Principal CAD Designer

Alten Technology USA; Westminster (CO); On-site; USD 97,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA in Westminster, CO seeks a Principal CAD Designer to lead advanced CAD drafting with SolidWorks across the product development lifecycle. You will generate and refine 3D models and drawings, ensure GD&T compliance, and drive documentation quality.

You will collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams, manage CAD files in PDM, and support ECO/ECR processes, BOM accuracy, and change control.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or technical certification in Drafting, Design Technology, Mechanical Design, Engineering Technology, or related field preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive CAD design and drafting experience in manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, or product development.
• Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks, including part modeling, assemblies, and engineering drawing creation.
• Strong understanding of GD&T, mechanical drafting standards, and engineering documentation best practices.
• Proficiency with drafting and diagramming tools such as DraftSight, Lucidchart, Draw.io.
• Experience with Jira or equivalent issue-tracking/workflow tools.
• Experience with engineering change control and configuration management.
• Ability to interpret engineering specifications, manufacturing requirements, and technical documentation.
• Experience creating and managing BOMs and associated hardware documentation.
• Exposure to ERP and PLM systems (SAP, Windchill, ENOVIA).
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organization, and documentation accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced CAD drafting and design support throughout the product development lifecycle using SolidWorks.
• Generate, modify, and maintain detailed 3D models, assemblies, drawings, and documentation.
• Ensure drawings comply with GD&T, standards, and documentation procedures.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams to support design development and product release.
• Support prototype, development, and production design updates.
• Manage and maintain CAD files and BOMs within Product Data Management (PDM) systems; control versions and releases.
• Prepare, process, and implement ECOs and ECRs.
• Maintain accurate BOM structures and hardware configurations.
• Ensure traceability of engineering documentation.
• Review CAD models for manufacturability, accuracy, and compliance.
• Identify design issues and support corrective actions.
• Partner with engineers to resolve drafting/documentation concerns.
• Support root cause analysis for drawing/documentation issues.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement of CAD processes and templates.
• Develop drafting standards and internal design procedures.
• Provide mentorship to junior designers and drafters.
• Support departmental initiatives focused on efficiency and data integrity.

Skills

SolidWorks

GD&T

Drafting standards

BOM management

ERP/PLM

Troubleshooting

Attention to detail

Education

Associate degree in Drafting

Tools

DraftSight

Lucidchart

Draw.io

Jira

Windchill

ENOVIA

SAP

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

As the Principal CAD Designer you will be responsible for;

• Provide advanced CAD drafting and design support throughout the product development lifecycle using SolidWorks.
• Generate, modify, and maintain detailed 3D models, assemblies, engineering drawings, and associated technical documentation.
• Ensure drawings and models comply with engineering standards, drafting practices, GD&T requirements, and documentation procedures.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams to support design development and product release activities.
• Support prototype, development, and production design updates.
• Manage and maintain mechanical CAD files, engineering drawings, and digital design documentation within Product Data Management (PDM) systems.
• Administer file structures, version control, and drawing release processes within SolidWorks PDM.
• Prepare, process, and implement Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and Engineering Change Requests (ECRs).
• Maintain accurate Bill of Materials (BOM) structures and associated hardware configurations.
• Ensure proper configuration control and traceability of engineering documentation.
• Review CAD models and drawings for completeness, manufacturability, accuracy, and compliance with design requirements.
• Identify design issues, drawing discrepancies, and configuration conflicts, and support corrective actions.
• Partner with engineers and cross-functional teams to resolve technical drafting and documentation concerns.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective action efforts related to drawing or documentation issues.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement of CAD processes, templates, libraries, and documentation workflows.
• Assist in developing drafting standards, best practices, and internal design procedures.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior designers and drafters.
• Support departmental initiatives focused on efficiency, data integrity, and documentation quality.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or technical certification in Drafting, Design Technology, Mechanical Design, Engineering Technology, or a related field preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive CAD design and drafting experience in a manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, or product development environment.
• Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks, including part modeling, assemblies, and engineering drawing creation.
• Strong understanding of GD&T, mechanical drafting standards, and engineering documentation best practices.
• Proficiency with drafting and diagramming tools such as DraftSight, Lucidchart, Draw.io, or similar applications.
• Experience with issue tracking and workflow management tools such as Jira or equivalent systems.
• Working knowledge of engineering change control processes and configuration management principles.
• Ability to interpret engineering specifications, manufacturing requirements, and technical documentation.
• Experience creating and managing BOMs and associated hardware documentation.
• Exposure to ERP and PLM systems, including platforms such as SAP, Windchill, ENOVIA, or similar solutions.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organization, and commitment to documentation accuracy.

Salary Range: $97K-$115K

The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience

Note: Due to the nature of the work, only US Persons (citizens or permanent residents) need apply for this position.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

As set forth in ALTEN Technology USA’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

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