Director, Product Cost Strategy and Forecasting
Kairos PowerAlameda, CA, Albuquerque, NM, or Remote
Required qualifications
- Proven experience leading cost forecasting, modeling, or financial planning functions at a director or senior manager level
- Strong expertise in building parameterized cost models and enterprise forecasting frameworks
- Deep understanding of manufacturing economics, supply chain cost drivers, and engineered systems
- Demonstrated ability to bridge technical, financial, and operational disciplines with exceptional cross-functional coordination
- Experience with cost accounting, variance analysis, and reconciliation of forecasts to actuals
- Track record of developing cost methodologies and governance processes for complex, multi-domain product portfolios
- Ability to translate technical and financial concepts into clear executive communications and visualizations
- Strong analytical capability and proficiency with cost modeling tools and financial analysis software
- Experience building and leading small technical teams with mentorship and development focus
About this role
Director-level role at Kairos Power leading product cost strategy and forecasting for fluoride-salt-cooled fast reactor (FSCR) commercialization. You will develop and maintain parameterized cost models for reactor hardware, fuel, molten salt, construction, and shared infrastructure, establish enterprise-wide forecasting frameworks, and provide data-driven cost analyses to inform pricing, contracting, and investment decisions as the company scales from demonstration units to commercial deployment.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain parameterized cost models across salt, fuel, reactor hardware, construction, and shared infrastructure with transparent, traceable assumptions
- Lead enterprise-wide cost forecasting framework integrating engineering, manufacturing, and financial data to inform planning, pricing, and contracting decisions
- Define cost estimation methodologies, inputs, and governance processes aligned with corporate forecasting and investor-facing financial models
- Establish regular forecasting cadence synchronized with company planning cycles to enable data-driven leadership decisions
- Partner with Finance, Accounting, and FP&A to ensure forecasts directly inform budgeting, scenario analysis, and long-range financial planning
- Reconcile forecasts against actuals with the Cost Accounting Manager, perform root-cause variance analyses, and refine assumptions
- Collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to identify cost drivers, anticipate impacts, and inform design and sourcing decisions
- Develop learning-curve and scaling frameworks quantifying expected cost improvements across product generations and manufacturing expansions
- Conduct sensitivity and scenario analyses assessing impact of design changes, production scaling, and supply-chain dynamics on total cost
- Provide data-driven recommendations to drive cost reduction, operational efficiency, and market competitiveness
- Support pricing and contracting discussions by confirming proposed terms align with cost targets and quantifying impacts when they do not
- Develop reporting tools and dashboards communicating cost forecasts, trends, and key drivers to executive leadership
- Ensure cost transparency in internal and customer-facing reporting, including cost-plus and open-book contracting frameworks
- Build and lead a small team responsible for product cost forecasting and analysis, providing mentorship and technical direction
Preferred qualifications
- Background in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, or capital-intensive engineered systems industries
- Experience with learning-curve analysis, scaling economics, or technology commercialization
- Familiarity with nuclear energy, reactor systems, or related advanced technology sectors
- Experience supporting pricing strategy, contracting discussions, or investor communications
- Knowledge of cost-plus and open-book contracting frameworks
- Exposure to techno-economic modeling or pro forma financial analysis
- Experience with data visualization platforms and advanced Excel or Python for financial modeling
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