Senior Director, PLM & Global Product Cost Manager (m/f/d)

In this role you lead the PLM and Global Product Cost function to enable scalable product delivery, margin targets, and data integrity across markets. You will drive end-to-end lifecycle management, cost governance, and cross-functional collaboration with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Commercial teams. You’ll present costs, risks, and trade-offs to senior leadership and the Board, shaping the product portfolio strategy. This is a high-visibility role with impact on pricing, configuration standards, and cost-down initiatives in a complex hardware environment.

• Lead the PLM and Global Product Cost function, setting strategy, policies, and cadence for lifecycle management and cost governance across markets and platforms
• Own monthly rolling-cost curves review with senior leadership; surface risks, dependencies, and cost-reduction progress
• Maintain integrity of standard product configuration across internal systems, ensuring timely, current configurations in pricing and lifecycle tooling
• Drive attainment of corporate configuration-based order intake commitments via governance forums and escalation paths
• Chair change request governance; balance commercial responsiveness with cost and complexity
• Oversee configuration management and part numbering discipline across BOMs and item masters
• Govern BOM phases (EBOM/MBOM/SBOM) to ensure data flow and traceability across design through field deployment
• Own product data master discipline as single source of truth for product definition, configuration, and cost data
• Coordinate with Engineering on ECN/ECO execution to reflect changes in PLM and downstream systems
• Synchronize engineering change effectivity with Program Management for accurate PLM data and cut-ins
• Lead cross-functional cost-down execution with Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Engineering; monitor cost-reduction commitments
• Manage integrity of cost and configuration data in CPQ and pricing systems on a monthly cadence
• Build and lead the PLM & Global Product Cost team; scale with portfolio complexity and potential adjacent systems leadership
• Represent the function in executive reviews with CFO, CEO, and Board; translate data into clear narratives and asks
• Partner with Engineering and Component PM for NPI cost validation and component-level cost-down
• Collaborate with Commercial on bid governance, deal desk, and pricing strategy impacting cost and margin
• Serve as the primary Finance counterpart for cost validation, EAC alignment, and margin discussions
• Provide a credible dissenting view on configurations or commitments that conflict with cost targets; propose cost-aligned alternatives
• Demonstrate executive presence with structured communication suitable for C-suite and Board audiences
• Maintain curiosity about how hardware products are designed, built, sold, and serviced and their cross-functional impact
• Travel ~25% to company sites, suppliers, and customers as required

• 12+ years of progressive experience in product management, operations, cost engineering, or related leadership roles in battery energy storage or similar hardware sectors
• Direct experience leading PLM and product-cost functions for complex configurable hardware at industrial scale
• Proven leadership in building and developing cross-functional teams and absorbing adjacent functions over time
• Strong financial fluency: cost models, margin walks, EAC trajectory, and cost-down commitments in executive settings
• Hands-on experience with PLM tools (Windchill, Teamcenter, Arena, SAP PLM) and BOM governance
• Familiarity with CPQ/pricing systems (Tacton, Salesforce CPQ, Oracle CPQ) and data flows between configuration, costing, and pricing
• Track record of cross-functional decision-making without formal authority over those functions
• Ability to act as dissenting voice to protect cost targets while driving resolution at executive level
• Executive presence and structured communication for senior leadership and Board audiences
• Curiosity about end-to-end product lifecycle and cross-functional interdependencies
• Willingness to travel ~25%

• Executive presence
• Cross-functional leadership
• Strategic thinking with execution focus
• PLM methodologies and tooling (Windchill, Teamcenter, Arena, SAP PLM)
• BOM governance and part-number discipline
• ECN/ECO execution and change control processes