Senior Drafter

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.