The Big Picture
The Senior Drafter - Shop Drawing Specialist (Joinery for Middle East Projects) will play a key role in transforming design concepts into precise, production-ready shop drawings. You’ll be responsible for leading the technical detailing of bespoke joinery elements ensuring accuracy, feasibility, and seamless coordination with production and site execution teams. This role demands a hands-on expert who’s ready to get their hands dirty while building and mentoring a new team from the ground up.
What you can expect as a Shop Drawing Specialist at Illumine-i :
- You’ll be preparing detailed shop drawings for custom joinery works, for interior elements, ensuring compliance with design intent and manufacturing standards.
- You’ll be collaborating with designers, architects, engineers, and production teams to translate design concepts into accurate and buildable drawings.
- You’ll be reviewing architectural drawings and site conditions to identify discrepancies, propose solutions, and ensure alignment with production feasibility.
- You’ll be coordinating with suppliers and workshop teams to finalize material specifications, finishes, and fabrication details.
- You’ll be building and training a team of draftsmen and junior detailers, instilling best practices in drawing standards, accuracy, and efficiency.
- You’ll be actively involved in setting up drawing templates, libraries, and standards for joinery detailing from scratch.
- You’ll ensure quality control of all shop drawings before submission and follow up through the approval process.
- You’ll be working closely with the project management and site teams to clarify design details and resolve drawing-related issues during execution.
- You’ll be supporting continuous improvement initiatives in the joinery drawing and coordination process, leveraging your hands-on expertise to optimize workflows.
Essential Qualifications include :
Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Civil Engineering, or related field.Proven experience in preparing shop drawings for joinery or interior fit-out projects.Strong hands-on expertise in Revit & AutoCAD, with proficiency in detailing joinery elements and understanding assembly methods.Solid understanding of materials, finishes, hardware, and joinery fabrication processes.Proven ability to interpret architectural drawings and translate them into precise shop-level details.Excellent communication and coordination skills with multidisciplinary teams including designers, contractors, and production teams.Strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to resolving design and fabrication challenges.Ability to lead and develop a new team, fostering accuracy, accountability, and collaboration.A “get-things-done” mindset with the willingness to be hands-on in both drawing and coordination.Great to have :
Experience with 3D visualization tools (SketchUp, or similar) to assist in design coordination and presentation.Knowledge of production workflows in joinery manufacturing, CNC cutting, and assembly.Exposure to interior fit-out and high-end joinery projects across hospitality, commercial, or residential sectors.Familiarity with BIM integration for joinery elements and coordination with MEP and architectural models.Understanding of sustainable material selection and eco-friendly fabrication practices.