Product Manager - CAD Engineering Lead
SpecializedThe 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.
What You'll Do
Own the Engineering Systems Landscape
You will be accountable for the architecture, configuration, performance, and roadmap of our CAD and PDM/PLM platforms—making sure they are stable on their own and integrated cleanly into the broader ecosystem.
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 Governance and Standards
Engineering at scale depends on consistency, and consistency depends on standards. You will define and enforce the standards that allow engineers across geographies to work as one team.
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
Protect the Digital Thread
Product data has to flow accurately from design into manufacturing and on into service—without distortion, duplication, or loss of context. You will own that flow end to end.
Ensure product data flows accurately from design → manufacturing → service
Own product data quality, version control, and traceability
Eliminate duplication, rework, and downstream errors
Drive Engineering Productivity
Engineers should spend their time engineering, not fighting tools. You will improve productivity through targeted automation and performance tuning, and serve as the escalation point when complex issues block the team.
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 Transformation and Continuous Improvement
This role is expected to lead, not just maintain. The bar is real, measurable productivity gains—not technology adoption for its own sake.
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 Vendors and Partners
Our engineering systems run on a network of external relationships, and you will own them—holding partners accountable to SLAs and continuously looking for ways to optimize cost without compromising capability.
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 Across the Business
Engineering systems do not exist in isolation. A central part of the job is translating business needs into system capabilities—and translating system constraints back into business-friendly language.
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
What We're Looking For
Experience
We are looking for someone with deep experience in engineering systems who has been through significant implementations from end to end.
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
Technical Skills
You should be technically credible across the full stack of engineering data—from CAD geometry through PLM lifecycle and into ERP integration—and comfortable getting hands-on with automation and configuration.
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
Familiarity with cloud/SaaS engineering platforms is a plus
Leadership and Business Skills
Above all, this role demands the ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels—able to build a multi-year roadmap one day and debug a complex configuration issue the next.
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