Cost Planning Senior Principal Engineer - Automotive

What Makes a Honda, is Who makes a Honda
Honda has a clear vision for the future, and it’s a joyful one. We are looking for individuals with the skills, courage, persistence, and dreams that will help us reach our future-focused goals. At our core is innovation. Honda is constantly innovating and developing solutions to drive our business with record success. We strive to be a company that serves as a source of “power” that supports people around the world who are trying to do things based on their own initiative and that helps people expand their own potential. To this end, Honda strives to realize “the joy and freedom of mobility” by developing new technologies and an innovative approach to achieve a “zero environmental footprint.”

We are looking for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, continuous improvement values, and a strong work ethic to join our team.

If your goals and values align with Honda’s, we want you to join our team to Bring the Future!

Job Purpose

• To achieve HDMA business targets, it is critically important to determine whether a given part/system design is cost competitive and a reasonable value for the money.
• The Cost Planning Sr. Principal Engineer serves as a senior technical leader within the assigned category, responsible for evaluating cost competitiveness, guiding proposal direction, and aligning stakeholders to deliver business results.
• This role exercises independent judgment in assessing cost targets and proposals while recommending direction and escalating final decisions as appropriate.

Key Accountabilities

Technical Leadership, Direction Setting, and Team Guidance:

• Leverages experience, technical credibility, and business judgment to lead category cost optimization discussions and drive alignment among design, cost, purchasing, and related stakeholders.
• Assesses the strength of proposals versus alternatives and determines the recommended direction, actions, priorities, and schedule for the Cost Planning team within the assigned category.
• Provides guidance to cost engineers on analysis approach, issue breakdown, task ownership, and timing in order to maintain commitments and achieve category targets.
• Influences decisions through clear, persuasive written and verbal communication and through fact-based evaluation of cost, feasibility, competitiveness, and customer value.

Expertise and Strategic Cost Evaluation:

• Possesses strong knowledge of part design, materials, manufacturing processes, cost drivers, and investment implications within the assigned technical area.
• Evaluates whether designs are optimized for cost, investment, manufacturability, and customer perception of value, while balancing regulations, market competitiveness, quality, and weight considerations.
• Identifies opportunity areas, matures proposals for business improvement, and applies broad “big picture” thinking to prioritize efforts that maximize business impact versus required effort.
• Stays current on emerging technologies, benchmarking insights, and relevant technical or supplier trends to strengthen category strategy and recommendations.

Key Accountabilities (Contd.)

Verification, Judgment, and Recommendation Authority:

• Evaluates the reasonableness of cost targets, assumptions, VA/VE themes, and cost-down proposals through careful examination of logic, supporting evidence, and implementation feasibility.
• Determines the appropriate verification path, required resources, and readiness of proposals for next-stage review and approval.
• Ranks and recommends cost-related items within the category, including timing, technical path, investment implications, and expected business value.
• Escalates category issues requiring final adjudication, broader business trade-off decisions, or enterprise-level direction to higher leadership as needed.

Correlation, Reporting, and Stakeholder Alignment:

• Determines that the prepared document for the Cost Evaluation accurately reflects the project status and supports the conclusions being made with sufficient logic and material evidence. Advises the Team on maturation of said materials.
• Collaborates with Design, Purchasing, suppliers, and other related stakeholders to understand the impact of proposals on quality, ergonomics, maintenance, manufacturability, timing, and other business metrics.
• Leads Profit Improvement themes including correlation activities by providing technical context, cost perspective, and recommendation rationale.
• Consults with relevant internal and external partners, including Japan counterparts when applicable, to confirm assumptions and strengthen proposal quality.
• Assists the Unit & Department Leader in Administrative duties with respect to associate performance, goal setting, mentorship and tracking progress on goals.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

• Minimum education:
  • Must have a Bachelor’s level degree in a STEM field of study (preferably Mechcanical / Electrical / Automotive / Mechatronics etc).
• Minimum work experience:
• At least 15 years of relevant industry experience in product development, cost planning and technical/team leadership.
• Demosntrable technical expertise in part, materials and manufacturing process and cost drivers.
• Must be an expert in at least one or more of these areas - electrical harnesses (wiring connecting the power and signal to components), battery management systems, infotainment systems, interior lighting.
• Ability to determine if a design is optimized for cost, investment, manufacturability and customer value.
• Ability to assess proposal feasibility, implementation path and cross functional impact.
• Working knowledge of CATIA (not expert), Excel, Powerpoint for analysis and reporting.
• Strong facilitation, consensus-building, and technical communication skills in a fast-paced team environment.
• Automotive industry experience will be an asset for this role.

Workstyle

• This is an onsite job. One remote workday per week may be possible with prior departmental approval.

What differentiates Honda and makes us an employer of choice?

Total Rewards: 

• Competitive Base Salary (pay will be based on several variables that include, but not limited to geographic location, work experience, etc.)
• Regional Bonus (when applicable)
• Manager Lease Car Program (No Cost - Car, Maintenance, and Insurance included)
• Industry-leading Benefit Plans (Medical, Dental, Vision, Rx)
• Paid time off, including vacation, holidays, shutdown
• Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability 
• 401K Plan with company match + additional contribution
• Relocation assistance (if eligible)

Career Growth:

• Advancement Opportunities
• Career Mobility
• Education Reimbursement for Continued learning
• Training and Development Programs 

Additional Offerings:

• Lifestyle Account
• Childcare Reimbursement Account
• Elder Care Support
• Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Repayment
• Wellbeing Program
• Community Service and Engagement Programs
• Product Programs

Honda is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.