Product Development Designer

VIVA Railings is a leading American manufacturer of architectural railing and metal panel systems. From our 67,000-square-foot headquarters in Lewisville, Texas, we design, engineer, fabricate, and install stainless steel, aluminum, glass, and cable railing systems for large commercial projects nationwide — along with decorative metal wall and facade systems through our METALSPACES division. 

Because design, engineering, fabrication, and installation all live under one roof, you will learn faster here than almost anywhere else. The people who build and install what you draw work down the hall, and they are glad to show you how it's done. You don't need to arrive knowing railings or metal fabrication — we will teach you both. 

Position Summary 

The Product Development Designer helps turn ideas for new railing and metal panel products into 3D models, drawings, and visuals that the rest of the company can review, build, and sell. You will work in SolidWorks every day, sketch and model design options, prepare the drawings our shop uses to build parts, create renderings for reviews and marketing, and help build the digital product files architects use in their building models. 

Roughly a quarter of the role is keeping our designs accurate: when something doesn't fit or build as expected, you will help document what happened and update the drawings and models so it gets fixed for good. Engineering sign-off and final quality decisions sit with our engineers and the New Product Development Manager. You'll have experienced people reviewing your work and answering your questions — that is by design. 

The position reports to the New Product Development Manager and works daily with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Project Management, Sales and Marketing, and Field Installation. 

Key Responsibilities 

Product Design and Development (~75%) 

• Explore design ideas — Sketch and model options for new railing and metal panel products, and help the team weigh how each one looks, what it costs, and how easily it can be built and installed. 

• 3D modeling and drawings — Build 3D models of parts and assemblies in SolidWorks and turn them into clear drawings the shop can build from, with review and guidance from engineering. 

• Design with the shop in mind — Learn how our shop cuts, bends, welds, and finishes metal, and use what you learn so your designs are easy to make and easy to install. 

• Renderings and visuals — Create realistic product images and exploded views for design reviews, customer presentations, and marketing materials. 

• Prototype support — Prepare drawings for prototypes and samples, help put them together and evaluate them, and update the design based on what the team learns. 

• Support the engineers — Provide the models and drawings our engineers need for their calculations, testing, and approval packages. 

• Digital product files for architects — Build and maintain Revit (BIM) files of VIVA products so architects can drop them into their building designs. We will train you if Revit is new to you. 

• Keep things organized — Maintain parts lists, part numbers, installation drawings, product data sheets, and drawing revision history in our file management and business systems. 

• Hit project milestones — Complete your assigned design work on schedule as new products move through our development process. 

• Listen to customers — Join conversations with architects, contractors, and installers alongside Product Management and Sales, and help turn their feedback into design improvements. 

Product Quality and Design Support (~25%) 

• Help investigate issues — When a part doesn't match the drawing or doesn't fit in the field, help compare it to the drawings and models and document what you find with markups and photos. 

• Update drawings and models — Make the drawing, model, and Revit file updates that come out of a fix, so everyone is working from the right version. 

• Process design changes — Help update drawings, models, and parts lists when a design change is approved, and let affected teams know what changed. 

• Field repair drawings — Prepare repair and replacement-part drawings when an issue comes up on a jobsite; occasionally visit a site to see a problem firsthand. 

• Build our design library — Keep track of issues that repeat and help turn the fixes into standard details, so the same problem doesn't happen twice. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Provide everyday drawing and modeling support to Manufacturing, Project Management, and Field Installation. 

• Learn to read architectural drawings and project specifications, and help prepare drawings for customer approval. 

• Work with Sales and Marketing on product images, catalog and website content, samples, and trade-show materials. 

• Help create simple guides and reference materials for installers and shop teams. 

Qualifications 

Required 

• 1–3 years of experience using 3D CAD for product, industrial, architectural, or mechanical design — including internships, co-ops, and school or personal projects. 

• Working ability in SolidWorks or a similar 3D CAD program (Inventor, Fusion 360, Creo, Rhino) and a willingness to become strong in SolidWorks quickly. 

• A portfolio that shows your design, modeling, or drawing work. Show us what you've made — polish matters less than thinking. 

• A good eye for detail and appearance, and an interest in how things are made. 

• Clear communication and comfort asking questions — of engineers, welders, installers, and customers alike. 

• Willingness to spend time in the fabrication shop and occasionally at project sites. This is not a desk-only role. 

• A degree or certificate in Industrial Design, Product Design, Architecture, Drafting and Design Technology, Engineering Technology, or a related field is preferred; equivalent hands-on experience will