Roles / Package Cost Engineer

Package Cost Engineer

PKG-023v1

Advanced Packaging & AssemblyBusinessIC3–IC6Individual contributor

Also known as: Packaging Cost Analyst; Should-Cost Engineer, Packaging; Assembly Cost Modeling Engineer

See this role on the Chiplet lifecycle or on the Package technology lifecycle or on the SoC lifecycle

Summary

Quantifies what every packaging decision costs, from substrate layer count to test insertion, and drives the cost-per-good-unit down across the product portfolio. Gives architects and sourcing a defensible number instead of an opinion.

A day in the life

Work in progressNo day-in-the-life description has been written for this role yet. If you do this work, we would welcome yours. Suggest a source or a correction

Responsibilities

Project

Work done for a product or program.

Build bottom-up should-cost models for package types covering substrate, die area, bumping, assembly process time, materials, test and yield loss.
Model cost-per-good-unit including known-good-die yield, assembly yield and test yield so that multi-die trade-offs are compared correctly.
Quantify cost deltas for architecture options — monolithic versus chiplet, CoWoS versus fan-out, organic versus silicon interposer, layer count changes.
Support sourcing in OSAT and substrate price negotiation by validating quoted process times, material usage, scrap rates and margin assumptions.
Track actual versus modelled cost each quarter and explain variance by material price, yield, mix and volume.
Drive cost-reduction project pipelines including panel utilisation, test time reduction, material substitution and package body shrink.
Provide cost inputs to product line pricing, business cases and make-versus-buy decisions on internal assembly versus OSAT.
Forecast cost trajectories over the product lifecycle to support long-term margin planning.

Function

Work that keeps the discipline running: methods, tools, suppliers and people.

Model capital and depreciation impact of new packaging capacity and equipment on unit cost at different utilisation levels.
Maintain the cost model library, material price indices and labour rate assumptions by region.

Major tasks

Project

Produce and hand over the role's key deliverables
- Should-cost models per package technology
- Cost-per-good-unit comparison for architecture options
- Quarterly cost variance analysis and drivers report
- Cost-reduction project pipeline and savings tracker
- Supplier price benchmark and negotiation support pack
- Lifecycle cost forecast by product
Define the productGeneral
- Gather customer and market requirements
- Write the business case
- Agree the requirements with engineering
Take it to marketGeneral
- Plan the launch
- Set pricing
- Support key customers

Function

Manage the portfolioGeneral
- Keep the roadmap current
- Review product performance
Understand the marketGeneral
- Follow competitors and trends
- Maintain forecasts

Works with

Package architects
sourcing and commodity managers
OSAT and substrate suppliers
finance and product line management
test engineering
yield engineering
industrial engineering
program management

Typical backgrounds

BS or MS in Industrial Engineering, Engineering Management, Mechanical Engineering or Finance with a technical minor; 5–14 years spanning packaging engineering, sourcing or cost analytics.

Demand signal

0 open listings right now
0 Talent Wafer employer inquiries

Counts live listings tagged to this role, and employer interest in candidates from Talent Wafer runs for this role (all runs to date). Hub activity only, not the wider market.

Comp tier (within semis)

2 / 5

Remote feasibility

High

Semis core vs. portable

Highly portable

Geographic hotspots

San Jose, Austin, Taipei, Singapore, Penang, Munich, Shanghai, Bangalore, Seoul

Certifications / standards training

CIMA or CMA (cost accounting); APICS CPIM; Six Sigma Green Belt; aPriori cost modeling certification

Transfers to (industries)

Automotive and aerospace cost engineering, contract manufacturing cost analysis, consumer electronics bill-of-materials management, industrial equipment should-costing

Risk if vacant

Architecture and sourcing decisions are made without a credible cost basis, and margin erosion is discovered only after the package is tooled and ramped.

Package Cost Engineer

Summary

A day in the life

Responsibilities

Project

Function

Major tasks

Project

Function

Works with

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