Senior CAD Designer

Subsea Micropiles; Westhill; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Private medical insurance

Job summary

Subsea Micropiles seeks a Senior CAD Designer to own CAD design and drawing control across projects, serving as the technical authority for drawing standards within the SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE environment. You will produce and approve production-ready drawing packages for subsea foundations, anchors, tooling, and drilling equipment.

As a key partner to structural, geotechnical, mechanical, and operations teams, you will influence design decisions from concept through fabrication, testing, and

Qualifications

• 7+ years CAD design experience with senior/lead responsibilities.
• Produces fabrication and assembly drawings to recognised standards.
• Checks and approves drawings for fabrication.
• Experience administering CAD vault or PDM/PLM systems with revision control.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary engineers to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Knowledge of offshore equipment standards (DNV, NORSOK, API).
• Produces hydraulic and electrical schematics.
• Improves CAD standards or processes.
• HNC/HND or degree in Mechanical or Civil/Structural Engineering or CAD-related field.
• Right to work in the United Kingdom.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and draughting for anchor templates, piles, mooring connectors, subsea tooling, and drilling equipment.
• Create full fabrication and assembly drawing packages with weld details and BOMs to BS 8888 and ISO standards.
• Review and approve drawings before fabrication release.
• Provide design input on manufacturability, tolerances, and option selection.
• Create and modify hydraulic and electrical schematics.
• Develop 2D/3D models of vessel spreads, deck layouts, handling equipment, and concept visuals.

Skills

3D CAD

Draughting

SolidWorks

Autodesk Inventor

AutoCAD

Senior/Lead role

CAD vault / PDM/PLM

Revision control

BOM management

Engineering change control

Offshore standards

Hydraulic/electrical schematics

CAD standards improvement

Mentoring designers

Education

HNC/HND or degree in Mechanical or Civil/Structural Engineering/CAD

Tools

SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE

AutoCAD

Autodesk Inventor

Job description

Senior CAD Designer

Location: Westhill, Aberdeenshire or Montrose, Angus

Hybrid working: Available

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Benefits: Competitive benefits package including pension and private medical insurance

JOIN SUBSEA MICROPILES

Subsea Micropiles was founded to solve a major challenge in subsea construction: cost-effective, scalable offshore foundations. Our engineering and operations team is at the heart of that mission, and we’re looking for people who share our vision of a sustainable ocean economy.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As Senior CAD Designer, you will take ownership of CAD design and drawing control across our engineering projects, acting as the technical authority for drawing standards and our SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE environment. You will produce and approve production-ready drawing packages for subsea foundations, anchors, tooling, and robotic drilling equipment.

As a trusted partner to our structural, geotechnical, mechanical, project, and operations specialists, you will influence design decisions from early concept through to fabrication, testing, and offshore installation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Design Leadership and Draughting

• Produce 3D models and detailed design drawings for anchor templates, piles and pile joints, mooring connectors, subsea tooling, robotic drill equipment, and related components.
• Create full fabrication and assembly drawing packages, including weld details, tolerances, and bills of materials, to BS 8888 and associated ISO standards.
• Check, review, and approve drawings produced by others before release for fabrication.
• Provide design input on manufacturability, assembly, tolerances, and selection between design options.
• Create and modify hydraulic and electrical schematics.
• Develop 2D and 3D models of vessel spreads, deck layouts, temporary works, and handling equipment, plus storyboard visuals for concept of operations.

CAD Ownership and Drawing Control

• Lead and own administration of SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE, including user access, folder structures, templates, title blocks, and content libraries.
• Own revision control and release processes (check-in/check-out, lifecycle states, release for fabrication), along with drawing registers, part numbering, bills of materials, and configuration control.
• Develop, maintain, and champion company CAD and drawing standards, and manage engineering change requests and notices.
• Identify and implement improvements to CAD workflows, templates, and libraries.

Planning, Collaboration, and Mentoring

• Contribute to design reviews, risk assessments, FMEA, and operations manuals.
• Plan and prioritise drawing workload across projects and manage deliverable schedules.
• Act as the drawing point of contact for fabricators, suppliers, and clients, resolving fabrication queries.
• Mentor and guide colleagues in CAD tools, standards, and best practice.
• Support equipment upgrades and modifications, including occasional supplier visits and site activities.

General Responsibilities

• Work in line with company QHSE procedures.
• Travel occasionally to client offices, test sites, suppliers, and offshore locations.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Essential

• Strong 3D CAD and draughting skills in SolidWorks and/or Autodesk Inventor, plus AutoCAD.
• Significant experience (typically 7+ years) in CAD design, including time in a senior or lead role, producing fabrication and assembly drawings to recognised standards.
• Proven experience checking and approving drawings for fabrication.
• Experience administering CAD vault or PDM/PLM systems (ideally SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE), including revision control, drawing release, part numbering, bills of materials, and engineering change control.
• Experience working closely with engineers in a multidisciplinary team to ensure drawing accuracy, safety, and compliance.
• Knowledge of offshore equipment, operations, and industry standards such as DNV, NORSOK, or API.
• Experience producing hydraulic and electrical schematics, and an understanding of configuration management.
• A track record of improving CAD standards or processes.
• HNC/HND or degree in Mechanical or Civil/Structural Engineering, Engineering Design & Draughting, CAD, or a related discipline.
• Right to work in the United Kingdom.

Desirable

• Experience mentoring or supervising designers.
• Knowledge of offshore industry standards such as DNV, NORSOK, or API.
• Exposure to FEA or design verification.
• Offshore site, equipment survey, or supplier inspection experience.
• Professional registration as EngTech or IEng.
• Experience in a start-up or scale-up environment.

WHY JOIN US?

• Work on innovative foundation and anchoring technology supporting offshore wind and sustainable marine infrastructure.
• Be part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Gain exposure from concept through to fabrication, testing, and offshore operations.
• Shape how CAD and drawing control is done in a growing company, with real autonomy and influence.

OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team, and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or background.