Apex, and Rizta. Beyond the product, we are also setting up an extensive charging network and re-imagining end-to-end ownership experience. To know more, check out our Careers site and our Substack.

Be You, With Us

The Ather story doesn't write itself - our people do. We believe everyone is equal, but not the same. Diversity is our strength, and building an inclusive and equitable workplace begins with acknowledging and embracing our differences. We are an equal opportunity employer, and our team reflects a wide range of identities, experiences, and perspectives - all united by a shared passion to shape the Ather journey.