Senior Plant 3D Designer

Job Description

At Kyoto Group, we are on a mission to make renewable energy the easy choice for industries. Our innovative thermal battery technology enables industries to replace fossil fuels with clean electricity for heat production - without compromising efficiency, stability, or cost. Since industrial heat accounts for nearly half of global energy consumption, our solutions are crucial in driving a sustainable transition.

By storing renewable energy as heat and making it available when needed, we empower industries to embrace variable energy sources like wind and solar. Kyoto Group is more than a company - it's a movement towards a greener future.

Kyoto's vision

Kyoto Group is named after the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. The Protocol represents a significant step in global efforts to address climate change, setting the stage for future agreements like the Paris Agreement. Kyoto Group aims to revolutionise industrial process heat and reduce CO2 emissions.

About the role

The Senior Plant 3D Designer is responsible for developing and maintaining Kyoto's digital product models and Plant 3D platform, ensuring consistent, high-quality engineering data to support product development, manufacturing and deployment. The role combines advanced 3D design with ownership of Kyoto's Plant 3D standards, libraries and workflows, enabling efficient and scalable delivery of Kyoto's thermal energy storage solutions.

Responsibilities

Plant Design & Product Development

• Develop and maintain Plant 3D models for Kyoto's thermal energy storage systems.
• Produce P&IDs, General Arrangement, isometric and installation drawings.
• Model piping, steel structures, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment and cable tray systems.
• Design layouts with consideration for constructability, maintainability, accessibility and modularisation.
• Ensure designs comply with Kyoto standards, applicable codes and CE/UKCA requirements.
• Contribute to the continuous development and standardisation of Kyoto's product platform through reusable Plant 3D content and design improvements.

Plant 3D Platform & Administration

• Own and continuously improve Kyoto's AutoCAD Plant 3D environment. Develop and maintain templates, catalogues, specifications, component libraries and project settings.
• Develop Plant 3D standards, workflows and best practices.
• Ensure model integrity, data consistency and compliance with Kyoto's digital engineering standards.
• Maintain Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) project environments and collaboration workflows.

Design Coordination & Project Support

• Coordinate multidisciplinary models and review supplier documentation.
• Resolve design clashes in collaboration with engineering disciplines.
• Participate in design reviews and model coordination meetings.
• Support manufacturing, procurement, installation and commissioning with engineering documentation.
• Maintain project documentation, revision control and drawing quality throughout the project lifecycle.

Required skills & experiences

• Technical diploma or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Design, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or a related discipline.
• Minimum five years' experience in industrial plant design.
• Experience in power generation, renewable energy, process industries, oil & gas or similar sectors.
• Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD Plant 3D, including project configuration, templates, catalogues and piping specifications.
• Experience producing P&IDs, General Arrangement, isometric and installation drawings.
• Experience designing piping systems and industrial equipment.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary 3D models and reviewing vendor documentation.
• Experience working with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), Autodesk Docs and Desktop Connector.
• Experience maintaining CAD standards and supporting Plant 3D users.

Nice to have

• Navisworks Manage
• Autodesk Inventor.
• BIM coordination and model federation.
• Experience with E3D Cabling, ESApro or similar software.

Who are you?

• You have excellent attention to detail and commitment to high-quality engineering documentation.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, as well as collaboration and teamwork skills.
• Proactivity and self-motivation in driving tasks to completion.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Adaptable and comfortable working in a dynamic, growing, and international environment.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work to schedule.
• Curious, resilient, and eager to learn and contribute to continuous improvement.
• Motivated by accelerating the energy transition through industrial decarbonization.
• Enthusiastic about being part of a growing team.

Joining Kyoto

We're a scaling startup, building something ambitious in the energy transition. That means the work is real, the pace is fast, and the path isn't always mapped out in advance.

What is actually looks like

You'll be hands-on. This isn't a place where strategy and execution live in different departments. If something needs doing, you're close enough to do it or shape how it gets done.

You'll need a mindset built for change. What's true about Kyoto today won't be entirely true in six months. We're not looking for people who need the ground to hold still.

You'll make decisions before all the facts are in. Waiting for certainty is a luxury we can't always afford - staying agile is how we stay competitive. We need people who can move with incomplete information and adjust as they learn more.

Why it's worth it

We're a small team, which means what you do matters - visibly, immediately, and often permanently. There's only one of you here. You'll leave a mark on how Kyoto works, not just on your own results.
Growth here isn't a line item in a training budget. It's the job you'll be doing in 18 months that doesn't exist yet - because you grew into it, or because you saw it needed to exist and built it.

We're a crew of dedicated professionals who trust each other, learn fast, and back each other up when things get hard - because they will, sometimes. If that sounds like the kind of challenge you want, not the kind you're trying to avoid, we'd like to meet you.

Send your CV to [email protected]