Senior Consultant – VAVE Program

Location: Cottage Grove MN (Each location to be visited once. USA (CA NE ND NC OH) and Tijuana (Mexico). May add few more locations.

Role Summary:

• The Senior VAVE Consultant will lead anchor and execute the end to end VAVE program directly at the suppliers facility for Industrial products.
• This role ensures that the supplier generates credible feasible and implementable cost reduction ideas without compromising quality reliability performance or regulatory compliance.
• Consultant will work closely with the Program Manager the clients cross-functional teams and the suppliers cross functional teams to ensure the program delivers validated savings.

Key Responsibilities

VAVE Strategy Planning & Alignment

• Translate client expectations product scope and savings targets into a structured VAVE execution roadmap for the supplier.
• Establish clear governance cadence workshop plans and decision gates for supplier side execution.
• Ensure supplier leadership and cross functional teams (Design Manufacturing Procurement Quality etc.) are aligned resourced and accountable.
• Define VAVE workstreams: material design process standardization and specification optimization.

Technical Analysis & Baseline Preparation

• Review suppliers current product cost structure BOM routing manufacturing processes tooling.
• Perform structured analyses: functional analysis cost driver mapping tear down insights benchmarking alternate material/process feasibility.
• Identify major value levers and prioritize high impact VAVE zones.

Facilitation of Workshops & Ideation Sessions

• Lead and facilitate on site VAVE workshops using industry standard methods (FAST DFMA 7 step VAVE idea funneling etc.).
• Drive supplier participation ensuring ideas originate from their teams.
• Promote creative but practical ideation leveraging benchmarks and cross industry best practices.
• Maintain a traceable idea register.

Technical & Cost Feasibility Development

• Guide supplier engineers in developing VAVE concepts to a technically defensible level.
• Review supplier calculations: BOM impact Labor/cycle time changes Tooling implications Yield and scrap effects Supply chain and logistics impacts
• Ensure savings assumptions are realistic evidence backed and auditable.
• Coordinate suppliers risk assessments (DFMEA/PFMEA updates).

Validation Planning & Coordination

• Work with supplier teams to define prototype test and qualification needs for each shortlisted idea.
• Coordinate trials PPAP/FAI readiness and supplier internal testing.
• Ensure ideas meet clients quality regulatory safety and performance standards.

Reporting Documentation & Stakeholder Management

• Maintain up to date documentation-idea funnel business cases risks decisions and validation progress.
• Provide weekly progress reports to the Program Manager with clear risks dependencies and decisions needed.
• Present VAVE outputs to client engineering procurement and leadership stakeholders.
• Drive alignment between supplier and client during reviews.

Implementation Readiness & Handover

• Ensure ideas approved by client are ready for implementation (complete drawings process updates validation evidence).
• Support supplier to prepare implementation timelines investment requests and transition plans.
• Ensure a clean handover into implementation tracking.

Required Skills & Experience

Experience

• 15 years in VAVE/Value Engineering NPD Manufacturing Engineering Cost Reduction or Industrial Engineering.
• Proven experience leading VAVE programs at tier 1 or tier 2 suppliers in relevant industries (electro mechanical industrial automotive electronics consumer products etc.).
• Strong background in product cost breakdown design for manufacture/assembly and manufacturing processes.

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of BOM cost modeling manufacturing processes tooling materials and supply chain economics.
• Skilled in structured VAVE tools and methodologies: FAST diagrams DFMA Tear down/value analysis Benchmarking Cost driver modeling
• Ability to interpret drawings specifications engineering change documents.

Behavioral Skills

• Strong workshop facilitation and cross functional leadership.
• Excellent stakeholder management across supplier teams and client teams.
• Able to handle conflicts push for accountability and maintain neutrality.
• High clarity in communication documentation and presentations.

Typical Deliverables of this Role

• VAVE roadmap & execution plan
• Baseline cost analysis & teardown insights
• VAVE workshop outputs and idea funnel
• Technical and commercial feasibility packs
• Savings validation documents
• Risk register validation plan
• Final VAVE report for client approval
• Implementation readiness package