Drafter Lead-

Position Overview

The Drafter Lead works hand in hand with the Engineering Manager to operate the drafting department. The Lead is the department's first line of technical authority and quality checks, owning drawing accuracy, drafting standards, and technical guidance to the team, while the Engineering Manager holds scheduling, workload assignment, budget, and personnel. The two operate with shared visibility and constant communication across responsibilities, and the Lead is the first point of resolution for technical questions from both the drafting team and project management and then escalates from there as necessary.

Key Responsibilities

• Review all shop drawings and fabrication documents produced by the team for technical accuracy, completeness, and code compliance before submission.
• Execute the daily drafting plan set with the Engineering Manager, keeping work moving against committed dates and flagging conflicts early.
• Serve as the first point of resolution for technical questions from the drafting team and project management, escalating decisions that carry budget, personnel, or cross-department implications.
• Partner daily with the Engineering Manager on department operations, maintaining shared visibility on schedule, workload, and project risk.
• Produce complex shop drawings for glass and glazing projects including curtain wall, storefront, and specialty glazing systems.
• Serve as the primary technical resource for drafting team members, answering questions and providing guidance on glazing systems and drawing standards.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level drafters, providing training, feedback, and performance coaching.
• Coordinate with project managers to understand project schedules, submittal requirements, and any changes to scope or design.
• Collaborate with fabrication and installation teams to resolve drawing questions, field conflicts, and material specification issues.
• Maintain and enforce drafting standards, file naming conventions, and drawing revision protocols across the team.
• Track drawing submittal status and approval timelines, escalating potential delays to the Engineering Manager and keeping project managers informed of drawing status.
• Support drafters when project managers pressure committed dates, and escalate schedule changes to the Engineering Manager rather than conceding them.
• Maintain daily discipline updating project records and milestone dates in the drafting team's tracking system, and manage all project manager communication and requests through the department's ticket system.
• Coordinate with outsourced drafting partners on overflow or specialized drawing packages and solicit engineering quotes as needed to support project schedules.
• Participate in project kickoff meetings and preconstruction coordination to align drawing production with project schedules.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to drafting workflows, software tools, and documentation practices.
• Provide the Engineering Manager with current status on progress, risk, and available capacity so scheduling and assignment decisions are made on accurate information.