Estimating & Design Specialist

SOUTHERN CHAMPION TRAY LLC•Chattanooga, TN

4d•Onsite

About The Position

All jobs at Southern Champion Tray (SCT) require Team members to act in accordance with the shared Core Values and Operating principles of the company as they perform specific job functions. These include: Trustworthy – We strive for our actions to match our words in all our relationships. Servant – Hearted – We enable and empower our team to serve the needs of customers, Team members, suppliers and the community. Relational – We aim to build healthy relationships while fostering an environment that promotes compassion, balance, and personal and professional growth. Resourceful – We value strategic insourcing, first looking to create solutions internally, and then looking to apply that knowledge to future opportunities. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY: The Flex Estimator is responsible for pricing custom boxes and providing Sales with accurate, competitive, and timely formal quotations. This role supports new and repeat business opportunities by evaluating job requirements, developing reliable cost assumptions, and enabling Sales to respond promptly to customer needs. In addition to estimating responsibilities, the role develops working proficiency in CAD design. Estimating, CAD, and the Die Shop are closely connected through ArtiosCAD, layout development, die knowledge, and production run speeds. The Flex Estimator will use this cross-functional expertise to support critical workflow needs, reduce bottlenecks during periods of increased demand, and maintain continuity across estimating, CAD, and Die Shop activities. SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Estimating Responsibilities, home base: Receives pricing requests, reviews box type, board details, print needs, and production requirements, then prepares accurate pricing using estimating guidelines and the estimating matrix. Builds production and run information, including machine, die, number up, sheet size, and master case size. Reviews material, labor, machine time, outside service, and production assumptions to support accurate quotes. Supports Sales with quick quote turnaround, bid reviews, and answers to customer or Sales questions. Develops and maintains strong working relationships with Sales Managers and Account Managers to support effective communication, accurate quoting, and timely responses to customer needs. Works closely with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Production Operators, and other stakeholders to review assumptions and align on next steps. Supports Esko Web Center as a secondary administrator by helping with workflows, training, troubleshooting, and release updates. Pulls monthly data, compares estimated costs to actual costs, and looks for ways to improve estimating accuracy, speed, and workflow. CAD Design Responsibilities: Creates and updates CAD drawings and die layouts for basic and custom carton structures using correct dimensions, tolerances, and drawing standards. Applies design knowledge for folds, scores, cuts, tabs, seams, glue areas, material thickness, and grain direction. Designs cartons with production in mind, including die cutting, gluing, forming, printing, and assembly. Works with Engineering, Operations, and the Die Shop to confirm manufacturability, tooling needs, and cost impacts before quoting. Die Shop Responsibilities: Partners with the Die Shop to confirm tooling and die requirements. Builds hands-on knowledge of die construction, die maintenance, tooling lead times, and production constraints. Helps troubleshoot tooling issues that may affect production assumptions used in estimates. Flex and Cross-Functional Support: Provides support where the business need is greatest, including Estimating, CAD, and Die Shop. Helps during high-volume periods, tooling backlogs, CAD backlogs, bid reviews, and special projects. Supports continuous improvement efforts across departments by bringing together cost, design, tooling, and production knowledge. Pulls data from WebCenter to generate and prepare monthly reports on CAD, Estimating, and Graphics turnaround times, consumables, and win rates.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required
Strong proficiency with Excel, Word, Outlook, and Esko software required
Knowledge of machine and production capabilities required
Familiarity with ERP systems required
Ability to read and understand complex documents, letters, etc.
Ability to write legibly in English
Ability to understand and speak clearly and communicate in English
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide both fractions and decimals
Ability to solve equations
Ability to read measurements
Ability to use formulas to calculate and analyze data
Must be highly detail oriented
Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships with Sales and Sales Managers

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree preferred
Understanding of costing, cost accounting, pricing guidelines, and general knowledge of profit/loss preferred
Working knowledge of different board types preferred
Familiarity with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs preferred
Continuous improvement mindset

Responsibilities

Pricing custom boxes and providing Sales with accurate, competitive, and timely formal quotations.
Evaluating job requirements, developing reliable cost assumptions, and enabling Sales to respond promptly to customer needs.
Developing working proficiency in CAD design.
Supporting critical workflow needs, reducing bottlenecks during periods of increased demand, and maintaining continuity across estimating, CAD, and Die Shop activities.
Receiving pricing requests, reviewing box type, board details, print needs, and production requirements, then preparing accurate pricing using estimating guidelines and the estimating matrix.
Building production and run information, including machine, die, number up, sheet size, and master case size.
Reviewing material, labor, machine time, outside service, and production assumptions to support accurate quotes.
Supporting Sales with quick quote turnaround, bid reviews, and answers to customer or Sales questions.
Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with Sales Managers and Account Managers to support effective communication, accurate quoting, and timely responses to customer needs.
Working closely with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Production Operators, and other stakeholders to review assumptions and align on next steps.
Supporting Esko Web Center as a secondary administrator by helping with workflows, training, troubleshooting, and release updates.
Pulling monthly data, comparing estimated costs to actual costs, and looking for ways to improve estimating accuracy, speed, and workflow.
Creating and updating CAD drawings and die layouts for basic and custom carton structures using correct dimensions, tolerances, and drawing standards.
Applying design knowledge for folds, scores, cuts, tabs, seams, glue areas, material thickness, and grain direction.
Designing cartons with production in mind, including die cutting, gluing, forming, printing, and assembly.
Working with Engineering, Operations, and the Die Shop to confirm manufacturability, tooling needs, and cost impacts before quoting.
Partnering with the Die Shop to confirm tooling and die requirements.
Building hands-on knowledge of die construction, die maintenance, tooling lead times, and production constraints.
Helping troubleshoot tooling issues that may affect production assumptions used in estimates.
Providing support where the business need is greatest, including Estimating, CAD, and Die Shop.
Helping during high-volume periods, tooling backlogs, CAD backlogs, bid reviews, and special projects.
Supporting continuous improvement efforts across departments by bringing together cost, design, tooling, and production knowledge.
Pulling data from WebCenter to generate and prepare monthly reports on CAD, Estimating, and Graphics turnaround times, consumables, and win rates.