Senior Technical Designer

Earthscape; Wallenstein; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing and performance bonuses

Employee share ownership opportunities

Six-week sabbatical after 14,000 hours

Tuition reimbursement

Extended health and dental benefits

Flex time with remote options

Company events

Casual dress code

Job summary

Earthscape Play in Ontario is seeking a Senior Technical Designer to join our Engineering team. You’ll translate groundbreaking concepts into production-ready drawings for timber structures, focusing on geometry, fabrication, and safety.

The role offers growth toward leadership, collaboration with designers, project managers, and shop teams, and exposure to high-profile playground projects. It is best suited to someone who loves hands-on construction and 3D thinking.

Qualifications

• Postsecondary degree or diploma in Engineering, Industrial Design, STEM, or related technical field.
• 5+ years designing and detailing custom-built or low-volume, high-mix products from concept to production release.
• 5+ years of SolidWorks experience with complex parts, large assemblies, weldments, and fabrication drawings; bonus for API/macros.
• Must be precise, balance artistic intent with buildability, and maintain design integrity for fabrication teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead post-concept technical design for low-volume and custom timber structures with production drawings.
• Implement Design for Manufacturing and Assembly to reduce costs and improve quality.
• Apply structural and mechanical principles to solve non-standard design challenges.
• Conduct design reviews and quality checks to ensure safety and standards compliance.
• Collaborate with concept designers, project managers, and shop teams to maintain design intent within budget.
• Manage modeling timelines and resource allocation to deliver complete production packages on schedule.
• Expand expertise across timber construction, play hardware, and manufacturing methods.

Skills

Detail orientation

3D modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Timber design

Education

Engineering degree or diploma

Tools

SolidWorks

SolidWorks API

Job description

Senior Technical Designer
Job Type: Full-Time Permanent
Work Location: Wallenstein, ON (Hybrid)
Compensation: $75,000 - 90,000/year

Are you ready to build incredible things that inspire wonder and play? At Earthscape, we design, engineer, and build playground structures and sculptures that become iconic destination spaces. We partner with some of the most prestigious landscape architecture firms in North America to bring brilliant playground concepts to life. If you're passionate about creative problem-solving and building award-winning playgrounds, we want you to join our team.

We're a world-class design-build firm located just outside of Elmira, Ontario. Our work environment is positive, productive, and fun—we take pride in what we create together. To see our one-of-a-kind projects, visit www.earthscapeplay.com and our product offerings at www.earthscapeplay.com/collections.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Technical Designe r to join our Engineering team. In this role, you’ll play a pivotal part in translating groundbreaking concepts into reality. It is ideal for a detail-oriented professional with a passion for custom timber design, complex geometry, and structural problem-solving. You'll be responsible for the technical design, detailing, and engineering of our structures, ensuring they are both aesthetically stunning and structurally sound. This role has the potential to evolve into a higher-functioning leadership position, depending on company needs and the individual's performance and career goals. It is best suited to someone who is comfortable working outside the box; our playgrounds don’t fit within regular building code categories.

The Role:

• Lead post-concept technical design for low-volume and custom timber structures, translating upstream artistic intent into precise production drawings optimized for downstream fabrication, installation, and end-user safety.


• Implement Design for Manufacturing and Assembly strategies to reduce production costs, accelerate shop fabrication, and elevate overall build quality.


• Apply structural and mechanical principles to deconstruct non-standard design challenges, proposing multiple viable engineering solutions that balance aesthetic vision with buildability.


• Conduct rigorous design reviews and quality control checks to identify and correct errors early, ensuring all products comply with relevant safety and industry standards.


• Partner closely with concept designers, project managers, and shop fabrication teams to maintain design intent while satisfying technical and budget constraints.


• Manage project modeling timelines and resource allocation effectively to consistently deliver complete, accurate production packages on schedule.


• Expand technical expertise across all facets of timber construction, play hardware, and specialized playground manufacturing methods.

Qualifications & Ideal Profile

Technical & Experience Requirements:

• Postsecondary degree or diploma in Engineering, Industrial Design, STEM, or a related technical field. Bonus: Strong involvement in extracurricular engineering teams (Capstone competitions, robotics, Formula SAE, or makerspace projects)


• 5+ years of hands-on experience designing and detailing custom-built or low-volume, high-mix products from concept design through to full production release


• 5+ years of experience in SolidWorks (or similar software) creating complex parts, large assemblies, structural weldments, detailed fabrication drawings, and clear, step-by-step assembly guides. Bonus: Proven ability to leverage the SolidWorks API or develop custom macros to automate repetitive workflows and accelerate drawing generation.

Mindset & Cultural Fit:

• Obsessive about precision—consistently auditing models, catching tolerance conflicts early, and taking pride in error-free drawing packages


• Able to craft technical work that respects the creative vision of upstream designers while making life seamless for downstream fabricators, field installers, and end users


• You are a natural maker who genuinely loves physical construction—whether that’s LEGO, custom woodworking, scale modeling, or hands-on DIY projects. You naturally think in 3D and love seeing physical builds come to life.

What of your past work can you share with us to illustrate your skills as a technical designer? Please include examples as appropriate within your application.

What’s in it for you?

This job will offer you the opportunity to work on some of North America’s most innovative playground projects. The pace, challenges and problem-solving opportunities will mean you are never bored. You will have the chance to develop and refine a wide variety of skills in our rapidly growing business. Your colleagues are dynamic, and highly skilled. They have an impressive range of backgrounds, skills and expertise.

We believe in great compensation for great employees, and we reward our staff with a combination of:

• Profit sharing and performance bonuses


• Employee share ownership opportunities (ESOP) after 1 year of service


• Six-week sabbatical after 14,000 hours worked


• Tuition reimbursement


• Extended health and dental benefits


• Flex time with options to work remotely to support work-life balance


• Company events


• Casual dress code

Accommodations

We are committed to treating all people in a way that respects their dignity and independence. Should you require any accommodation during the recruitment process or otherwise, please notify us of this when you apply and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

Pre-employment checks

As part of our selection process, successful candidates may be required to consent to background checks relevant to the role, prior to receiving a job offer. These could include: work references, education and credential confirmation, employment verification, identity check, criminal offense and driver’s license record.

At Earthscape Play, we are committed to building an environment where everyone feels included, valued, and heard. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging are an important part of our everyday work, and it is our belief that they enable us to reach our goal of bringing incredible play spaces to life. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities.