Shop Detailing and Drawing Manager

Shop Detailing and Drawing Manager

The Shop Detailing & Drawing Manager leads the Ohio Division's shop-detailing function and is accountable for the quality, completeness, coordination, and timely release of fabrication drawings. This is a hands-on CAD and shop-support leadership role for an experienced detailer who understands how drawings are used to purchase material, fit, weld, machine, assemble, inspect, and install fabricated work.

The manager will coordinate closely with the Lakeland Engineering team, strengthen common drawing and QC practices across both divisions, and lead Ohio's planned transition from Autodesk Inventor to SolidWorks. An engineering degree is not required. Formal CAD education, substantial fabrication-detailing experience, shop knowledge, and demonstrated drawing QC/approval capability are required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the Ohio detailing workload, including project intake, priorities, assignments, schedules, field verifications, backlog, staffing needs, and delivery commitments.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership, coaching, and support to detailers and other CAD users while establishing expectations for drawing quality, productivity, revision control, file organization, and responsiveness to the fabrication shop.
• Create, revise, and oversee the development of accurate 2D drawings and 3D models for heavy-industrial fabrication, repair, machining, assembly, and installation work.
• Convert customer drawings, specifications, sketches, field measurements, scan/model data, and project direction into complete, constructible, shop-ready deliverables.
• Ensure drawings accurately communicate dimensions, materials, component sizes, weld symbols, tolerances, fit-up requirements, interfaces, bills of material, revision status, and other information required for fabrication and installation.
• Perform and coordinate drawing QC and approval activities, including verification of dimensional consistency, materials, quantities, model-to-drawing agreement, weld information, constructability, revisions, and compliance with approved source information.
• Approve and release drawings within delegated authority, obtain additional Engineering approval when required, and prevent incomplete, incorrect, uncontrolled, or unapproved drawings from reaching the shop.
• Work directly with supervisors, fitters, welders, machinists, inspectors, Project Management, Estimating, Quality, customers, and Engineering to resolve drawing and constructability issues; escalate matters requiring engineering calculations, code interpretation, or Engineer of Record involvement.
• Track drawing errors, clarification requests, scrap, and rework; identify root causes and implement improvements to detailing standards, training, QC practices, and workflows.
• Lead the Ohio Division's transition from Autodesk Inventor to SolidWorks in coordination with Lakeland Engineering, including rollout planning, training, file conversion, validation, templates, libraries, naming conventions, revision controls, and implementation of common drawing standards.
• Maintain production continuity during CAD-system changes and strengthen coordination and workload sharing between the Ohio and Lakeland detailing and Engineering teams.

Education:

• Formal post-secondary education in CAD, drafting, mechanical design technology, or a closely related technical discipline required.
• A certificate, diploma, or associate degree is acceptable; an engineering degree is not required.
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering preferred.
• Relevant Autodesk, SolidWorks, or technical-drafting certification preferred.

Experience:

• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience producing detailed mechanical, structural, plate, piping, equipment, or other industrial fabrication drawings, or an equivalent depth of directly relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience checking, commenting on, approving, and releasing drawings for fabrication or construction use.
• Meaningful fabrication-shop exposure and practical understanding of fit-up, welding, forming, cutting, machining, assembly, material handling, and inspection.
• Previous supervisory, lead-detailer, drawing-checker, or CAD-coordinator experience in a job-shop or heavy-industrial environment preferred.
• Experience planning or supporting a CAD-platform transition, particularly from Autodesk Inventor to SolidWorks, preferred.
• Experience with drawing transmittals, revision control, shared-file environments, document management, or product data management systems preferred.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities:

• Strong proficiency in 3D mechanical CAD and 2D detailed drawings using Inventor, SolidWorks, or comparable software, with the ability and commitment to become fully proficient in SolidWorks.
• Ability to read and interpret customer drawings, specifications, vendor information, field sketches, bills of material, weld symbols, tolerances, and applicable company drafting standards.
• Strong organization, prioritization, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
• Sound judgment to identify and raise incomplete or conflicting information before work is released.
• Demonstrated leadership, accountability, and ability to work effectively with shop personnel, project teams, customers, and remote engineering/detailing groups.
• Advanced SolidWorks knowledge, including complex assemblies, weldments, sheet metal, configurations, drawings, templates, and design libraries, preferred.
• Working knowledge of recognized drafting practices, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), AWS welding symbols, and fabrication standards relevant to assigned work preferred.
• Ability to assign detailing work, establish priorities, require drawing corrections, place drawings on hold, and approve or release drawings within the company's documented approval matrix.
• Ability to maintain accountability for drawing clarity, completeness, dimensional coordination, constructability, revision control, and compliance with approved source information.
• Ability to recognize and escalate design calculations, code interpretations, changes to customer design intent, and work requiring a licensed engineer or Engineer of Record. Drawing approval under this position does not replace required engineering review or professional licensure.

Work Location and Travel:

• Position is based within the Ohio Division.

• Occasional field visits, customer coordination, or travel between company locations may be required based on business needs.
• Regular coordination with the Lakeland Engineering team is required to support drawing standards, QC practices, CAD integration, and workload sharing.

Work Environment:

• This position works in both an office/CAD environment and an active fabrication-shop setting.

• Regular interaction with the fabrication shop is required.
• Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required when entering designated shop or field areas.
• The position regularly works with supervisors, fitters, welders, machinists, inspectors, project management, estimating, quality, engineering, and other operational personnel.
• This is an on-site, full-time position.

Physical Requirements:

Talk/Hear: Must be able to communicate effectively with detailing personnel, Engineering, Project Management, shop supervisors, fitters, welders, machinists, inspectors, customers, and other stakeholders to discuss drawings, resolve questions, and coordinate work.

Stand/Sit: Regularly alternates between sitting for extended periods while performing CAD and drawing-review activities and standing while conducting shop walkdowns, field verification, or project coordination.

Walk: Must be able to regularly walk through office and active fabrication-shop environments to coordinate work, verify conditions, and resolve detailing questions.

Use hands/fingers to handle or feel: Frequently uses a computer, keyboard, mouse, CAD equipment, documents, drawings, and measurement tools to create, review, revise, and verify technical information.

Climb: May occasionally be required to climb stairs, ladders, platforms, or other approved access points during shop walkdowns or field verification activities.

Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl: May occasionally be required to stoop, kneel, or crouch to obtain measurements, inspect fabricated components, or verify existing conditions.

See: Must have sufficient visual ability to create and review detailed 2D drawings and 3D models, verify dimensions and tolerances, identify drawing discrepancies, and safely observe shop and field conditions.

Carry, Weight, Lift: May occasionally be required to carry drawings, measuring equipment, computer equipment, or other materials associated with shop walkdowns and field verification. The original description does not specify a required lifting weight.

Exposure to Work: Works in both an office/CAD environment and an active heavy-industrial fabrication shop, with occasional field or customer-site exposure. Shop and field activities may require appropriate PPE and awareness of industrial operations and hazards.

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

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