Sr. CAD Engineer

Role:  Sr. CAD Engineer ( Computer-Aided Design) 

Locatioin: Remote

Duration: 2-4+ months with Possibility Extension

Client is in Rochester, NY

Contract CAD Engineer – AI & Engineering Design Evaluation

Position Overview

We are seeking a Contract CAD Engineer to support an AI research initiative focused on evaluating the use of engineering design data for CAD analysis and image-based prior art search. This short-term consulting engagement will provide technical expertise in commercial CAD systems, engineering design data, and product development workflows to help assess the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) and multimodal AI technologies.

The ideal candidate will have deep experience with commercial CAD platforms and engineering data management and will be responsible for determining whether commercially generated CAD data contains critical engineering information not represented in publicly available CAD files. This individual will also provide an independent technical assessment of the current research and recommend whether additional evaluation is required before engaging prospective strategic partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate the structure, content, and engineering metadata contained within commercial CAD systems and compare it to publicly available CAD files.
• Assess whether proprietary CAD data contains information that could materially improve AI-driven CAD analysis and engineering understanding.
• Provide representative engineering design data and insights to support ongoing AI evaluation efforts.
• Collaborate with AI researchers to determine the most effective methods for leveraging engineering design data for image-based and CAD-based prior art search.
• Analyze how engineering design information can enhance multimodal AI models, including Gemini, ChatGPT, or similar LLMs.
• Review the results of existing AI testing and provide an independent technical assessment of findings.
• Identify gaps in the current evaluation methodology and recommend additional testing where appropriate.
• Advise on engineering workflows, CAD data structures, assemblies, feature trees, metadata, tolerances, and other design artifacts relevant to AI analysis.
• Prepare recommendations regarding the technical readiness of the current work for discussions with prospective business or technology partners.
• Document findings, technical risks, and opportunities to improve AI-driven engineering design analysis.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Extensive hands-on experience with one or more commercial CAD platforms such as:
• SolidWorks
• Siemens NX
• PTC Creo
• CATIA
• Autodesk Inventor
• Solid Edge
• Strong understanding of engineering design processes, product development lifecycles, and CAD data structures.
• Experience working with assemblies, feature history, design intent, tolerances, metadata, and engineering documentation.
• Ability to evaluate complex technical concepts and communicate findings clearly to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) or Product Data Management (PDM) systems.
• Familiarity with STEP, IGES, Parasolid, JT, or other engineering data exchange formats.
• Exposure to AI, machine learning, computer vision, or large language models applied to engineering workflows.
• Experience supporting patent analysis, prior art research, engineering search technologies, or knowledge management initiatives.
• Consulting experience providing independent technical assessments and recommendations.

Deliverables

The selected consultant will be expected to:

• Evaluate the completeness and usefulness of publicly available versus commercial CAD data.
• Determine whether proprietary engineering design information materially impacts AI analysis capabilities.
• Recommend the optimal approach for leveraging engineering design data in AI-powered image and CAD-based prior art search.
• Provide representative engineering datasets where appropriate.
• Deliver an independent recommendation regarding the readiness of the current research to support discussions with potential strategic partners or whether further technical evaluation is warranted.

Engagement Details

• Position Type: Short-Term Contract / Consultant
• Duration: Project-based (estimated several weeks)
• Work Arrangement: Flexible (Remote preferred, with collaboration as needed)
• Primary Focus: CAD Engineering, Engineering Design Data, AI Evaluation, Image-Based Prior Art Search, and Technical Advisory.

Thanks 

John

Netstrive Consulting, LLC

450, E. 22^nd St, Suite 178,

Lombard, IL 60148

Direct:

Desk No: Ext-404

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