JB Products (Dudley) Ltd
Design Manager
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About Us
Based in Cradley Heath, we are an established and highly respected sheet metal fabrication specialist. With a tight-knit, skilled workforce and a reputation for engineering excellence, we deliver high-quality, bespoke fabrication and architectural metalwork solutions. As our long-standing Design Manager prepares for a well-deserved retirement, we are seeking a stable, technically expert leader to step into this pivotal role, inherit our deep customer relationships, and guide our design team forward.
Role Overview
As the Design Manager, you will lead a dedicated design and CAD team, overseeing projects from initial customer concept through to workshop manufacture. This is a hands-on, collaborative role requiring a blend of advanced engineering knowledge, team leadership, and commercial acumen. You will act as the vital technical bridge between our Black Country factory, our clients, and live construction sites, ensuring complex sheet metal designs are accurate, cost-effective, and fully buildable.
Key Responsibilities
- Team Leadership: Manage, mentor, and schedule the daily workload for a team of Designers and CAD Operators, ensuring high-quality drawing output and adherence to project deadlines.
- Complex Sheet Metal Design: Personally lead and oversee the design of complex sheet metal fabrications, utilising flat-pattern development, bend allowances, and manufacturing constraints. Undertake detailed drawings and CNC programmes to ensure products meet site and customer requirements.
- Customer & Account Management: Nurture and develop deep, trusted relationships with existing customers. Act as the primary technical point of contact, attending meetings and providing expert engineering advice.
- Site Support & Problem Solving: Travel to construction sites to conduct site surveys, take accurate measurements, and resolve engineering or installation challenges firsthand.
- Production Handover: Ensure all drawing files are optimised for production, translating 3D models seamlessly into nested CNC/laser/punch data.
- Continuous Improvement: Standardise drawing office procedures and ensure the design team works harmoniously with the workshop to minimise waste and rework.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Required Experience & Qualifications
- Industry Experience: A proven, stable career history with direct, hands-on experience within sheet metal fabrication or architectural metalwork.
- Software Proficiency: Advanced engineering capability in Autodesk Inventor (3D modelling) and AutoCAD (2D). Direct experience or strong familiarity with Radan (or similar CAM/nesting software) is highly desirable.
- Site Ready: Confident visiting live construction sites, with a solid understanding of structural interfaces. A valid CSCS card is a distinct advantage.
- Leadership Track Record: Previous experience managing, supervising, or leading a drawing office or a small team of CAD technicians.
- Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to confidently advise customers, negotiate technical changes, and collaborate directly with workshop fabrication staff.
- IT Literacy: Proficient in general Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook) for project tracking.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary based entirely on your industry experience.
- A comprehensive handover period working alongside our retiring Design Manager to seamlessly absorb client histories, ongoing projects, and specialised workflows.
- Company pension scheme.
- 25 days holiday per year + Bank Holidays, travel allowance for site visits, subsistence allowance, on-site parking.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London