Technical Costing Analyst at AKG North America in Mebane, NC

At AKG, we believe great people build great products. We are looking for dependable, safety-focused team members who want to grow their skills and be part of a company that values teamwork, accountability, respect, and continuous improvement.

If you enjoy hands-on work, problem-solving, and working with precision equipment in a manufacturing environment, we encourage you to apply. We will train you...

What We Offer:

• Competitive pay based on experience
• Shift differential opportunities
• GREAT Medical, dental, and vision benefits the first of the month after 30 days
• Company Paid Life Insurance, STD insurance and LTD insurance
• PTO and paid holidays
• 401(k) with amazing company match
• Training and advancement opportunities
• Stable manufacturing environment
• Employee recognition programs
• Team-oriented culture focused on safety and respect

What You’ll Do:

The Technical Costing Analyst develops technically accurate, traceable, and commercially sound product-cost estimates for customer quotations, new products, engineering changes, sourcing decisions, and ongoing production. The role translates engineering designs and manufacturing requirements into documented material, labor, machine, overhead, tooling, purchased-component, outside-processing, packaging, and logistics assumptions.

The analyst partners with Engineering, Sales, Purchasing, Production Planning, Manufacturing, and Finance to maintain accurate product-costing data in SAP, reconcile quoted, standard, and actual costs, identify potential margin erosion, and support value-engineering and cost-reduction activities.

The position serves as the technical validator of product-cost assumptions. SAP calculates the result; the analyst validates the physical and commercial assumptions that drive the calculation.

Essential Functions:

• Develop detailed product-cost estimates from engineering drawings, specifications, bills of materials, manufacturing concepts, customer requirements, and forecasted production volumes.

• Establish documented assumptions for material usage, scrap, yield, labor content, machine time, tooling, outside processing, purchased components, packaging, freight, overhead, and other applicable cost elements.

• Critically evaluate and challenge costing inputs, including BOM completeness, manufacturing-sequence feasibility, cycle-time assumptions, labor content, scrap and yield factors, tooling requirements, sourcing strategies, and capacity constraints.

• Review product designs and proposed manufacturing processes to identify major cost drivers, manufacturability concerns, missing information, and cost-reduction opportunities.

• Work with Engineering and Manufacturing to define preliminary routings, production methods, cycle-time assumptions, equipment requirements, and process parameters when historical data is unavailable.

• Obtain and validate material and purchased-component pricing with Purchasing, including source, effective date, quantity assumptions, minimum-order requirements, lead times, tooling, and nonrecurring costs.

• Support make-versus-buy, sourcing, production-transfer, and alternative-manufacturing-method analyses.

• Execute and support SAP product-costing and mass-costing activities in accordance with approved Finance and business processes.

• Review costing-related SAP master data, including bills of materials, routings, work centers, activity rates, overhead application, scrap factors, and purchasing information; coordinate correction of identified discrepancies with the responsible owner.

• Monitor standard product costs and investigate significant changes, inconsistencies, or incomplete costing inputs.

• Compare quoted costs, released standard costs, and actual production costs to identify unfavorable variances and potential margin erosion.

• Conduct post-launch and periodic cost reviews to determine whether quotation assumptions remain valid after design release and production stabilization.

• Prepare clear cost summaries, assumptions, sensitivities, risks, and recommendations for quotation and management review.

• Support value-engineering, design-to-cost, continuous-improvement, and cost-reduction activities with fact-based financial analysis.

• Maintain costing standards, templates, calculation methods, assumptions, revision history, and supporting documentation.

• Escalate incomplete, inconsistent, or unreliable costing inputs that could materially affect quotation accuracy or product margin.

• Support budgeting, financial planning, capital analysis, and margin reviews as assigned.

• Adhere to applicable company safety, quality, environmental, confidentiality, and operational requirements.

• Maintain regular and reliable physical attendance.

Secondary Functions:

• Participate in reviews involving new products, engineering changes, sourcing changes, production transfers, and capital projects.

• Participate in value-analysis, cost-reduction, and continuous-improvement workshops.

• Provide backup support for related estimating and costing activities during absences or peak workload.

• Travel occasionally to manufacturing facilities, suppliers, or other company locations.

• Perform other related duties assigned by management.

What We’re Looking For:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Finance with manufacturing experience, or a related field, with at least three years of relevant experience; or an associate degree or technical certification with at least five years of directly relevant manufacturing-costing experience.

• Experience in manufacturing cost estimating, industrial engineering, production planning, manufacturing engineering, product costing, or a closely related discipline.

• Working knowledge of bills of materials, manufacturing routings, labor standards, machine rates, scrap and yield, overhead application, and product-cost structures.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, lookup functions, pivot tables, data validation, and large-data analysis.

• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, bills of materials, specifications, and manufacturing documentation.

• Experience using an ERP system for product, material, routing, or costing data.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively across Engineering, Sales, Purchasing, Planning, Manufacturing, and Finance.

Preferred:

• Experience with SAP ERP, particularly SAP Product Costing.

• Experience in industrial manufacturing, heat-exchanger manufacturing, metal fabrication, machining, welding, brazing, stamping, or assembly operations.

• Knowledge of time-study, work-measurement, and production-capacity methodologies.

• Experience with value engineering, design-to-cost, and make-versus-buy analysis.

• Experience reconciling quoted, standard, and actual product costs.

• German and English language skills.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Manufacturing cost estimation and cost-model development.

• SAP or comparable ERP product-costing processes.

• Material-usage, scrap, yield, labor, machine, and overhead analysis.

• BOM and routing analysis.

• Quoted, standard, and actual-cost variance analysis.

• Cost-model sensitivity and risk analysis.

• Value engineering and design-to-cost.

• Make-versus-buy and sourcing analysis.

• Advanced Excel and business-data analysis.

• Costing governance, documentation, and revision control.

• Ability to translate technical cost drivers into clear business conclusions.

• Ability to challenge unrealistic or unsupported manufacturing assumptions.

• High attention to detail without losing sight of material financial risks.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to perform computer-based analytical work for extended periods.

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and move between office, manufacturing, and warehouse areas.

• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.

• Ability to wear required PPE, including safety glasses, hearing protection, and safety footwear.

Work Environment:

The position works in both office and manufacturing environments and requires regular interaction with Engineering, Sales, Purchasing, Production Planning, Manufacturing, and Finance. Regular production-floor presence is expected to validate manufacturing assumptions and observe actual processes. Occasional travel to manufacturing facilities, suppliers, or other company locations may be required.

Why AKG?
At AKG, we are committed to creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and part of the solution. Safety is our top priority, and we believe strong teams are built through communication, accountability, and respect for others.

As part of The AKG Way, we strive to create an environment where employees can grow professionally while contributing to the success of the organization.

What to Expect After Applying:

• Applications are reviewed by our HR and hiring teams
• Qualified candidates will be contacted for a phone screening in 5 days
• Selected candidates will participate in an interview and facility overview in 10 days
• Communication will be provided throughout the process

If you are looking for a stable opportunity with an amazing company that values hard work, teamwork, and growth, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today and grow your career with AKG.

AKG is an Equal Opportunity Employer.