Material Quote Senior Engineer Job Listing at Flex in Chennai, TN (Job ID WD203370)

Description

Flex is the diversified manufacturing partner of choice that helps market-leading brands design, build and deliver innovative products that improve the world. 

A career at Flex offers the opportunity to make a difference and invest in your growth in a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment. If you are excited about a role but don't meet every bullet point, we encourage you to apply and join us to create the extraordinary.

Job Summary

To support our extraordinary teams who build great products and contribute to our growth, we're looking to add a Material Quote Senior Engineer in Chennai India.

What a typical day looks like:

Cost Estimation & Should-Cost Modeling

• Develop and maintain detailed cost models for primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging components (e.g., cartons, ESD trays, foam inserts, molded pulp, pallets, labels).
• Analyze packaging designs, material specifications, dimensions, manufacturing processes, and regional cost drivers to estimate true cost.
• Calculate landed cost including material, conversion, tooling, freight, duties, and overheads.
• Support RFQ/RFI processes by providing should-cost data to sourcing and business units.
• Break down supplier quotes and benchmark them against internal cost models.

Engineering & Design Collaboration

• Work closely with packaging engineering and product development teams to assess cost impact of design changes.
• Recommend design alternatives or material substitutions to improve cost-efficiency.
• Participate in design-for-cost and value analysis/value engineering (VA/VE) reviews.

Market & Supplier Intelligence

• Research industry trends and raw material indices (e.g., paper, plastic resin, foam) to keep cost models up-to-date.
• Strong understanding of plastic resins and specific applications based on factors like strength, flexibility, temperature resistance, and chemical compatibility
• Working with suppliers to source resins and negotiate pricing.
• Gather and analyze data on plastic resins market trends, competitors and customer needs
• Develop predictive models to forecast market demands, trends and growth opportunities in plastic resins.
• Create and update reports, dashboards and Visualizations to communicate market insight
• Develop and implement pricing strategies for new and existing plastic resin products, ensuring they align with overall business goals.
• Monitor packaging market developments including regional conversion rates, labor costs, and inflation factors.

Cross-functional & Sourcing Support

• Collaborate with commodity managers and strategic sourcing teams to support supplier negotiations using should-cost insights.
• Assist in supplier selection, make/buy decisions, and localization efforts from a cost perspective.
• Provide cost input for business cases, budgeting, and customer proposals (NPI and mass production stages).

The experience we're looking to add to our team:

• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent.
• Minimum 6 years of experience in cost estimation or packaging engineering within EMS, electronics, or related manufacturing industry.
• Proven expertise in cost modeling and data-driven analysis of packaging components.
• Deep understanding of packaging manufacturing processes: die-cutting, corrugation, vacuum forming, injection molding, ESD packaging, etc.
• Strong cost modeling capabilities in Excel or specialized cost tools (e.g., aPriori, Teamcenter, or custom templates).
• Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving mindset.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings and packaging specifications.
• ERP's, PLM systems, advanced MS Excel; familiarity with CAD tools is a plus.
• Good knowledge of packaging compliance and standards (ISTA, ASTM, RoHS, ESD).
• Effective communicator with ability to present complex cost data clearly.
• Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet strict deadlines under pressure.

What you'll receive for the great work you provide:

• Health Insurance
• PTO

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Job Category Global Procurement & Supply Chain

Required Skills:

Optional Skills:

Flex pays for all costs associated with the application, interview or offer process, a candidate will not be asked for any payment related to these costs.

Flex is an Equal Opportunity Employer and employment selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We do not discriminate based on: age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, pregnancy status, or any other status protected by law. We're happy to provide reasonable accommodations to those with a disability for assistance in the application process. Please email accessibility@flex.com and we'll discuss your specific situation and next steps (NOTE: this email does not accept or consider resumes or applications. This is only for disability assistance. To be considered for a position at Flex, you must complete the application process first).

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