Cost & Quotation Specialist

Role overview

Cost & Quotation Specialist at Hitachi Energy

The opportunity: We are seeking a Supplier Cost & Quotation Specialist within SCM to support Sales and project teams with daily quotation activities, cost validation, and early-stage sourcing strategy alignment with suppliers.

The position plays a critical role in connecting Sales, Engineering, Category Management, and Supply Chain, enabling competitive, realistic, and executable offers.

Responsibilities

• Review and challenge cost assumptions , identify risks/gaps, and ensure alignment between quoted, system, and execution costs.
• Manage cost data governance by ensuring Material Master accuracy, completeness, and alignment with current supplier pricing and lead times.
• Drive early sourcing engagement with Category Managers to leverage agreements, mitigate risks, and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Provide market intelligence on pricing trends, supplier capabilities, risks, and key cost drivers within the energy industry.
• Monitor quotation performance through dashboards, pipeline tracking, win/loss analysis, RFQ cycle times, and supplier responsiveness.

Preferred qualifications and skills

• Your background: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (preferred), Supply Chain, Business, or a related field. 5+ years of experience in project procurement, quotation/bid support, cost analysis, supply chain, or commercial functions.

Employment details

• Location: Chennai [Tamil Nadu] [India]

About the employer

• Living Hitachi Energy’s core values of safety and integrity, which means taking responsibility for your own actions while caring for your colleagues and the business.

Additional role details

• This role plays a critical part in pre-sales engagement ensuring cost accuracy, data integrity, and supplier strategy alignment during the quotation phase.
• How you’ll make an impact: Support sales quotations by validating supplier costs, material master data, and market benchmarks to ensure competitive and accurate pricing.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Sales, Category Managers, and Supply Chain to clarify technical requirements and sourcing strategies.
• Act as the key interface between Sales, Engineering, Category Management, and Supply Chain throughout the quotation process.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance quotation accuracy, process efficiency, cost transparency, and digitalization.
• Track and improve key KPIs , including cost accuracy, cost savings, quotation quality, on-time submissions, data accuracy, win rates, margin performance, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Responsible to ensure compliance with applicable external and internal regulations, procedures, and guidelines.
• Strong knowledge of the energy industry , including high-voltage equipment, transformers, and electrical components/systems.
• Expertise in cost structures and technical-commercial evaluation , with the ability to assess quotation feasibility and profitability.
• Hands-on experience with SAP (Material Master, Costing) or similar ERP systems for cost validation and data management.
• Advanced analytical and reporting skills , particularly in Excel, Power BI, and data-driven decision-making.
• Strong commercial acumen, attention to detail, and ability to challenge data, assumptions, and cost discrepancies.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders , act as a trusted advisor to Sales, and bridge technical, commercial, and operational perspectives.