Joinery CAD Recruitment
CADagency specialises in recruiting CAD and design professionals for the joinery and furniture sector. We work with bespoke joinery manufacturers, furniture makers, fit out contractors and specialist workshops across the UK, supplying designers who understand how drawings translate into manufacture.
Joinery roles are highly technical and sit much closer to production than many other CAD disciplines. Most candidates we place have a strong understanding of materials, tolerances and manufacturing constraints, often supported by hands-on workshop or site experience. This practical grounding is a key factor in successful joinery design teams.
We recruit across residential, commercial, retail and specialist bespoke joinery environments.
Roles We Recruit For Within Joinery and Furniture
We regularly recruit across a range of joinery-focused design roles, including:
Junior Joinery CAD Technicians
Producing manufacturing drawings, cutting lists and set-out information under supervision.
Joinery CAD Designers
Designers responsible for full drawing packages, material specification and coordination with production.
Senior Joinery Designers
Experienced designers overseeing complex bespoke work, problem solving and technical decision making.
Design Managers and Technical Leads
Professionals managing drawing standards, workflow and coordination between design and manufacturing teams.
Most joinery candidates work primarily in AutoCAD, with SolidWorks and other 3D or parametric tools commonly used in furniture and CNC-led environments.
Joinery Market Trends
The joinery sector continues to see strong demand for technically capable designers as projects become more bespoke and manufacturing-led.
There is increasing emphasis on designers who understand CNC processes, material efficiencies and buildability. Employers are placing greater value on accuracy, problem solving and communication between design, workshop and site teams.
Hybrid working is less common than in consultancy-led sectors, but flexible hours and condensed working patterns are increasingly used to retain experienced designers.
Overall, joinery design roles are becoming more specialised, with clear differentiation between drawing production and true design-for-manufacture capability.
2026 Joinery and Furniture Salary Insight
Based on Joinery and Furniture sector respondents in the CADagency 2026 Salary Survey, average UK salaries sit as follows:
Junior Joinery CAD Technicians: £29,400
Intermediate Joinery CAD Designers: £36,800
Senior Joinery CAD Designers: £45,900
Joinery Design Managers: £54,600
Salary progression in joinery is closely tied to technical competence, independence and the ability to design for manufacture rather than years of experience alone.
London and the South East continue to offer the highest salaries, driven by high-end residential and commercial projects. However, experienced joinery designers outside the capital are seeing steady progression as regional manufacturers take on larger and more complex work.
Software Usage Within Joinery
AutoCAD remains the most widely used platform within joinery design, particularly for detailed manufacturing drawings.
However, software choice has a clear impact on salary.
Joinery designers using SolidWorks or 3D parametric software reported an average salary of £44,700
Joinery designers working solely in 2D CAD reported an average salary of £37,900
3D capability is most common in furniture production, CNC-led manufacturing and businesses investing in repeatable or modular systems.