Lead CAD Designer (On-Site)

Balco, Inc.•Humble, TX

42d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead CAD Designer is a senior, hands-on role responsible for leading all CAD design, documentation, and bill of material (BOM) activities for a small manufacturing team focused on residential and commercial HVAC products. This position reports directly to the Sr. Director of Engineering. The Lead CAD Designer owns the design documentation infrastructure of the engineering department, producing and controlling the models, drawings, and documentation that release products to the factory, and owning the accuracy and integrity of all bills of material for factory production. Beyond execution, this role establishes and governs the processes by which engineering information is created, reviewed, released, and revised, building formal document control where necessary. The role serves as the primary liaison between engineering, manufacturing, sales, and customer service for documentation-related requests, and is the frontline coordinator for product change requests originating from Sales and Customer Service. This position owns the engineering change process across departments and acts as the primary point of contact for offsite and external design, documentation, and BOM resources. This is an onsite role based at the Aspen manufacturing facility in Humble, TX. Occasional remote work may be available following the initial onboarding period, subject to business needs and manager approval.

Requirements

Associate's degree in drafting and design, computer aided design, engineering technology, or a related technical field; or an equivalent combination of technical coursework and directly relevant HVAC design experience. Bachelor's degree preferred
Eight or more years of progressive CAD design experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least five years in HVAC or comparable sheet metal and tubing product design
Proficiency in 3D CAD modeling and detailed engineering drawing creation required; SolidWorks strongly preferred. Demonstrated proficiency in Autodesk (Inventor, AutoCAD) or NX with the ability to transition to SolidWorks will be considered
Demonstrated ownership of bill of material creation and maintenance within an ERP environment
Demonstrated experience initiating and driving engineering changes across multiple departments to completion
Demonstrated experience establishing or materially improving document control, revision, and releasing procedures in an environment lacking formal structure
Working knowledge of sheet metal fabrication, tube and coil manufacturing, GD&T, and drawing standards
Working ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and wiring diagrams
Experience onboarding, training, or providing work directions to CAD designers or drafters
HVAC product experience in a manufacturing environment

Nice To Haves

Exposure to PDM or PLM platforms (SolidWorks PDM, Windchill, Teamcenter, Arena, or equivalent)
ERP system experience (Infor, SAP, or similar) for BOM and routing management
Experience with configuration-driven electrical documentation and wire kit development
Experience coordinating design or documentation work performed by external, offsite, or offshore resources
Experience supporting prototype and pilot production builds onsite
Certification or formal coursework in GD&T (ASME Y14.5)
Prior experience in residential or light commercial HVAC equipment manufacturing

Responsibilities

Lead the creation and release of production CAD models, drawings, and documentation for HVAC products, partnering with design engineers to carry designs from concept through manufacturing release
Own and ensure accuracy of all bills of material (BOMs) across the product portfolio; create, structure, and maintain BOMs in the ERP environment and reconcile discrepancies among CAD, engineering documentation, and ERP records
Own the engineering change process end to end, initiating engineering change notices (ECNs) and release notices (ERNs), routing them across engineering, operations, quality, sourcing, and customer service, and driving them to closure including effectivity and inventory disposition
Support and coordinate engineering and factory activities requiring design or documentation input, including prototype builds, product launches and releases, running changes, and design updates; ensure drawings, BOMs, and supporting documentation are accurate and available in advance of build and release milestones
Manage and organize incoming requests from sales and customer service for product customizations, configuration changes, and customer-specific evaluations; prioritize, assign, and track these requests through completion
Serve as the primary point of contact for offsite, offshore, and contract resources supporting CAD, technical writing, and BOM development; define scope, standards, and acceptance criteria, and review and approve deliverables before release
Onboard and train new CAD designers and interns, including development of training material, drawing standards, and structured ramp-up plans; provide day-to-day technical guidance and work direction to CAD staff
Author and maintain written procedures, templates, and drawing standards governing engineering documentation; maintain revision and change history sufficient to support audit, warranty, agency certification, and field support requirements
Maintain working familiarity with applicable AHRI, UL, ASHRAE, and DOE standards as they affect product documentation, drawing content, and certification records