Product Manager - CAD Engineering Lead

Specialized Bicycle Components•Morgan Hill, CA

About The Position

The CAD Engineering Lead owns the digital backbone of how we design, develop, and deliver product. From the engineer’s first sketch in CAD through release into manufacturing and service, this role is responsible for the platforms, data, and processes that make product development fast, reliable, and scalable. It is a deliberate evolution beyond traditional CAD administration—less about keeping the lights on, and more about shaping how engineering works at scale. This is a strategic, business-aligned position with an operational role. The person in this seat will be expected to think in terms of roadmaps, business cases, and measurable outcomes, while remaining close enough to the technology to make confident architectural decisions. They will partner across Engineering, IT, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to ensure our engineering systems are a competitive advantage rather than a constraint on growth.

Requirements

8–12+ years in engineering systems, CAD administration, or PLM roles
Hands-on depth with one or more major platforms: PTC Windchill / Creo, Siemens Teamcenter / NX, Dassault 3DEXPERIENCE / SolidWorks PDM
Proven track record leading system implementations or transformations
Strong understanding of CAD data structures and large assembly management
Working knowledge of PDM/PLM workflows and lifecycle models
Practical experience with BOM management and ERP integration
Automation skills (Python, VBA, APIs)
Experience with data governance and system configuration
Strategic and hands-on: able to set direction and execute against it
Strong stakeholder management across Engineering, IT, and Operations
Data-driven mindset with a focus on measurable outcomes
Experience building roadmaps and business cases—and delivering against them

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with cloud/SaaS engineering platforms is a plus

Responsibilities

Own the architecture, configuration, and performance of CAD and PDM/PLM platforms
Ensure seamless integration across CAD, PLM, ERP, and manufacturing systems
Define a system roadmap aligned to product development and supply chain strategy
Establish and enforce CAD modeling standards
Define data structures, naming conventions, and BOM governance
Own release and change management processes
Drive consistency across global engineering teams
Ensure product data flows accurately from design → manufacturing → service
Own product data quality, version control, and traceability
Eliminate duplication, rework, and downstream errors
Deliver automation through scripts, templates, and design reuse
Optimize performance for large assemblies and overall system speed
Define and deliver a training strategy for engineers and designers
Act as escalation point for complex technical and system issues
Lead PLM modernization and upgrade initiatives
Drive cloud CAD / SaaS adoption
Advance the move to model-based engineering (MBE)
Evaluate emerging engineering technologies (simulation, digital twins, MBE)
Drive adoption of AI-accelerated CAD — generative and topology-optimized design, AI-assisted part search and design reuse, automated simulation setup, and intelligent validation — to compress design cycles, reduce duplicate parts, and scale engineering expertise
Identify and deliver measurable productivity gains
Manage external partners for CAD/PLM support, upgrades, and implementations
Own strategic vendor relationships (Dassault, PTC, Siemens, Autodesk, etc.)
Ensure SLA performance and cost optimization
Partner with engineering leadership on design organization needs
Work with IT on infrastructure, security, and identity
Align with supply chain and manufacturing on downstream data needs
Translate business needs into system capabilities