SolidWorks PDM Administrator

POSITION SUMMARY:

Forgent’s mechanical engineers use SolidWorks and SolidWorks PDM Professional to model the structures, enclosures, and large E-House and switchgear assemblies that go to the floor. As practices are harmonized across the company and CAD data connects to ERP and PLM, these systems need a dedicated daily owner. This role exists to be that owner.

The Associate administers the mechanical design environment for the MV, LV, and E-House/Skid product lines, working with Engineering, Manufacturing, Applications Engineering, and IT. The role is paired with the AutoCAD-Vault Administration Associate; both report to the Engineering Systems Supervisor, who owns standards, architecture, and final decisions. This is an engineering systems administration role, not an IT help-desk or production CAD design seat.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Administer SolidWorks and SolidWorks PDM Professional across all sites: permissions, groups, workflow and lifecycle states, revision controls, and archives.
• Maintain PDM folder structures, naming, metadata, file relationships, CAD standards, templates, title blocks, and libraries within approved standards.
• Support change, release, revision, and archival workflows, including the redline/issue-tracking process that communicates changes to the floor.
• Install, license, and version-control SolidWorks; coordinate updates, testing, and deployments with IT and the Supervisor.
• Troubleshoot software, licensing, performance, workflow, and access issues; work with IT on workstation performance and crash mitigation.
• Provide Tier 1 support and act as day-to-day contact for the SolidWorks reseller on PDM issues.
• Check that engineers follow approved PDM workflows, modeling, and filing practices; report deviations and recurring issues to the Supervisor.
• Onboard new engineers on CAD/PDM standards; maintain user guides, work instructions, and training materials.
• Develop templates, tools, and scripts that improve efficiency; recommend automation and process improvements and escalate major decisions to the Supervisor.

TRACK-SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain SolidWorks libraries, templates, and configurations, plus structural entries in the Master Component Library (metadata, part numbers, BOM data).
• Implement large assembly best practices for complex E-House and switchgear models to improve stability and performance.
• Apply the approved fastener representation approach (simplified representations, hardware BOMs).
• Support automated hardware creation and spooling workflows in SolidWorks as they mature.
• Validate that SolidWorks BOMs and metadata flow accurately through PDM to NetSuite and future PLM (Autodesk Fusion Manage).
• Support cross-plant transfers of mechanical design data and approved PLM/ERP integrations, including data mapping and migration.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years administering SolidWorks PDM Professional or comparable PDM (permissions, workflows, revisions, metadata, document control).
• Strong working knowledge of SolidWorks and SolidWorks PDM Professional.
• Understanding of CAD assemblies, drawings, BOMs, part numbering, and release processes.
• Experience supporting engineering or manufacturing environments.
• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and training skills, with the process discipline to apply established standards.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• CSWA or CSWP certification.
• SolidWorks PDM Administration training course certificate.
• Experience with CAD/PDM upgrades, migrations, or implementations, and with large assembly performance.
• Familiarity with ERP/PLM integration (NetSuite, Autodesk Fusion Manage).
• Switchgear, switchboard, or structural manufacturing experience; multi-site support experience.
• WORKING CONDITIONS
• Primarily office/computer-based at an assigned Forgent engineering facility.
• Occasional travel between Dayton and Champlin, MN, with periodic coordination with Hanover.
• Periodic floor time to verify CAD-to-physical accuracy, especially during rollouts.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Primarily office/computer-based at an assigned Forgent engineering facility.
• Occasional travel between Dayton and Champlin, MN, with periodic coordination with Hanover.
• Periodic floor time to verify CAD-to-physical accuracy, especially during rollouts.

JOB BENEFITS: 

• PTO/ESST
• Paid holidays
• $100 individual deductible and $300 family deductible health insurance
• Paid weekly
• Vision and Dental Insurance
• 401K / Life Insurance / STD