Cost Champion

Schneider Electric•Nashville, TN

About The Position

The Cost Champion is responsible for embedding a cost-focused mindset across the full offer lifecycle, making cost a central decision criterion from value proposition through design and supply chain. The role supports profitable growth through innovation, restores competitiveness through legacy-product cost productivity, and strengthens the methods, tools, skills, and governance needed to sustain cost leadership across the organization. For new offers, the Cost Champion ensures target costs are defined early and that Design-to-Cost methods are incorporated into the OLM process and stage-gate governance. For legacy offers, the role supports active management of cost competitiveness and development of productivity pipelines, including product redesign based on margin, competitiveness, and customer-value gaps. This strategic and operational role serves as a Design-to-Cost champion, cost-workshop leader, and cost-leadership PMO. It coordinates Divisions, hubs, and GSC to prioritize offers, deploy methods, and ensure disciplined execution. The Cost Champion also leads and animates the Cost Officer community across Divisions, aligning local costing activities with central strategy, shared methodologies, governance expectations, and cross-divisional priorities. Divisional Cost Officers retain accountability for local cost consolidation, analysis, database integrity, and day-to-day monitoring. The position leads cost action plans for assigned divisions and/or hubs; promotes cost awareness across functions; deploys target-cost and should-cost approaches; runs end-to-end redesign-to-cost projects; and supports integrated cost tracking, governance, performance reviews, and sharing of practices. The role requires strong product-cost knowledge, analytical ability, change leadership, workshop facilitation, communication, influence, and effectiveness in matrixed, multicultural settings. The posting gives a U.S. annual pay range of USD 168,800–253,200, inclusive of base pay and short-term incentives. Schneider Electric describes its rewards and support as including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, flexible work arrangements, paid family leaves, well-being programs, 12 holidays, 20 days of paid time off per year, short-term or sales incentives, eligible company-share opportunities, a 401(k) with match, career-development resources, volunteer leave, and military leave benefits. The position is full-time and is posted until filled.

Requirements

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 fact- and figure-based decisions.
Strong change-management capability, including shifting behaviors and embedding new routines.
Excellent cross-functional animation skills, including leading workshops, mobilizing stakeholders, and creating alignment.
Strong communication and influencing skills, including credibility to challenge specifications, assumptions, and legacy habits in senior forums.
Proven ability to work in a matrix and multicultural environment while balancing local ownership with standardization across divisions.

Responsibilities

Define, prioritize, and execute offer cost action plans for assigned divisions and/or hubs in alignment with Offer Cost Leadership priorities and governance.
Drive cost leadership across the full offer lifecycle, including both new offers and legacy offers.
Cascade the cost program across functions through communications, webinars, training, and business rituals.
Coordinate with Divisions, hubs, and GSC to ensure consistent practices.
Deploy target-cost calculation methodologies based on customer value, UVP, market expectations, and willingness to pay.
Deploy should-cost methodologies to provide fact-based cost transparency at system, subsystem, and component levels.
Run end-to-end (re-)Design-to-Cost projects and embed the methodology at each OLM milestone and stage gate.
Deploy a systematic, automated, end-to-end cost-tracking approach using integrated tools and reliable data.
Implement and animate use of cost tools, including should-cost, benchmarking, and teardown tools.
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.
Share and replicate best practices, lessons learned, and successful cost-optimization approaches across Divisions, hubs, and product lines through the Cost Officer community.
Lead cost workshops, mobilize stakeholders, and align divisions, hubs, and functions.
Promote cost awareness as a shared organizational responsibility rather than a specialist activity.