CAD Design Manager

If you are searching for the best new ideas and share our vision, join us as a CAD Design Manager This is what you need to know:

Location: Knoxville, TN

Salary: Highly Competitive Plus Benefits

Contract: Permanent, full time

Reporting to: SVP Engineering

Your role in the mission:

The CAD Design Manager at Type One Energy leads a team of design professionals responsible for delivering high-quality, precise CAD models, drawings, and documentation that support the development of advanced fusion energy systems. This role plays a critical part in enabling engineering execution by ensuring design outputs meet rigorous technical, safety, and regulatory standards inherent to cutting-edge energy technology.

The position combines strong people leadership with strategic resource planning and close collaboration across multidisciplinary teams—including engineering, manufacturing, and program management—to align design deliverables with complex project timelines and milestones.

The CAD Design Manager is accountable for optimizing team performance through effective workload distribution, balancing competing priorities, and fostering an environment of continuous learning and technical excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Resource & Capacity Planning

• Partner with leadership to plan and manage team capacity, including staffing levels, availability, and workload balancing.
• Ensure optimal allocation of design resources across projects.
• Proactively identify and address capacity gaps.

Performance Management

• Own end-to-end performance management processes for the CAD design team.
• Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, and conduct performance reviews.
• Drive a high-performance culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.

Career Development

• Develop and execute career growth plans for team members.
• Identify skill gaps and create development opportunities through training, assignments, and mentorship.
• Support succession planning for key roles.

Technical Mentoring

• Encourage knowledge sharing and continuous learning within the team.
• Partner with technical experts to elevate team capabilities.

Process Improvements

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and implement process improvements.
• Drive efficiency, quality, and scalability in CAD design workflows.
• Promote continuous improvement methodologies.

What you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Design, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of CAD design experience, including leadership or supervisory experience.

• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Expertise in CAD tools (Siemens NX highly desirable)
• Excellent resource planning and organizational abilities.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance technical depth with strategic oversight.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

We offer:

In addition to a basic salary and yearly bonus, you will also get…

• A hybrid work policy
• Stock options
• Relocation allowance
• Insurance plans
• Retirement options
• And many more great voluntary benefits

Type One Energy applies proven advanced manufacturing methods, modern computational physics and high-field superconducting magnets to develop its optimized stellarator fusion energy system. Our FusionDirect development program pursues the lowest-risk, shortest-schedule path to a fusion power plant over the coming decade, using a partner-intensive and capital-efficient strategy.

Type One Energy is committed to community engagement in the development and deployment of its clean energy technology. For more information, visit www.typeoneenergy.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

Type One Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity, searching for the best new ideas and remaining open to unique perspectives. Therefore, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment independent of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.