Project Manager – Custom Manufacturing & CAD Design Job Description

Employment Type: Full-Time, On-site, Salaried

Salary: $85,000-$125,000, We consider experience in manufacturing, CAD/design coordination, customer communication, production support, and equipment-related project management when determining final compensation.

UnitedBuilt Equipment is seeking a Project Manager with CAD experience to manage customized heavy equipment manufacturing jobs from order handoff through production, completion, and delivery. This role is responsible for translating customer customization requirements into clear production-ready documentation, including CAD drawings, bills of material, job travelers, change orders, and manufacturing instructions.

The Project Manager serves as the central coordinator between Sales, Engineering, Purchasing, Production, Quality, and the customer to ensure each project is accurately defined, properly scheduled, efficiently executed, and delivered on time and within margin expectations.

The ideal candidate will have experience managing custom manufacturing projects, coordinating across departments, and ensuring that customer-specific design requirements are accurately implemented on the shop floor.

Key Responsibilties

1. Project Intake and Pre-Production Planning

• Review each awarded job at handoff to determine whether a formal pre-production or pre-turnover meeting is required based on project complexity, customization, schedule risk, or operational impact.
• Identify all departments that must participate in project planning and execution, including Sales, Engineering, Purchasing, Production, Quality, Warehouse, and other support functions as needed.
• Review the job scope, specifications, customer requirements, and internal notes to identify abnormalities, missing information, potential build risks, or conflicts before the job is released to production.
• Coordinate and lead internal turnover or kickoff meetings to ensure all departments understand the project scope, requirements, timing, and responsibilities.
• Serve as the technical and administrative resource during the transition from quote to production by clarifying requirements and resolving open questions before the job is built in the system and on the shop floor.
• Create and maintain CAD drawings for customized jobs, ensuring customer-specific requirements are accurately translated into production-ready designs, BOM updates, job travelers, and shop floor instructions.

2. Project Setup, BOM, and System Coordination

• Build, review, and maintain the bill of materials to ensure all required components, assemblies, and options are accurately captured for the project.
• Review existing work centers and create new work centers when necessary to support the build process, routing accuracy, and labor tracking.
• Validate estimated labor hours for work centers and routing steps, and coordinate with Manufacturing to improve labor estimate accuracy before release.
• Identify long lead-time materials, components, or outsourced services early in the process and escalate risks that could affect build timing or customer delivery.
• Review projected opening margin and validate that the job is positioned for successful execution within expected financial targets.
• Coordinate with Purchasing regarding component availability, supply risks, and delivery timing to ensure materials align with the production schedule.
• Load the job into ERP (Acumatica) accurately and completely, including project details, bill of materials, scheduling information, and internal references needed for execution.

3. Scheduling and Production Release

• Coordinate with Manufacturing leadership to confirm schedule availability, production capacity, and the appropriate timing for job release.
• Load approved jobs onto the production schedule with complete and accurate particulars, including due dates, project requirements, special build notes, and priority considerations.
• Create and maintain the job traveler for each project, ensuring it includes all required production documentation such as drawings, production tickets, barcodes for labor clock-in, order specifications, and quality control forms.
• Verify that released documentation is current, complete, and available to the manufacturing floor so the build can proceed with minimal disruption or rework.
• Coordinate timing for outside services, vendors, or subcontracted work to align with the overall manufacturing sequence and required completion dates.

4. Active Project Management During Production, Including Chassis Check-in

• Monitor the status of projects while they are on the shop floor and maintain visibility into progress against schedule, readiness, and key milestones.
• Oversee chassis check-in and receiving activities during production intake, ensuring chassis arrival is documented, condition issues are identified, and any discrepancies are communicated to the appropriate departments for resolution.
• Respond promptly to open questions from Manufacturing, Engineering, Purchasing, or other departments to prevent delays and keep projects moving.
• Maintain proactive communication with customers and internal stakeholders regarding project status, timing, and significant developments as needed.
• Identify delays, disruptions, or exceptions reported by Manufacturing and assess the operational and customer impact of those issues.
• Communicate delays, schedule changes, or execution concerns to Sales and, when appropriate, directly to the customer in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintain project documentation, status records, approvals, and internal communications to ensure accountability and visibility throughout the build process.

5. Change Order Management

• Receive, review, document, and process all customer-driven or sales-driven change orders after project release.
• Work with the appropriate departments to determine the effect of each change on scope, materials, labor, schedule, compliance requirements, and margin.
• Communicate approved change orders clearly to Manufacturing and ensure the changes are translated into updated CAD drawings, BOM updates, job travelers, system records, and floor instructions.
• Physically update job travelers or other floor documents when needed to reflect current build requirements and prevent outdated information from being used in production.
• Ensure all affected departments are informed of approved changes and understand the execution requirements associated with the revised scope.

6. Job Closeout, Margin Review, and Delivery Support

• Manage job closeout activities once quality control documentation has been completed and returned.
• Verify that all parts issued to the job are accounted for, returned, or properly reconciled before the project is financially closed.
• Review completed job margin and margin erosion to identify material, labor, process, or change-related variances affecting profitability.
• Report labor findings back to Manufacturing and participate in review discussions to determine whether work centers, routing, and labor estimates were accurate.
• Update the bill of materials, routing details, or project records as needed based on actual build outcomes and lessons learned.
• Review final margin performance with Sales and Manufacturing leadership to identify root causes, corrective actions, and opportunities to improve future quoting and planning accuracy.
• Oversee the process manufacturer statements of origin and incomplete vehicle documentation as required, and ensure applicable documents are properly placed in the vehicle door jamb or final delivery packet.
• Coordinate or support final invoicing and freight logistics to ensure a smooth transition from production completion to customer delivery.

Required Qualifications

• Experience in project management, production coordination, manufacturing operations, or a related role in a custom manufacturing or heavy equipment environment.
• Strong understanding of bills of material, production routing, scheduling, labor tracking, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience working with ERP systems such as Acumatica and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to create, read and interpret production documents, specifications, drawings, and related job records.
• Demonstrated CAD experience, with the ability to create and revise drawings for customized manufacturing jobs, including layout changes, component placement, mounting configurations, and customer-specific modifications for heavy equipment builds.
• Strong organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail, follow-through, and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to coordinate effectively across departments and with customers.

Core Competencies

• Cross-functional coordination and accountability
• Problem-solving and issue escalation
• Schedule and priority management
• Change management and documentation control
• CAD drawing creation and design documentation for customer-specific customizations
• Customer communication and expectation management
• Financial awareness, including margin sensitivity and variance review
• Continuous improvement mindset with strong process discipline