Drafting Manager

Salt Productions; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt Productions in Los Angeles is seeking a Drafting Manager to own and lead all technical drafting for live events and experiences. This role is essential for maintaining drawing standards and coordinating drafting workflows, ensuring that all documentation is production-ready.

The ideal candidate has over 6 years of experience, expert proficiency in Vectorworks, and strong team management skills. You'll oversee the drafting team while driving improvements in processes and quality control.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in technical drafting for live events, experiential, or fabrication environments.
• Expert-level proficiency in Vectorworks (required).
• Strong understanding of technical drawings for live events, staging, rigging, AV, and fabrication.
• Experience managing or mentoring drafting staff or teams.

Responsibilities

• Own drafting standards, templates, layer conventions, and documentation best practices.
• Ensure all drawings meet internal quality, accuracy, and version-control requirements.
• Lead and facilitate project-level Drafting Kick-Off meetings.
• Manage drafting schedules and ensure alignment with production milestones.

Skills

Technical drawing proficiency

Team management

Workflow management

Vectorworks expertise

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Tools

Vectorworks

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Rhino

Matterport

LiDAR

Job description

REPORTS INTO: VP, Head of Technical Production / Director of Technical Production

What is a Drafting Manager at salt:

The Drafting Manager is responsible for owning and leading all technical drafting efforts across live events, experiential activations, and fabricated environments. This role serves as the central point of accountability for drawing standards, drafting workflows, file management, and quality control, ensuring that all technical drawings are accurate, consistent, and ready for production coordination and on-site integration. The Drafting Manager leads and develops an internal drafting team while managing supplemental external drafting resources, and works hands‑on to produce and oversee complex drawing packages. This role is critical to translating creative intent and technical design into build‑ready documentation at every stage of production.

Job Responsibilities:

• Own drafting standards, templates, layer conventions, and documentation best practices across all Salt projects
• Ensure all drawings meet internal quality, accuracy, and version‑control requirements
• Review and approve venue and master drawing files prior to release to Production and Creative teams
• Establish clear drafting scopes and deliverable expectations for each project
• Serve as the central coordination point for all drafting requests across Technical Production and Fabrication teams
• Lead and facilitate project‑level Drafting Kick‑Off meetings to align scope, standards, handoff procedures, cadence, and expectations
• Prioritize drafting requests based on project timelines and production needs
• Manage drafting schedules and ensure alignment with production milestones
• Enforce drafting processes and timelines, including holding stakeholders accountable to required inputs
• Lead, manage, and develop the internal drafting team including Senior Drafters and Drafters
• Provide clear direction, feedback, and professional development support to direct reports
• Manage supplemental freelance and external drafting resources as needed to support capacity spikes or specialized requirements
• Assign drafting work across internal and external resources with clear scopes, deadlines, and quality expectations
• Forecast drafting workload, flag capacity risks early, and determine when additional resources are required
• In collaboration with Technical Directors and the Fabrication lead, ensure drawings accurately reflect staging, rigging, AV, power, automation, and fabrication integration
• Receive and ingest as-built documentation from scenic shops and vendors into Vectorworks, ensuring drawings accurately reflect fabricated and installed conditions
• Coordinate drawing updates and revisions as projects evolve
• Support venue reviews, site surveys, and feasibility assessments through accurate documentation
• Execute and oversee file conversions from SketchUp, Rhino (.3dm), AutoCAD, OBJ, Matterport, and LiDAR scan data into Vectorworks
• Validate scale, accuracy, and alignment when converting third‑party files
• Maintain clean, organized, and accessible drawing file structures and a centralized drafting archive
• Partner with Project Leads and Production leadership to align drafting resources with approved project budgets and monitor drafting spend throughout the project lifecycle
• Proactively flag risks, conflicts, and missing information to the appropriate Technical Director or Production lead
• Identify opportunities to improve drafting efficiency, clarity, and turnaround time
• Stay current on Vectorworks updates, drafting tools, and industry best practices
• Produce drafting deliverables directly on complex, high‑priority, or time‑sensitive projects

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in technical drafting for live events, experiential, or fabrication environments
• Expert‑level proficiency in Vectorworks (required)
• Strong understanding of technical drawings for live events, staging, rigging, AV, and fabrication
• Ability to read, review, and QA technical drawings across multiple disciplines
• Experience managing or mentoring drafting staff or teams
• Experience working with complex, multi‑vendor technical environments
• Proven experience managing drafting workflows and multiple concurrent projects
• Strong understanding of live event production and fabrication processes
• Experience working with third‑party file formats and scan data (SketchUp, Rhino, AutoCAD, OBJ, Matterport, LiDAR)
• Ability to enforce process while maintaining collaborative relationships
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Proficient in Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• Availability for in‑person collaboration as required

Salt Core Values + You

• Redefine the Rules: Creative and production fighting like cats and dogs? Not here. We bring creative and production together from the start because a great idea is only as good as how it’s brought to life. For us, logistics and aesthetics go hand in hand. We’re all about delivering experiences that go beyond the ask.
• In Search Of: Tackling challenges is our favorite pastime. Obstacles? We call them plot twists. We are creative thinkers and problem‑solvers who always find a way forward with curiosity and determination. Our focus is exceeding expectations, turning client asks into an opportunity to deliver something unexpectedly brilliant.
• Expect More, Get More: We hold ourselves to higher standards than anyone else, always looking for ways to elevate each project. We don’t stop at simply checking all the boxes; we push until time runs out. That extra 10% is where we surpass the competition, delivering results beyond what our clients could imagine—or even think to ask for.
• Compassion is Culture: We are powered by extraordinary humans, and we’re dedicated to cultivating an environment where company success is tied to team success. We combat burnout with inspiration, motivation, and genuine support. Without fun, work sucks.

You Are:

• You are the technical authority who owns drafting standards, workflows, and quality control — ensuring every drawing is accurate, consistent, and ready for production coordination and on‑site integration.
• You are a people‑first leader who develops and supports an internal drafting team while managing external resources to keep production moving at any scale.
• You are a hands‑on drafting leader who drives process improvement and resource efficiency across the department, ensuring every project is documented with precision from start to finish.