Role: Design to Cost Specialist - Electronics
Location: IBC Knowledge Park, Bengaluru
Reporting to: Lead - Product Costing & Budgeting
Team name: Costing & Budgeting – Team
About the Team and the Role
The Costing & Budgeting – Team at Ather is responsible for managing product costs, governing financial glidepaths, and ensuring cost efficiency through early design phase interventions and cross-functional collaboration.
This role is for a Design to Cost Specialist - Electronics who will identify cost avoidance opportunities, analyze power electronics components, and guide engineering teams to optimize electronics hardware costs using a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) approach.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with Engineering at early design phases to identify cost avoidance opportunities and make business cases using a TCO approach.
- Analyze product interfaces and manufacturing impacts (validation, quality, assembly) using DFMEA principles to assess risks in form and function.
- Evaluate semiconductor device characteristics and high-frequency magnetics to identify cost-effective and scalable design solutions.
- Conduct detailed analysis of converters, inverters, and PCB layouts to optimize power electronics product specifications.
- Lead teardown and benchmarking activities, studying competitor design philosophies to provide designers with optimized benchmark solutions.
- Develop and govern cost targets and glidepaths for new programs, ensuring alignment with gross margin goals across all cost drivers.
- Integrate cost considerations into the product lifecycle by collaborating with Sourcing, Manufacturing, Product, and Finance teams.
- Apply first principles thinking to every financial decision and facilitate trade-off decisions to optimize overall product cost.
Experience and Qualifications
- BE Electronics/Electrical/Mechatronics
- 6-7 years of experience in product companies (preferably from two-wheeler and electronics OEMs)
Must Have Competencies
- Technical mastery in the design and analysis of Converters, Inverters, and Drives including testing and control system analysis.
- Advanced proficiency in semiconductor device characteristics covering MOSFETs, IGBTs, and Power Management ICs.
- Expert ability to conduct detailed cost analysis of new designs and identify key cost drivers with a Design to Cost mindset.
- Specialized expertise in PCB Layout Design and Power Electronics Product Specifications to ensure cost-efficient hardware development.
Good to Have Competencies
- Functional ability to perform design and analysis of High Frequency Magnetics.
- Proficiency in applying DFMEA principles to evaluate risks in product form, function, and manufacturing.
- Technical skill in executing teardown and benchmarking activities to guide design teams with optimized solutions.
- Competency in developing cost targets and governing cost glidepaths for new product programs.
Want to know more
At Ather, we've built India's first intelligent scooter, from scratch. Based on the philosophy of clean design and smart technology, we are transforming the urban commute experience. We are expanding in India, and in the coming years, we look forward to scaling up and launching more products globally. Today, our product offerings include the Ather 450X, 450S, 450 Apex, and Rizta. Beyond the product, we are also setting up an extensive charging network and re-imagining end-to-end ownership experience. To know more, check out our Careers site and our Substack.
Be You, With Us
The Ather story doesn't write itself - our people do. We believe everyone is equal, but not the same. Diversity is our strength, and building an inclusive and equitable workplace begins with acknowledging and embracing our differences. We are an equal opportunity employer, and our team reflects a wide range of identities, experiences, and perspectives - all united by a shared passion to shape the Ather journey.
