Cost Estimating 4

Qarbon Aerospace Inc•Red Oak, TX

23d

About The Position

The Labor Cost Estimator will develop, analyze, and maintain accurate and defensible cost estimates, including capacity planning and capital equipment utilization analysis, for composite part fabrication and assembly. This role supports proposal development, contract negotiations, and program execution by translating engineering and manufacturing requirements into detailed labor hour models, staffing plans, production rates, and equipment loading assumptions. The position works closely with engineering, operations, manufacturing leadership, supply chain, and program management.

Requirements

Strong understanding of aerospace manufacturing, preferably within composite fabrication and assembly environments.
Working knowledge of capacity planning, production flow analysis, and capital equipment utilization.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and manufacturing plans to assess labor content and production impacts.
Ability to interrogate 3D CAD models using CATIA to extract labor-driving features such as part complexity, ply counts, geometry, tooling interfaces, and assembly sequences.
Strong analytical, organizational, and time-management skills; able to work under changing priorities and tight deadlines.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (labor modeling, capacity analysis, scenario modeling); proficiency in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable working independently and collaboratively.
Must be a U.S. person per ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) guidelines.
This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship or a foreign person per ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience or working knowledge of composite materials, manufacturing processes is preferred.
Experience using SEER 3D as a labor estimating tool, including model setup, assumption validation, and output interpretation is preferred.
Familiarity with enterprise manufacturing or planning systems (e.g., SAP, Apriso, or similar) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop detailed labor cost estimates for composite fabrication and assembly operations, including touch labor, indirect labor, and production support labor.
Analyze engineering models, drawings, specifications, routings, and manufacturing plans to determine labor hours, skill mix, learning curves, and production rates.
Perform capacity analysis to assess labor availability, shift structures, takt times, bottlenecks, and throughput constraints across manufacturing cells.
Conduct capital equipment utilization analysis, including machine loading, cycle times, utilization rates, and required capital investments to support projected production volumes.
Translate production scenarios into staffing plans and labor curves to support make/buy decisions, rate readiness, and long-range planning.
Collaborate with operations, industrial engineering, and program management to validate assumptions related to labor standards, yields, rework, and efficiency factors.
Create, maintain, and continuously improve labor estimating models, capacity tools, and historical labor databases.
Identify labor cost drivers, schedule risks, and opportunities for productivity improvement or cost reduction.
Support proposal development and contract negotiations with well-documented, defendable labor estimates and capacity assumptions.