Job Description:
The Lead CAD Designer will be based in Mexico and will report to the Manager, CAD Design Engineering. This position provides first-line leadership for the CAD Design team supporting utility-scale and distributed-generation solar projects. The Lead CAD Designer is responsible for coordinating daily team operations, balancing workloads, supporting employee development, maintaining drawing quality, and ensuring CAD deliverables are completed accurately and on schedule.
The Lead CAD Designer will work closely with Project Engineering, Structural Engineering, Sales, Project Management, Commissioning, Product Management, Software Development, and R&D teams in Mexico and other regions. This role combines people leadership, technical coordination, quality oversight, and continuous improvement to support consistent execution and scalable growth of the CAD Design organization.
Responsibilities
Team Leadership and Development
- Supervise and support CAD Designers and CAD Design Engineers located in Mexico.
- Assign, prioritize, and balance workloads according to project schedules, customer commitments, employee capabilities, and business priorities.
- Monitor workload, staffing needs, task progress, turnaround times, and resource constraints; escalate risks when appropriate.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, technical guidance, and regular feedback to team members.
- Support onboarding, training plans, proficiency development, and the continued growth of CAD Design personnel.
- Assist with performance reviews, development planning, recognition, and employee relations in partnership with the Manager and Human Resources.
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, inclusive, and high-performing team environment.
CAD Design Operations and Project Execution
- Coordinate daily CAD Design activities supporting project quoting, design development, engineering deliverables, and project execution.
- Ensure that drawings, layouts, CAD blocks, mechanical sets, construction sets, foundation-related deliverables, bills of materials, and other CAD outputs meet applicable company standards and project requirements.
- Review work for quality, completeness, consistency, constructability, and compliance with approved design practices.
- Coordinate priorities and resolve routine and non-routine issues with Project Engineering, Structural Engineering, Sales, Project Management, Commissioning, and other partner teams.
- Support the resolution of complex CAD, drafting, modeling, and design coordination issues.
- Help implement engineering changes, product updates, drafting standards, and process changes across the team.
- Monitor team performance against established turnaround times and support corrective actions when deliverables are at risk.
Process Improvement and Technical Enablement
- Identify opportunities to improve CAD workflows, templates, checklists, documentation, training materials, and quality-control practices.
- Support the development and adoption of automation, standard work, and reusable tools that improve speed, clarity, consistency, and quality.
- Promote effective use of AutoCAD, Civil 3D, CAD standards, internal systems, and approved engineering tools.
- Coordinate with software development, Product Management, R&D, and other technical teams to communicate user needs and support implementation of design improvements.
- Maintain or support current team procedures, reference materials, and knowledge-transfer practices.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, engineering technology, architecture, drafting, or a related technical field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
- 5–8 years of progressive experience in CAD design, drafting, project engineering, structural or civil design, construction documentation, or a related technical environment.
- Progressive experience in CAD design, drafting, project engineering, structural or civil design, construction documentation, or a related technical environment.
- Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD and strong understanding of engineering drawing standards.
- Experience supporting utility-scale solar, structural engineering, construction, or another complex technical design environment preferred.
- Demonstrated experience providing technical guidance, mentoring, workload coordination, or informal leadership to technical team members.
- Ability to review drawings and design deliverables for quality, completeness, consistency, and compliance.
- Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, make sound decisions, and escalate risks appropriately.
- Ability to work effectively with cross-functional and geographically distributed teams.
- Professional fluency in English and Spanish preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience leading CAD or project-design teams.
- Experience developing or maintaining CAD standards, templates, checklists, training materials, or process documentation.
- Experience with Civil 3D, CAD automation, Dynamo, scripting, or other workflow-improvement tools.
- Experience supporting onboarding, proficiency programs, or technical training.
- Experience in a high-volume, deadline-driven project environment.
At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
