Computer Aided Design Specialist

Company Overview

Stuart Rush is a private business formed from the legacy electric chain hoist plants of Columbus McKinnon Corporation, with the first Lodestar® hoist made in the 1950s. With long-standing operations in Damascus, VA and Lexington, TN, the company builds on a legacy of quality in chain and hoist manufacturing. Stuart Rush values its employees as the foundation of its success and is committed to fostering a strong, supportive, and resilient workplace. The company is dedicated to delivering reliable products and earning customer trust through consistent performance while building a strong future for its people and customers.

Position Overview

The CAD Design Specialist is a dual-function role within the NPD team, combining production-ready SolidWorks CAD work with product configuration logic development. This person will contribute immediately as a designer supporting NPD projects across all phase-gate stages, while building proficiency in Configit — the company's product configuration platform — over their first year.

This is not a traditional engineering role. It is well-suited to a technically strong designer or design technician with a systematic mindset, an aptitude for logic and rules-based thinking, and a genuine curiosity about how product configuration systems work. A four-year engineering degree is not required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

CAD & Design Support — NPD Projects

• Develop detailed SolidWorks models and production-ready engineering drawings across all NPD project phases, from early concept through launch.
• Produce and maintain BOMs, drawing packages, and design documentation consistent with company standards.
• Review and check 3rd-party CAD deliverables for conformance with company modeling and drawing standards.
• Support design iterations and documentation updates through NPD and ECR/ECN workflows.
• Collaborate with the Director of NPD and project engineers to execute design deliverables on schedule.

Product Configuration — Configit Logic Development

• Shadow 3rd-party Configit implementation partner during initial product configuration buildout; develop working knowledge of configuration logic structure and rule authoring.
• Support ongoing validation of configuration rules against engineering-defined product constraints (load ratings, component compatibility, certification scope, regional variants)
• Review 3rd-party CAD deliverables integrated into the customer portal.
• As proficiency develops, take ownership of configuration logic for new product introductions under NPD governance.
• Work closely with Sustaining Engineer to maintain alignment between Configit logic and the engineering design record.
• Support audit and accuracy check of customer-facing configuration outputs.

Knowledge, Skills, Competencies, and Abilities

• Analytical with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and time manage independently.
• Team player with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to think abstractly and deal with ambiguous/undefined problems with a desire to collaborate with others.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated proficiency in SolidWorks — solid modeling, assemblies, and detailed drawings to production standards.
• Strong understanding of GD&T, drawing standards, and BOM structure in a manufactured products environment.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills — comfortable building structured models, using complex formulas, and organizing data systematically.
• Systematic thinker: able to understand and apply rules-based logic, constraint structures, and interdependency mapping.
• Attention to detail and personal ownership of output quality.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience with SolidWorks PDM or equivalent vault/document control system
• Exposure to any configure-price-quote (CPQ) platform, rules engine, or product configurator — Configit, Oracle CPQ, SAP Variant Configuration, or similar.
• Basic programming or scripting experience: VBA macros, Python, SQL, or equivalent — not required to be advanced, but evidence of self-directed logic building.
• Background in industrial or mechanical equipment manufacturing (hoists, lifting equipment, power transmission, or similar)
• Associate's degree, technical certificate, or equivalent experience in mechanical design, drafting, or engineering technology.

Benefits

At Stuart Rush, we value our employees and are committed to offering a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, paid time off, and a market-leading 401(k) plan.