Principal CAD Designer

altentechnologyusa; Westminster (CO); On-site; USD 97,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking a Principal CAD Designer to lead advanced CAD drafting and design efforts across the product development lifecycle. You will generate and maintain 3D models, assemblies, and drawings using SolidWorks while ensuring GD&T compliance and documentation accuracy.

You will collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams, manage BOMs and PDM workflows, process ECOs/ECRs, and mentor junior designers to raise CAD quality and efficiency.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive CAD design and drafting experience in manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, or product development.
• Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks (part modeling, assemblies, and engineering drawings).
• Strong GD&T knowledge and drafting standards.
• Proficiency with DraftSight, Lucidchart, Draw.io, or similar tools.
• Experience with Jira or equivalent workflow tools.
• Exposure to ERP/PLM systems (e.g., SAP, Windchill, ENOVIA).

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 procedures.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and program teams.
• Manage CAD files, BOMs, and documentation in PDM systems.
• Prepare ECOs/ECRs and maintain configuration control.
• Mentor junior designers and drive CAD process improvements.

Skills

7+ years CAD design experience

GD&T knowledge

Attention to detail

Mentorship

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Associate degree or technical certification in Drafting, Design Technology, Mechanical Design, Engineering Technology

Tools

SolidWorks

DraftSight

Lucidchart

Draw.io

Jira

ERP/PLM systems (SAP, Windchill, ENOVIA)

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