CADD Designer / Drafter - Bridge & Structures

BKF; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

End of year bonuses

Profit sharing

401k

Generous PTO

9 paid holidays

Flexible schedules

Education reimbursement

Paid professional dues

Job summary

BKF is seeking a Bridge & Structures CADD Designer/Drafter to create clear construction plans for bridges and transportation structures. You will translate concepts, calculations, sketches, and reviews into coordinated plan sets and 3D models, collaborating with engineers and other CADD staff.

Expect involvement with Caltrans and local agency projects, using MicroStation, AutoCAD, and BIM workflows. Travel to BKF locations and client sites may be required.

Qualifications

• AS degree or higher in drafting/CADD civil tech or related field.
• 5+ years in producing bridge/transportation structural plans.
• Proficient in MicroStation and AutoCAD; familiarity with OpenRoads/Civil 3D.
• Ability to interpret sketches, geometry, survey data, and comments.
• Experience delivering coordinated plan sets to standards with attention to quality.
• Clear communication and teamwork with licensed engineers.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and revise bridge/structural plans and details per PS&E/construction needs.
• Develop sheet sets from alignments, surveys, and models; coordinate interfaces.
• Apply Caltrans/agency CADD standards for file organization and deliverables.
• Check drawings for completeness and constructability; incorporate comments.
• Create or contribute to 3D bridge models and model-based views as needed.
• Maintain organized files and support production timelines with engineers.

Skills

Bridge/structure CADD

Bentley MicroStation

Autodesk AutoCAD

OpenRoads Designer

Civil 3D

Caltrans standards

Education

Associate of Science in drafting or related

Tools

OpenBridge Modeler

Revit

ProjectWise

Job description

BKF is a multi-service infrastructure consulting firm providing civil engineering and surveying services across California, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. With offices throughout California and the Portland area, BKF has served transportation, water resources, land development, government, and federal clients for over 110 years.

At BKF, you’ll find a unique opportunity to grow your career with intention. Our culture values professional autonomy, innovation, and meaningful collaboration across offices. We are proud to be recognized with the Great Place to Work certification for the second year in a row.

BKF is seeking a Bridge & Structures CADD Designer / Drafter to develop clear, accurate construction plans for bridges and other transportation, water, and land development structures. Working with bridge engineers and other disciplines, you will turn design concepts, calculations, sketches, and review comments into coordinated plan sets and, where appropriate, 3D models. Projects may include vehicular and pedestrian bridges, retaining walls, foundations, culverts, and related structural elements for Caltrans and local agency clients.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and revise bridge and structural plans, elevations, sections, details, and schedules for preliminary design, PS&E, and construction support. Detail structural steel, reinforced and prestressed concrete, foundations, bearings, joints, barriers, and retaining structures under the direction of engineers.
• Develop sheet sets from roadway alignments, profiles, survey and utility base files, geotechnical information, engineer markups, and discipline models. Coordinate interfaces with roadway, drainage, utilities, traffic, geotechnical, and right of way teams.
• Apply client and agency CADD standards, including Caltrans standards when applicable, to file organization, references, levels/layers, annotation, sheet layout, naming, and deliverables.
• Check drawings for completeness, consistency, dimensions, references, and constructability; incorporate review comments and support quantity takeoffs and plan revisions.
• Create or contribute to 3D bridge and structural models when project delivery calls for them; help generate model based views, sections, quantities, and presentation graphics.
• Maintain organized project files and coordinate drawing production, milestones, and quality reviews with engineers and other CADD staff. Support less experienced drafters as appropriate.

Qualifications

• Associate of Science degree or higher in drafting, CADD, civil engineering technology, or a closely related technical field.
• 5+ years of professional CADD experience, including substantial production of bridge or other transportation structural plans.
• Demonstrated proficiency in both Bentley MicroStation and Autodesk AutoCAD; experience working within transportation design environments such as OpenRoads Designer and/or Civil 3D.
• Working knowledge of bridge plan conventions and steel and concrete structural detailing; ability to interpret engineering sketches, roadway geometry, survey information, and technical review comments.
• Experience producing coordinated plan sets to client or public agency standards, with strong attention to drawing quality and deadlines.
• Clear communication skills and ability to work closely with licensed engineers and multidisciplinary project teams.

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience with Caltrans bridge or highway structure plan production, including applicable Caltrans CADD standards, standard plans and details, and PS&E delivery; experience with California cities or counties is also valuable.
• Proficiency in Bentley OpenBridge Modeler / OpenBridge Designer, Autodesk Revit, and/or other bridge information modeling (BrIM/BIM for Infrastructure, BIM4I) workflows, including model to sheet production and multidisciplinary model coordination.
• Ability to create compelling 3D renderings, visualizations, or animations for proposals, alternatives analysis, public presentations, or project coordination.
• Experience with ProjectWise, Autodesk Construction Cloud/BIM 360, Bluebeam Revu, and structured quality control workflows.

Physical Demands: Must be able to regularly talk, hear and operate a computer, keyboard and mouse and occasionally lift, pull/push and carry up to 20 pounds with accommodations.

Work Conditions: Exposure to constant or intermittent sounds at a low or moderate level consistent with an office setting. Exposure to high-stress, fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment. Travel to other BKF locations and client sites may be required.

• The typical base salary range for this position is $71978.4 - $106048.8, annualized depending upon skills, experience, education, and geographical location. This is a salary position paid biweekly.
• Competitive salaries, end of year bonuses, profit sharing, and 401k.
• Generous paid time off packages.
• 9 Paid Holidays.
• Flexible schedules.
• Education reimbursement, Paid annual dues for professional and societal organizations.
• BKF offers competitive and award-winning benefits and perks. To learn more click here.

BKF Engineers provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

BKF Engineers does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement and a specific solicitation for the position or other approved engagement request for the position with BKF Engineers, BKF Engineers reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited submittals are done at the risk of the recruiter.

#LI-Hybrid