Mechanical Drafter

Actalent; United States; Hybrid; USD 41,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

Health Spending Account (HSA)

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Mechanical Drafter for a contract position based in Poway, CA. The role supports sustainment engineering through drawing updates, documentation control, and administrative drafting tasks in a collaborative environment.

You will work with 2D/3D CAD tools (Creo preferred; NX, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA acceptable) and apply basic trig/algebra to ensure accurate drawings, with hybrid work flexibility after onboarding and a 9/80 schedule.

Qualifications

• High school diploma plus 1+ year of drafting experience.
• Working knowledge of engineering drawing techniques and drafting standards.
• Experience with 2D and 3D CAD software (Creo preferred; NX, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or CATIA acceptable).
• Basic understanding of trigonometry and algebra.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Revise and update engineering drawings.
• Support documentation and change management activities, maintaining accurate records and drawing packages.
• Assist with sustainment engineering paperwork and administrative tasks.

Skills

Drafting experience

Engineering drawing techniques

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

AS degree

Tools

Creo

NX

SolidWorks

AutoCAD

CATIA

Job description

Job Title: Mechanical Drafter

The Drafter 2 position supports sustainment engineering efforts through engineering drawing updates, documentation control, and administrative drafting activities. This role is ideal for a junior drafter looking to develop CAD and engineering documentation skills in a structured environment.

Responsibilities

• Revise and update engineering drawings.
• Support documentation and change management activities, maintaining accurate records and drawing packages.
• Assist with sustainment engineering paperwork and administrative tasks.

Essential Skills

• High school diploma plus 1+ year of drafting experience, or additional education in lieu of experience.
• Working knowledge of engineering drawing techniques and drafting standards.
• Experience with 2D and 3D CAD software (Creo preferred; NX, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or CATIA acceptable).
• Basic understanding of trigonometry and algebra.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and communication skills.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• AS degree with no work experience is acceptable.
• Experience in CAD modeling and mechanical drafting.
• Familiarity with mechanical design and 3D modeling.

Work Environment

This position offers the opportunity to support a leading aerospace and defense organization developing advanced unmanned aircraft systems and next-generation aerospace technology. The role provides strong potential for contract-to-hire conversion and long-term career growth. Work is conducted in a collaborative engineering environment with in-house R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and technical support teams. Hybrid work flexibility is available after onboarding, combined with a 9/80 work schedule that provides every other Friday off. The company is focused on long-term innovation and technology development rather than short-term performance pressures.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Poway, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $35.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your jobclassification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may besubject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefitsavailable for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Poway,CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 19, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.