Computer Aided Design Administrator

Position Summary

The CAD Administrator is responsible for the administration, governance, support, and continuous improvement of the company’s engineering design and data management environment. This position serves as the primary technical resource for SolidWorks CAD, SolidWorks PDM, engineering documentation standards, configuration management, and engineering change processes.

The role ensures the integrity, availability, traceability, and controlled release of engineering data throughout the product lifecycle while supporting engineering, quality, supply chain, and operations teams. The ideal candidate possesses advanced knowledge of SolidWorks, GD&T (ASME Y14.5), engineering change management, document control, and enterprise engineering data management practices.

Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesCAD Administration

·    Administer and support SolidWorks CAD software across engineering teams.

·    Establish and maintain CAD standards, drawing templates, title blocks, libraries, and modeling best practices.

·    Develop and maintain standard parts, hardware libraries, and design resources.

·    Troubleshoot CAD software issues, broken references, configuration errors, and data integrity concerns.

·    Coordinate installation, upgrades, service packs, and testing of CAD software.

·    Support engineering productivity through standardization and process improvement initiatives.

·    Evaluate and implement CAD-related technologies and automation opportunities.

SolidWorks PDM Administration

·    Administer and maintain the SolidWorks PDM Professional environment.

·    Configure and manage vault structures, workflows, user permissions, security groups, categories, variables, and data cards.

·    Create and maintain workflow automation, approval routing, notifications, and document lifecycle controls.

·    Manage revision schemes, release processes, and engineering documentation workflows.

·    Ensure proper vault performance, backup processes, and disaster recovery procedures.

·    Lead data migration, validation, and legacy engineering data consolidation projects.

·    Develop reporting and metrics related to document release, revisions, and workflow efficiency.

·    Partner with IT to support infrastructure, licensing, and system integrations.

Engineering Documentation and GD&T

·    Develop, review, and approve engineering drawings for compliance with ASME Y14.5 standards.

·    Provide technical guidance regarding Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) principles.

·    Establish drafting standards that support manufacturing, inspection, and supplier requirements.

·    Review released drawings for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with company standards.

·    Support manufacturing and quality teams in interpreting engineering documentation.

·    Assist engineering teams in creating robust and manufacturable designs using proper tolerance analysis.

·    Maintain drawing templates, symbols, notes, and drafting standards.

Engineering Change Management

·    Serve as the administrator and process owner for Engineering Change Requests (ECR) and Engineering Change Notices (ECN).

·    Develop, implement, and optimize engineering change workflows within SolidWorks PDM.

·    Coordinate cross-functional review and approval processes involving Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations.

·    Facilitate engineering change approval processes.

·    Ensure engineering changes are properly documented, reviewed, approved, released, and archived.

·    Evaluate change impacts to products, assemblies, drawings, BOMs, tooling, manufacturing processes, inventory, suppliers, and customer requirements.

·    Maintain full traceability of engineering changes through controlled revision management processes.

·    Monitor engineering change cycle times and recommend improvements to increase efficiency.

·    Generate reports and metrics regarding engineering change activity, implementation status, and compliance.

·    Support customer-driven engineering changes and product update initiatives.

Configuration Management and Document Control

·    Develop and maintain configuration management procedures and best practices.

·    Ensure proper revision control of engineering files, specifications, BOMs, and supporting documentation.

·    Establish and maintain file naming conventions, metadata standards, and release procedures.

·    Govern controlled document lifecycle management from creation through obsolescence.

·    Support product traceability and engineering record retention requirements.

·    Maintain engineering master records and released product documentation.

Cross-Functional Engineering Support

·    Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, and Operations teams.

·    Support new product development efforts with documentation and release process oversight.

·    Assist with PPAP documentation, design release activities, and customer-specific engineering requirements.

·    Support quality investigations and corrective actions involving engineering documentation.

·    Participate in continuous improvement initiatives and process standardization efforts.

·    Act as a subject matter expert for engineering data management and product lifecycle processes.

User Training and Technical Support

·    Provide training and mentoring for CAD and PDM users.

·    Develop user guides, work instructions, and standard operating procedures.

·    Support onboarding and continuous training programs.

·    Respond to user support requests and resolve technical issues.

·    Promote adherence to engineering standards, document control procedures, and change management processes.

Required QualificationsEducation

·    Associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, CAD Technology, Mechanical Design, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Experience

·    Minimum 5 years of experience using SolidWorks in a manufacturing or engineering product development environment.

·    Minimum 3 years of SolidWorks PDM Professional administration experience.

·    Experience with engineering document control and revision management.

·    Experience supporting engineering change management processes.

·    Experience developing and maintaining engineering standards and procedures.

Required Technical Skills

·    Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks 3D modeling and assembly design.

·    Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks PDM Professional Administration.

·    Strong knowledge of ASME Y14.5 GD&T.

·    Expertise in engineering drawing development and manufacturing documentation.

·    Experience with revision control and configuration management.

·    Strong understanding of engineering change processes, including ECN administration.

·    Knowledge of document control systems and workflow design.

·    Experience with BOM management and product structure control.

Preferred Qualifications

·    Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP).

·    Certified SolidWorks Expert (CSWE).

·    SolidWorks PDM Administrator Certification.

·    Formal GD&T certification or advanced ASME Y14.5 training.

·    Experience with ERP integrations.

·    Experience with PDM data migration projects.

·    Experience supporting ISO 9001 quality systems.

·    Knowledge of PPAP processes and automotive customer requirements.

·    SQL database knowledge.

·    Experience with CAD automation, API scripting, or workflow automation tools.

Key Competencies

·    Engineering Data Management

·    Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

·    CAD Administration

·    SolidWorks PDM Administration

·    Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)

·    Configuration Management

·    Engineering Change Management

·    Document Control

·    Cross-Functional Collaboration

·    Attention to Detail

·    Project Coordination

Key Performance Indicators

·    PDM system uptime and availability.

·    Engineering change cycle time reduction.

·    CAD and PDM user support response times.

·    Document release accuracy and compliance.

·    Engineering data quality and integrity metrics.

·    Audit findings related to document control and revision management.

·    User adoption and training effectiveness.

·    Reduction of duplicate data and engineering documentation errors.

·    Workflow efficiency and release performance.