Absolutely — here’s a strong job posting for a CAD Detailer / CNC Programmer tailored to Foster and aimed at someone with cabinet shop, millwork, fabrication, or exhibit industry experience.
CAD Detailer / CNC Programmer
Location: Oceanside, CA
Company: Foster Display Group
Employment Type: Full-Time
Department: Design / Engineering / Fabrication
About Foster Display Group
Foster Display Group is a full-service exhibit, fabrication, and experiential marketing company specializing in custom trade show booths, brand activations, retail environments, pop-ups, and large-scale branded experiences.
We design, build, ship, and install custom environments for some of the world’s leading brands. Our work moves fast, changes often, and requires a team that can think critically, solve problems, and translate creative concepts into buildable, accurate, production-ready details.
We are looking for a CAD Detailer / CNC Programmer to join our team in Oceanside, CA.
About the Role
This role is ideal for someone who has experience in a cabinet shop, architectural millwork shop, exhibit house, scenic fabrication shop, or custom fabrication environment.
You will be responsible for taking approved designs, renderings, sketches, and concepts and turning them into accurate construction drawings, cut files, CNC programs, and production-ready documentation for our shop team.
This is not just a “drafting” role. We need someone who understands how things are actually built — someone who can look at a design and think through materials, joinery, tolerances, hardware, assembly, shipping, installation, and real-world fabrication constraints.
Responsibilities
- Create detailed shop drawings, fabrication drawings, assembly drawings, and production documentation.
- Translate design intent into accurate, buildable construction details.
- Generate CNC-ready files and programs for cutting components.
- Work closely with project managers, designers, engineers, carpenters, CNC operators, and shop leadership.
- Review renderings, client drawings, site plans, and design packages for feasibility and accuracy.
- Detail custom cabinetry, counters, walls, displays, product fixtures, millwork, exhibit components, and scenic elements.
- Break down builds into parts, panels, assemblies, and material requirements.
- Create cut lists, hardware callouts, material specifications, and assembly notes.
- Help identify potential build issues before they reach the shop floor.
- Revise drawings quickly based on internal feedback, client changes, or field conditions.
- Support continuous improvement in our drawing standards, CNC workflows, and fabrication processes.
- Maintain organized drawing files, revisions, and production documentation.
Ideal Background
The right person may come from one of the following environments:
- Cabinet shop
- Architectural millwork company
- Custom furniture shop
- Exhibit house
- Scenic fabrication shop
- Retail fixture company
- Commercial interiors fabrication
- CNC-focused woodworking or panel processing shop
Required Skills & Experience
- Strong CAD drafting/detailing experience.
- Experience creating shop drawings for wood, laminate, plywood, MDF, acrylic, metal, or mixed-material builds.
- Ability to read and interpret renderings, architectural drawings, sketches, and production notes.
- Experience preparing CNC files for production.
- Understanding of cabinet construction, joinery, fasteners, hardware, laminates, finishes, and material behavior.
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
- Ability to think through how something will be built, assembled, shipped, and installed.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Strong communication skills and willingness to collaborate with both office and shop teams.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities at once.
Preferred Software Experience
Experience with some combination of the following is preferred:
- AutoCAD
- Fusion 360
- SolidWorks
- Rhino
- SketchUp
- VCarve / Aspire
- Cabinet Vision
- Microvellum
- Mozaik
- EnRoute
- ArtCAM
- AlphaCAM
- CNC router programming software
- Adobe Illustrator for vector cleanup and cut files
We are open to different software backgrounds as long as you understand fabrication, detailing, and CNC production.
What Makes Someone Successful in This Role
You will be successful here if you:
- Think like a builder, not just a drafter.
- Care deeply about clean, accurate drawings.
- Understand that small mistakes in drawings can create big problems in the shop or on-site.
- Can balance speed with accuracy.
- Ask good questions before something becomes an issue.
- Are comfortable collaborating with carpenters, fabricators, designers, and project managers.
- Take ownership of your work and follow it through to production.
- Enjoy solving weird, custom, one-off fabrication problems.
- Can work within standards while also adapting to the realities of custom builds.
What We’re Not Looking For
This is probably not the right fit for someone who only wants to draft from a distance without understanding how things are made.
We need someone who is curious about the shop floor, willing to walk through builds with fabricators, and interested in improving the way ideas become physical objects.
Compensation
Compensation will be based on experience, skill level, and software capability.
Why Join Foster
At Foster, you will work on custom projects for major brands, events, and experiences across the country. No two projects are exactly the same. You will be part of a team that designs, builds, and delivers real things under real deadlines.
This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to apply their cabinetmaking, millwork, CNC, and detailing experience to a more creative and fast-moving fabrication environment.
How to Apply
Please send your resume, portfolio, drawing samples, or examples of CNC/detailing work.
We are especially interested in seeing examples of:
- Shop drawings
- Cabinet or millwork details
- CNC cut files
- Assembly drawings
- Custom fabrication details
- Built projects you helped detail or program
Pay: From $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) 4% Match
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
