Design Manager Jobs in Lafayette, IN (NOW HIRING)

About the Role:

As a CAD Manager, you will work on a variety of high-impact initiatives spanning team leadership, technology modernization, and new capability development in support of Wabash's engineering and business growth objectives. Activities include modernizing CAD processes and modeling standards, leading the transition from Cideon to SAP ECTR, establishing data governance standards, and building net-new capabilities in product configuration and ecommerce 3D visualization. This is a newly created role with a clear transformation mandate -- you will set direction and lead a team while also being hands-on in the tools when it matters. This position will collaborate cross-functionally with product engineering, manufacturing, IT, sales, and ecommerce teams to ensure CAD data and automation capabilities are aligned with and actively enabling broader business goals.

Your Responsibilities:

• Lead the CAD team which supports production, customer facing visualization initiatives, and ecommerce
• Act as the primary CAD authority for internal stakeholders including product engineering, manufacturing, ecommerce, sales, and IT
• Represent the CAD function in design reviews, program planning sessions, and technology roadmap discussions
• Shape the future structure of the team -- identify capability gaps, define new roles, and build a hiring roadmap aligned to the expanded mission
• Support the engineering data management roadmap -- serve as the CAD team's representative in data system planning and rollout, and drive adoption of data management standards within the team
• Lead the transition and implementation of SAP ECTR as the primary CAD stakeholder -- coordinating with IT and implementation partners to ensure CAD workflows and data standards are effectively represented throughout the rollout
• Define and enforce SOLIDWORKS modeling standards, templates, and best-practice guidelines that align with ECTR data structures and downstream SAP ERP integration
• Evaluate, select, and lead implementation of a product configuration platform -- DriveWorks or equivalent -- to automate the generation of configured product models and drawings across Wabash product lines
• Collaborate with engineering, sales, and product management to capture configuration logic, option rules, and BOM structures for the configurator build-out
• Partner with the ecommerce team to develop and maintain 3D product assets that support the online parts catalog and visual product experiences
• Support sales and customer engagement initiatives with configured 3D build-outs and visual representations of customer-specified trailer configurations
• Manage and develop a team including an onsite CAD supervisor, an offshore CAD supervisor, and CAD designers
• Establish KPIs and throughput metrics for the team; manage workload prioritization across production CAD and special projects
• Effectively coordinate offshore resources, including workflow management, quality review, and cross-time-zone communication
• Other duties as assigned

Let's Talk About Your Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a closely related discipline
• 5+ years of professional experience in a CAD-intensive engineering environment, with at least 2 years in a leadership or supervisory capacity
• Expert-level proficiency in SOLIDWORKS, including part, assembly, and drawing environments
• Hands-on experience with SAP-integrated CAD/document management environments -- Cideon, SAP ECTR, or equivalent SAP engineering document management systems
• Strong understanding of engineering data management principles: revision control, BOM structure, document workflows, and ERP integration
• Proven ability to lead teams through organizational and technology change
• Excellent communication skills; able to translate technical CAD and data concepts for engineering, IT, sales, and leadership stakeholders
• Organized, self-directed, and effective in a role where strategy and process are still being defined
• Direct experience with SAP ECTR implementation, configuration, or administration preferred
• Hands-on experience with DriveWorks or another product configurator / design automation platform preferred
• Familiarity with ecommerce 3D data needs -- lightweight formats, interactive visualization tools, or illustrated parts catalog authoring (e.g., SOLIDWORKS Composer) a plus
• Background in transportation, trailer manufacturing, heavy equipment, or similarly complex, custom configured-product industries a plus

Leadership Attributes:

At Wabash, we pride ourselves on being empowering, and there are some things we feel very strongly about:

• Embrace Diversity and Inclusion -- Solicit and respect the input of others, celebrate differences, and strive for transparency and inclusiveness
• Seek to Listen -- Actively listen to reach the best solution and make the strongest decisions
• Always Learn -- Strive to improve; do not quit or settle for the status quo
• Be Authentic -- Demonstrate honesty, incredible energy, and grit in everything you do
• Win Together -- Collaborate, seek alignment, and excel at cross-group communication to success as one team and One Wabash

Join us in turning ideas into world-changing realities. Curate and build your high-impact professional career at Wabash!

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement:

Wabash is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for its associates and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, or other protected class or activity under federal, state, or local law. All employment decisions must be based on neutral, legitimate criteria. All employment policies and rules shall be applied equally to similarly situated associates.

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