Location: Hybrid working – minimum 3 days per week in our office in Chesham or at a client site. We prioritise collaboration and team time.
J P Hildreth Ltd is an award-winning engineering consultancy dedicated to delivering manufacturing excellence. We partner with global leaders in the food and pharmaceutical sectors to transform production processes through targeted investments, simulation modelling and intelligent design.
We are now creating a dedicated CAD Design Department for the first time in our history — and we’re looking for the right person to lead it. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced CAD Designer or Manager to shape and build a new technical function from the ground up.
About the Role: As CAD Design Department Lead, you will be responsible for establishing and managing our internal CAD capability. You will direct all external design resources and any internal team members involved in CAD work, ensuring that design support is effectively balanced across our diverse project portfolio. You will play a key role in driving efficiency, compliance and innovation in complex manufacturing environments.
Key responsibilities
* Department Leadership: Build and lead the CAD Design Department, setting standards, workflows and priorities to support JPH’s strategic goals.
* Resource Management: Oversee and coordinate all external CAD contractors and internal contributors, ensuring optimal allocation of design resources across projects.
* Subject Matter Expertise: Act as JPH’s CAD subject matter expert — capable of delivering high-quality CAD work, guiding others, and providing hands-on support across all design activities.
* Technical Oversight: Develop and review detailed 2D/3D CAD models and technical drawings (e.g. P&IDs, piping layouts, platform designs) for production line layouts, equipment installations and infrastructure upgrades.
* Project Support: Collaborate with project engineers and managers to deliver high-quality visualisations and manufacturing drawings that mitigate risk and enhance production efficiency.
* Compliance & Quality: Ensure all designs meet GMP, health and safety, and regulatory standards, and adhere to JPH’s quality management system (QMS).
* Innovation: Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing performance through advanced CAD applications and digital modelling.
* Modern Tools & Practices: Champion the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as 3D scanning, 3D printing and virtualisation to enhance design accuracy, speed and collaboration.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Lead design reviews, feasibility studies and gap analyses, and present findings and solutions to clients and internal teams.