CAD Designer / Drafter (Custom Millwork & Wood Products)
Somewhere
🇿🇦 Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants
This fully remote full time position at Somewhere is open to applicants from South Africa. The estimated monthly salary is R27,750 – R55,500 ZAR. This role is suited for mid-level professionals. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.
Job Description
CAD Designer / Drafter (Custom Millwork & Wood Products)
Location:RemoteEmployment Type:Full-Time or ContractWorking Hours:Overlap with U.S. business hours (EST)
About the Company (Confidential)
We are a high-end custom wood manufacturing company specializing in bespoke doors, architectural millwork, and specialty wood products. Our work blends craftsmanship with precision engineering—delivering detailed, production-ready designs that translate seamlessly from concept to shop floor to installation.
We operate in a highly custom, project-driven environment where no two builds are the same. Accuracy, clarity, and buildability are critical to our success.
The Role
We’re looking for adetail-oriented CAD Designer / Drafterto support our custom millwork and wood product manufacturing operations.
This person will play a critical role in transforming architectural plans, design intent, and field inputs intoclear, production-ready shop drawingsused across estimating, approvals, manufacturing, and installation.
This is not a generic drafting role—you’ll be working oncustom, made-to-order productswhere precision, foresight, and problem-solving are essential.
Key Responsibilities
* Produce2D shop drawings, fabrication drawings, and production drawingsfor custom wood doors, millwork, and related products
* Translate architectural drawings, sketches, and field measurements intoaccurate, buildable shop drawings
* Apply strong drafting standards:dimensioning, annotations, layer management, and file organization
* Ensure drawings areclear, practical, and usable by shop and installation teams
* Maintain organized drawing sets and revisions for efficient updates and version control
* Proactively identify:Missing dimensionsDesign inconsistenciesCoordination conflictsConstructability issues
* Missing dimensions
* Design inconsistencies
* Coordination conflicts
* Constructability issues
* Collaborate with project managers, estimators, and production teams to resolve ambiguities
* Revise drawings based on:Client feedbackField conditionsDesign updatesProduction constraints
* Client feedback
* Field conditions
* Design updates
* Production constraints
* Support ahigh-variability manufacturing environment(materials, hardware, installation conditions)
Required Qualifications
* Proven experience producingshop drawings or fabrication drawingsfor:MillworkCabinetryConstructionManufacturingOr similar production environments
* Millwork
* Cabinetry
* Construction
* Manufacturing
* Or similar production environments
* Strong ability to convert architectural information intoproduction-ready drawings
* Advanced proficiency inAutoCAD (preferred)or similar CAD software
* Solid drafting fundamentals:Dimensioning accuracyAnnotation clarityLayer organizationSheet layout consistency
* Dimensioning accuracy
* Annotation clarity
* Layer organization
* Sheet layout consistency
* High attention to detail with aquality-first mindset
* Ability toflag issues earlyand communicate clearly with cross-functional teams
* Comfortable workingremotely with a U.S.-based team
Nice-to-Have / Preferred Background
* Experience with:Custom millworkWood doorsCabinetry / caseworkFurniture or architectural wood products
* Custom millwork
* Wood doors
* Cabinetry / casework
* Furniture or architectural wood products
* Familiarity withproduction-driven drafting(not just design-focused drafting)
* Understanding of:Wood species and material behaviorJoinery and construction methodsShop workflows and fabrication processes
* Wood species and material behavior
* Joinery and construction methods
* Shop workflows and fabrication processes
* Experience working oncustom / made-to-order projectsvs. standardized products
* Exposure toTurboCAD(bonus, not required)
What Success Looks Like
* Drawings are:ClearAccurateImmediately usable by production teams
* Clear
* Accurate
* Immediately usable by production teams
* Minimal back-and-forth due tomissing details or errors
* Revisions are handled quickly and cleanly
* Issues are identifiedbefore they become production problems
* Strong collaboration across design, estimating, and manufacturing
* Consistent contribution tosmooth handoff from design → shop → install
Compensation (Monthly USD)Final compensation depends on experience, technical ability, and relevance of millwork/manufacturing background.
Who This Role is Perfect For
* Drafters who enjoyreal-world, buildable design—not just conceptual work
* Candidates who take pride inprecision and clarity
* People who naturally think:“How will this actually get built?”
* Professionals who thrive incustom, detail-heavy environments
Tips for South African Applicants
Timezone Advantage
South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.
Salary in Context
At R27,750/month, this role is on par with the average South African remote salary. The USD equivalent ($1,500/mo) benefits from the favourable exchange rate.
Application Tips
Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.
Load Shedding Preparedness
If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.
About Somewhere
Somewhere is a company in the Recruitment & Staffing industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 622 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs →