Cost Champion

About the role

Job Description

The Cost Champion is the leader responsible for embedding a cost-obsessed mindset across the full offer lifecycle. He/she will ensure cost being a central decision criterion from the value proposition to design and supply chain, with relevant governance requirement. This role contributes to drive profitable growth through innovation projects, to restore competitiveness through legacy product cost productivity, and to upgrade methods, tools and skills to make cost leadership initiative sustainable across the organization.

The position covers the full offer lifecycle, from new offer creation to legacy offers:

• For new offers, the role ensures target cost is defined from the earliest stages, implementing Design-to-Cost methodologies as part of OLM process and stage-gate governance.
• For legacy offers, the role ensures Divisions actively manage offer cost competitiveness, build a strong pipeline of productivity actions, including product re-design-to-cost initiatives based on margin, competitiveness and/or customer value gaps.

This role is both strategic and operational. It acts as a Design-to-Cost champion, cost workshop leader, and cost leader PMO, coordinating Divisions, hubs, and GSC to prioritize the right offers, deploy the right methods, and secure disciplined execution.

The Cost Champion acts as the central leader and animator of the Cost Officer community across Divisions. While divisional Cost Officers remain accountable for local costing activities—including cost consolidation, analysis, database integrity, and day-to-day cost monitoring within their perimeter—the Cost Champion ensures alignment with the central Product Cost Leadership strategy, common methodologies, governance expectations, and cross-divisional priorities.

1. Key Responsibilities

Drive the product cost leadership agenda across offer lifecycle (both new offers and legacy offers):

• Act as the focal point to define, prioritize, and execute product cost action plans for assigned division(s) / hub(s), in alignment with Product Cost Leadership priorities and governance.
• Ensure cost is on everyone’s agenda by cascading the program across all functions through communication, webinars, trainings, and business rituals. Cost needs to become everyone’s concern rather than a specialist activity.
• Coordinate with Divisions, hubs, and GSC to ensure consistency of practice.

Lead Design-to-Cost methodologies

• Deploy target cost calculation methodologies based on customer value, UVP, market expectations, and willingness to pay across the assigned division(s).
• Deploy and use should-cost methodologies to provide fact-based cost transparency at system, sub-system, and component level.
• Run (Re-) Design-to-Cost E2E project and deploy the methodology across assigned Division(s), ensuring it is embedded at each OLM milestone/stage-gate.

Animate methods & tools ecosystem and its governance:

• Deploy a systematic, automated, end-to-end cost tracking approach based on integrated tools and reliable data.
• Implement and animate the use of key cost tools (such as should-cost/benchmark/ teardown).
• Embed cost metrics and decision checkpoints into OLM governance and performance reviews, including visibility of deviations and action plans in QBRs and strategic deep dives.
• Drive the sharing and replication of best practices, lessons learned, and successful cost optimization approaches across Divisions, hubs, and product lines through the cost officer community.

1. Qualifications

Core skills and expertise

• 15+ years of solid understanding of product cost structure
• Strong ability to define and challenge target cost and should-cost using reliable assumptions and fact-based costing methodologies.
• Analytical skills to drive facts & figures decisions

Leadership and change-management capabilities

• Strong change management capability: able to shift behaviors, embed new routines, and make cost leadership part of the culture rather than a one-off initiative.
• Excellent cross-functional animation skills: able to lead workshops, mobilize stakeholders, and create alignment across divisions, hubs, and functions.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the credibility to challenge specifications, assumptions, and legacy habits in senior forums.
• Proven capability to work in a matrix and multicultural environment, balancing local ownership with standardization and consistency across divisions.

What's in it for me?

• Lead high-impact initiatives that shape the future of our organization
• Work with a team that values expertise, collaboration, and continuous growth
• Gain visibility with senior leadership while driving meaningful change
• Enjoy flexible work options designed to support your success and well-being

Bring your change leadership expertise to a role where it truly matters — apply today!

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\* Country-specific programs and initiatives may be available.

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150 000+ employees in 100+ countries

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