Computer Aided Design Director Jobs in Houston, TX

Description

Fervo has built the world's first commercial-scale enhanced geothermal system and will never build a first-of-a-kind project again. Everything from here is a product, not a project. Every plant we build will be documented, engineered, and handed off through a controlled information backbone. CAD, PLM, Document Control, and Transmittal are not separate problems - they are a single ecosystem. If the standard you write today shapes every plant Fervo builds for the next decade, this is the role.

The CAD Specialist is an individual contributor role with high potential for shaping future organizational structure. Single point of accountability for CAD standards, PLM implementation, drawing quality, document governance, and transmittal across Fervo's full Powerblock portfolio.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Build the CAD Program

• Build Fervo's CAD standards from the ground up: drafting conventions, title blocks, drawing templates, and file management protocols across all engineering modules.
• Evaluate, select, and implement the plant design process chain. Own the tools and their integration into downstream systems, not just the output.
• Drive 3D model-based approaches where they create leverage: clash detection, constructability reviews, and as-built capture.

Implement the PLM Backbone

• Stand up a PLM/PDM platform suited to Fervo's scale. Architect the data model: part numbering, BOM structures, revision workflows, ECR/ECO/ECN processes.
• Define integrations between PLM and enterprise systems - ERP, procurement, asset management - so design data flows cleanly across the digital thread without manual re-keying.

Own Document Control & Transmittal

• Own the EDMS and transmittal workflow end-to-end: outgoing submittals, vendor drawing review, RFI tracking, and redline incorporation into the as-built record.
• Define and enforce document numbering, revision conventions, and distribution matrices. Review and approve all deliverables before IFC issue or external distribution.

Build the Standard

• Drive standardization across all engineering modules. Every plant should benefit from the drawing and data work done on the last one.
• Close the feedback loop between design and field execution. Redline patterns and constructability issues are data - apply them forward.

Software & Process Chain

CAD & Plant Design

• 2D/Plant: AutoCAD, Plant 3D, AVEVA E3D, or SmartPlant 3D. Proficiency in at least one intelligent P&ID and 3D plant design platform required.
• MCAD: Siemens NX, PTC Creo, CATIA, or SolidWorks - familiarity with one major platform for equipment modeling and package integration.

PLM / PDM & EDMS

• PLM: Siemens Teamcenter, PTC Windchill, or Aras (purpose-built); Arena, Teamcenter X, or Vault (cloud/lightweight). Depth in any one platform over breadth across all.
• EDMS: Aconex, Documentum, or Meridian for capital project environments. Bluebeam for markup and redline workflows.
• Able to evaluate whether standalone EDMS or PLM-native document control is the right fit at Fervo's scale - and make that call with a clear rationale.

Enterprise Integration

• ERP: SAP, Oracle, or similar. Must understand how BOMs, part masters, and procurement data connect between PLM and ERP - and where integration breaks without governance.

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years in CAD, engineering data management, or design delivery - industrial, energy, aerospace, or advanced manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience building CAD standards, drawing templates, and document governance systems from scratch.
• Expert in at least one major CAD platform (AutoCAD, Plant 3D, NX, CATIA, or equivalent). Fluent across all drawing types: P&IDs, general arrangements, civil/structural, electrical, mechanical.
• Direct PLM or PDM experience: data model configuration, revision workflows, BOM management, or enterprise integration.
• Full drawing lifecycle ownership from early design through IFC, construction, and as-built.

Preferred

• Siemens NX and/or Teamcenter depth - or comparable experience in PTC Windchill/Creo.
• Background in aerospace, automotive OEM, or semiconductor, where PLM is load bearing and document control is engineered.
• EDMS experience in capital project environments and familiarity with PLM-ERP integration (SAP or Oracle).
• Background building something that had to scale, where the standard you set mattered far beyond the project in front of you.

Location

Fervo Energy is headquartered in Houston, TX with growing offices in Golden, Oakland, Reno, and Salt Lake City. The preferred location for this role is Houston, TX.