Design and Drafting Manager

This role oversees a specialized technical documentation function that supports commercial, operational, and customer-facing teams by delivering precise, manufacturable design outputs. The Design and Drafting Manager is accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of drawings, bills of material, and related product records. Acting as both a people leader and hands-on technical authority, this individual drives consistency, scalability, and continuous improvement across drafting workflows while enabling smooth execution from order intake through production.

The position operates with a high degree of autonomy and requires strong judgment, analytical rigor, and the ability to align multiple stakeholders around clear technical standards and performance expectations.

Key Accountabilities

• Build, coach, and lead a team of designers and technical specialists, establishing clear expectations for quality, responsiveness, and ownership.
• Establish and run daily operational rhythms (stand-ups, metrics reviews, prioritization) to surface risks early and keep work flowing efficiently.
• Direct the modernization of CAD and documentation tools, including ownership of system migration efforts and user adoption.
• Act as the gatekeeper for incoming design requests, ensuring inputs are complete, validated, and aligned to defined functional and regulatory requirements.
• Develop, maintain, and present performance reporting that translates throughput, accuracy, and rework data into actionable insights.
• Own the structure and accuracy of bills of material and labor assumptions, collaborating with engineering, planning, and manufacturing to reconcile standards with real-world execution.
• Define and maintain clear procedures, templates, and work instructions that support repeatability, compliance, and audit readiness.
• Serve as the central coordination point between technical, operational, and customer-facing groups to resolve ambiguities and protect design intent.
• Review and authorize detailed design outputs, ensuring compliance with internal standards, dimensional controls, and revision governance.
• Instill strong problem-solving habits across the team, emphasizing data validation, root cause analysis, and independent decision-making.
• Investigate historical records and legacy designs when required to resolve discrepancies or restore documentation accuracy.
• Standardize symbols, libraries, and drawing conventions to improve clarity and reduce variation.
• Partner with downstream functions to ensure effective use of lifecycle management and enterprise systems.
• Champion efficiency and quality initiatives that reduce cycle time, eliminate rework, and strengthen cross-functional communication.

Required Background

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a comparable technical discipline.
• Extensive experience in mechanical design and documentation, including multiple years in a formal leadership capacity.
• Track record working within structured quality systems and regulated design environments.
• Advanced capability in 3D CAD platforms, with deep knowledge of geometric dimensioning, tolerancing, and drawing control standards.
• Hands-on experience supporting molded components and multi-part assemblies.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, materials, and tolerance interactions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams under tight deadlines while maintaining high accuracy standards.
• Proficiency with common business and collaboration tools for reporting, scheduling, and stakeholder communication.
• Working knowledge of product lifecycle and enterprise resource planning systems.
• Clear, confident communicator capable of aligning technical and non-technical audiences.
• Comfortable operating independently in a fast-moving, cross-functional organization.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Background in medical device, bioprocessing, or similarly regulated manufacturing sectors.
• Familiarity with advanced quality standards beyond ISO 9001.
• Experience leading or supporting Lean, continuous improvement, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Prior involvement in large-scale CAD or documentation system transitions.