Sheet Metal : Head, Design, Development & Costing

we are looking for a senior and technically strong Head Design, Development & Costing to lead new product development, product costing, tool & fixture engineering, and manufacturing industrialization.

The candidate should have extensive experience in complex sheet metal components and assemblies and should be capable of taking complete ownership of a project from customer RFQ/drawing through feasibility, costing, process planning, tooling, development, trials, PPAP and successful production.

The role requires someone who can determine whether a product should be manufactured in-house or through external vendors, develop the appropriate manufacturing process, and ensure that the final product meets required quality, cost, tolerance and delivery targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead RFQ feasibility and product costing for new sheet metal components and assemblies, including raw material, process, tooling, fixtures, bought-out parts, surface treatment, labour, overheads and capital investment.
• Review customer drawings, 3D models, specifications, GD&T and tolerance requirements and establish the optimum manufacturing process.
• Develop complete process flow and manufacturing concepts for complex sheet metal parts and welded assemblies.
• Lead/review product design, press tool design, welding fixture design, checking fixture/gauge design and assembly fixture design.
• Decide appropriate manufacturing routes including laser cutting, CNC punching, shearing, bending, stamping, forming, deep drawing, machining, welding and assembly.
• Coordinate development of products either within the company's own manufacturing facilities or through external vendors/tool rooms.
• Develop and technically evaluate vendors for tools, fixtures, machining, fabrication, welding, heat treatment, surface treatment and special processes.
• Conduct technical discussions with customers and suppliers for design feasibility, DFM/DFA, value engineering and cost optimization.
• Lead tool/fixture trials, sample development, dimensional corrections and engineering modifications until the required product quality is achieved.
• Take ownership of projects through prototype development PPAP SOP / mass production.
• Work closely with Production, Quality, Purchase, Tool Room and PPC teams to ensure smooth industrialization.
• Troubleshoot complex dimensional, tooling, forming, welding and manufacturing problems during development and production.
• Drive VA/VE and cost-reduction projects through material optimization, process changes, tooling improvements and productivity enhancement.
• Build and mentor a strong Design & Development team and establish systems for RFQ costing, design reviews, project tracking and development control.

Required Technical Expertise

The candidate must have strong practical knowledge of sheet metal manufacturing, particularly:

• Progressive, compound, tandem, forming, bending, drawing and blanking tools
• Welding fixtures, assembly fixtures, checking fixtures, gauges and Poka-Yoke concepts
• MIG/MAG, TIG, spot/projection and robotic welding
• CNC laser cutting, turret punching, press brake bending and fabrication
• CNC/VMC machining, turning, milling, grinding, EDM and wire-cut processes
• Close-tolerance manufacturing and GD&T
• Tolerance stack-up and dimensional control
• Tool steels, heat treatment and tool-life considerations
• Cycle-time calculation and manufacturing capacity estimation
• Tooling and capital-equipment cost estimation

The candidate should also have strong material knowledge covering different grades and forms of CRCA, HR, HRPO, HSLA/HSS, stainless steel, galvanized/coated steel and aluminium, including thickness tolerances, mechanical properties, bend/forming behaviour, weldability and material utilization.

Good working knowledge of surface treatments such as CED/e-coating, powder coating, zinc plating, phosphating, galvanizing, anodizing, painting and other automotive surface protection processes is required.

Costing Expertise

This position requires someone who understands product costing technically, not merely commercially. The candidate should be capable of preparing and validating:

RM Cost + Scrap Recovery + Process Cost + Machine Hour Rate + Labour + Welding/Consumables + Machining + Surface Treatment + Bought-outs + Tooling/Fixture Amortization + Packaging + Overheads + Margin

They should be able to challenge quotations received from vendors, conduct make-vs-buy analysis, identify cost drivers and recommend the most commercially viable manufacturing route.

Design & Software Skills

Strong hands-on or review-level capability in engineering software such as:

Siemens NX / CATIA / SolidWorks / Creo / AutoCAD

The candidate should be capable of reviewing 3D models, manufacturing drawings, tool concepts, fixture concepts, strip layouts and detailed engineering drawings even where design execution is performed by the team.

Candidate Profile

We are specifically looking for a senior, hands-on engineering professional with 12+ years of experience who combines technical depth with commercial understanding.

The candidate must have:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Good customer-facing and presentation capability
• Strong vendor development and negotiation skills
• Ability to independently drive multiple development projects
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capability
• Flexible and hands-on working approach
• Ability to coordinate across Design, Tool Room, Production, Quality, Purchase and vendors

Preference will be given to candidates who have worked with reputed Tier-1 automotive suppliers, OEM suppliers, white goods manufacturers, or organizations manufacturing complex sheet metal products and assemblies.