What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Aerospace Estimation Engineer position at WAUSEON MACHINE AND MFG, INC?
THE ROLE
We're looking for a Senior Estimation Engineer who can turn a customer print into an accurate, defensible, and competitive quote, fast. You will own the cost model behind every RFQ that comes through Steelcrest, from raw material and cycle time to tooling, setup, and outside processing. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, operations, and sales, and directly shapes which jobs we win and whether we make money on them. You will report to operations and commercial leadership, with regular visibility to the CEO on pricing strategy and win/loss trends.
WHAT YOU'LL OWN
• RFQ Cost Modeling: build detailed cost estimates from customer prints and specs, covering material, cycle time, tooling, setup, inspection, and outside processing.
• Process and Cycle Time Analysis: apply process knowledge across milling, turning, and multi-axis machining to estimate realistic cycle times, not best-case guesses.
• Should-Cost Modeling: build should-cost models for existing competitor parts, and use them to negotiate margin, defend pricing, and identify cost-reduction opportunities.
• Quote Turnaround: work directly with sales and program management to turn around competitive quotes on tight customer timelines without sacrificing accuracy.
• Estimate Accuracy and Feedback Loop: track quoted cost versus actual shop cost on won jobs, and feed that data back into the estimating model so it gets sharper over time.
• Capacity and Make/Buy Input: factor current shop loading and equipment availability into lead time and pricing decisions on new quotes.
• Design for Manufacturability Input: partner with engineering on manufacturability feedback during the quoting stage, catching cost drivers before they become production problems.
• Estimating Systems and Standards: maintain and improve the rate tables, labor standards, and cost models used across the estimating function.