Procurement VAVE Specialist

Strattec Security • Auburn Hills, MI

1d

About The Position

Strattec designs and delivers engineered vehicle-access solutions in partnership with leading OEMs. The Procurement VAVE Specialist leads value analysis and value engineering initiatives to identify and implement cost-reduction opportunities while maintaining product performance. The role includes product teardowns and benchmarking, financial evaluation of proposed changes, supplier-led innovation, cross-functional validation, and management of cost-out projects through implementation.

The posting also describes technical program management duties: coordinating complex workstreams, translating requirements into roadmaps and deliverables, managing schedules and risks, facilitating technical decisions and design reviews, and communicating program status to stakeholders and executives. The role supports engineering excellence and continuous improvement through testing, documentation, post-mortems, and root-cause analysis.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or a hybrid technical-commercial field.
• 4–6 years managing technical cost-reduction or continuous-improvement programs in a high-volume production sector, such as automotive or consumer electronics.
• Knowledge of value engineering methodologies.
• Financial acumen, including ROI and total-cost-of-ownership analysis.
• Strong project management capabilities.

Nice To Haves

• Certification in Value Engineering, such as CVS or VMA, is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead physical product teardowns and competitive benchmarking workshops to identify cost-out opportunities, such as material substitution, weight reduction, and process optimization.
• Evaluate the financial feasibility of optimization ideas, including implementation costs, modification charges, tooling updates, and payback periods.
• Coordinate validation testing among Quality, Engineering, and Procurement to secure approval without compromising product performance.
• Facilitate VAVE workshops with key suppliers to identify cost savings within manufacturing tiers and raw material supply chains.
• Manage a portfolio of cost-out projects from initial idea through testing, regulatory approval, and factory implementation.
• Manage complex technical programs and interconnected workstreams from kickoff through deployment.
• Translate product requirements into technical roadmaps, milestones, and engineering deliverables.
• Identify, track, and mitigate technical risks, bottlenecks, and resource constraints before they affect delivery dates.
• Own program schedules, set milestones, manage technical dependencies, and drive accountability across engineering teams.
• Participate in technical design reviews to ensure solutions are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with long-term infrastructure goals.
• Facilitate technical trade-off decisions between engineering and product teams, balancing speed to market against technical debt.
• Ensure testing, code quality, security protocols, and documentation are integrated into the program lifecycle.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for cross-functional stakeholders, including Product, Security, Compliance, and executive leadership.
• Translate complex technical status and engineering metrics into clear executive updates focused on business impacts.
• Lead post-mortems and root-cause analyses for program failures or major deployment incidents to support continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, regular salary reviews, and short-term incentive opportunities.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with eligibility starting on day one.
• Paid time off for vacation, holidays, sick time, and bereavement for eligible employees.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match up to 5 percent and immediate vesting.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• Wellness program supporting physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing.
• Opportunities to volunteer and give back to the community.
• Additional local benefits may apply depending on location or facility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time