Role DescriptionForm Energy is building the supply chain for a battery chemistry that has no existing supplier base. This role owns cost engineering for that build: the should-cost models, the benchmarking discipline, and the negotiation leverage that let Form make confident sourcing and design decisions before a market price exists to check them against. This is not a cost-tracking function. It is a strategic capability that sits at the intersection of engineering, sourcing, and finance, and shapes how Form designs, sources, and prices its product from the ground up.
The right person has built or scaled a cost engineering function inside a manufacturing environment, is fluent in should-cost and activity-based costing methods, and knows how to turn a cost model into a negotiating position and a design decision, not just a report.
Relocation assistance is available.
What you'll do:- Should-cost strategy and modeling. Build and continuously improve should-cost models for raw materials, fabricated components, and capital equipment, using activity-based costing, parametric modeling, and process-based cost breakdowns. Set the standard for how Form estimates cost before a supplier quote exists.
- Benchmarking and market intelligence. Establish cost benchmarking practices against industry best practice in automotive, aerospace, electronics, and industrial manufacturing, adapted to a novel chemistry with a developing supply base. Track commodity, labor, and overhead trends that move Form's cost structure and bring that intelligence into sourcing and design decisions early.
- Supplier negotiation leadership. Use cost models to evaluate supplier quotations, identify negotiation leverage, and lead or directly support high-stakes negotiations alongside Global Supply Managers. Hold suppliers to a standard of cost transparency, not just price.
- Design-to-cost influence. Partner with product and manufacturing engineering early in the design cycle so cost is a design input, not a post-hoc audit. Translate cost model output into specific, actionable design and process feedback that changes outcomes.
- Cross-functional cost visibility. Feed cost forecasts and risk into the Sales and Operations Planning forum and the annual build plan, giving Finance and the executive team a clear, defensible view of unit economics as volume scales.
- Building the function. Establish the tools, data structure, and methodology for cost engineering at Form, and build and lead a team of cost engineers and analysts as the group scales with production volume.
What you'll bring:- 8+ years in cost engineering, finance, manufacturing engineering, or strategic sourcing, including should-cost modeling and supplier cost negotiation, ideally in automotive, aerospace, electronics, or industrial manufacturing
- Direct experience building or scaling a cost engineering capability, not only operating within an established one
- Fluency in activity-based costing, parametric cost modeling, and cost breakdown analysis from BOMs, drawings, or samples
- A track record of using cost models to change supplier negotiations and design outcomes, not just to report variance
- Comfort operating with limited market data and building estimation methodology where none exists, which mirrors Form's position with a novel chemistry and a developing supply base
- People leadership experience or clear readiness to build and lead a team
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, industrial, or materials engineering, or equivalent experience; an advanced degree or continued technical credibility is a plus
- Comfort operating in a fast-moving, first-of-a-kind manufacturing environment where the answer is not always in a database
#LI-Onsite
Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy's culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here.
When it comes to you and your family's health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed.
To build America's energy future, we need everyone at the table.
