Overview

This role is responsible for developing and maintaining high-quality CAD models while establishing and driving modeling and drafting standards across the organization. The position plays a key role in enabling scalable, configurable design practices—ensuring models and drawings are structured for reusability, efficiency, and downstream engineering needs including analysis, manufacturing, and documentation.

The ideal candidate is both a strong CAD designer and a process-minded leader who can standardize modeling practices across global teams, ensure robust GD&T application, and enable design expansion through configurations and design automation.

Key Responsibilities

CAD Design & Development

• Create and maintain parametric 3D models, assemblies, and drawings using SolidWorks (or equivalent CAD tools)
• Support engineering teams with accurate, production-ready, parametric models and documentation
• Ensure designs meet performance, manufacturability, and quality requirements
• Create detailed 2D production drawings with complete dimensioning and tolerancing aligned with company drafting standards
• Apply GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing) to define functional requirements and ensure manufacturability
• Ensure drawings include proper datums, critical tolerances, and inspection requirements
• Maintain alignment between 3D models and 2D drawings to support manufacturing and quality control

Configuration & Design Scalability

• Develop and maintain configurable models using design tables, configurations, and parametric controls
• Structure models to enable easy expansion into product families and variants
• Establish best practices for configuration management to ensure model stability and avoid rebuild issues
• Support development of modular, reusable design elements and libraries

Modeling Standards & Governance

• Define, document, and enforce CAD modeling standards (naming conventions, feature structure, design intent)
• Lead initiatives to standardize modeling approaches across products and teams
• Establish and maintain drafting standards including dimensioning practices, tolerance schemes, and drawing structure
• Ensure compliance with internal templates, tolerance blocks, and standard notes used in production drawings
• Conduct model and drawing reviews and audits to ensure adherence to standards
• Drive consistency between CAD models, drawings, and released documentation in PLM systems

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with product development engineers to align models with design intent and future scalability
• Collaborate with manufacturing, tooling, and quality teams to ensure models and drawings support downstream processes
• Ensure GD&T schemes align with inspection capability and quality requirements
• Interface with PLM/document control to ensure models and drawings are properly structured and released

Continuous Improvement

• Drive improvements in CAD efficiency, standardization, and reusability
• Identify opportunities to reduce design time and errors through improved modeling and drafting practices
• Support training and onboarding of team members on modeling standards, GD&T application, and configuration strategies

Qualifications

Required

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Design, or related field
• 5+ years of CAD design experience (SolidWorks preferred)
• Strong understanding of parametric modeling and design intent
• Experience creating and managing configurations and design tables
• Ability to structure models for scalability, reuse, and long-term maintainability
• Strong working knowledge of GD&T principles and application in production drawings
• Experience creating fully dimensioned manufacturing drawings with proper datums and tolerance schemes
• Familiarity with industry standards (e.g., ASME Y14.5)
• Ability to define critical-to-function features and inspection requirements
• Strong attention to detail and documentation discipline

Preferred

• Experience in connector, cable, or interconnect product design
• Exposure to PLM systems (e.g., Windchill) and controlled documentation environments
• Experience developing CAD modeling and drafting standards
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes (injection molding, stamping, machining, etc.)
• Experience aligning GD&T with manufacturing capability and inspection processes

Key Skills / Competencies

• CAD expertise and design intent thinking
• Standardization and process discipline
• Configuration-driven design
• GD&T application and interpretation
• Strong drafting and manufacturability focus
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Problem solving and continuous improvement
• Communication and training ability

Work Environment / Travel

• Primarily onsite with collaboration across engineering and manufacturing teams
• Minimal travel (<10%)