Technician II​/III: Drafter and CAD specialist

Posting Title Technician II/III:
Drafter and CAD specialist.

LocationCO - Golden.

Position Type Regular.

Hours Per Week
40.Working at NLRNLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.

Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions.

Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Job Description The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is seeking an experienced Design Drafter and CAD Specialist to create, revise, maintain, and control technical drawing files supporting research operations. In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders—including engineers, technicians, and project managers—to ensure research equipment is accurately designed, approved, fabricated, installed, and maintained. Your work will span a diverse range of projects, from high-level facility layouts to component-level detail drawings.

This position requires strong technical drafting knowledge alongside advanced CAD proficiency. The successful candidate will produce accurate, organized, and reusable drawings. Effective documentation will support ongoing design, maintenance, troubleshooting, and project planning efforts. Maintaining organized files will enable long-term record documentation and utilization.

This position is based in Golden Colorado at the South Table Mountain Campus. The successful candidate will be expected to work primarily on site.

Primary Responsibilities Drawing Creation & Revision:
Develop and update detailed 2D drawings and 3D models using AutoCAD and Solid Works from field measurements, redlines, sketches, vendor data, and physical photographs.

Facility & Equipment Documentation:
Maintain comprehensive drawings of facility layouts, architectural backgrounds, equipment arrangements, and process systems.

Architectural Drafting:
Apply core architectural drafting principles to existing facility conditions to develop floor plans, elevations, and section views. Detail drawings to include equipment dimensions, and appropriate clearances to assist in planning efforts.

Process Piping Diagrams:
Create and maintain internal schematics documenting compressed gas lines, flow paths, valves, regulators, instrumentation, and other components(internal P&s).Mechanical design:
Design 3D models, fully dimensioned 2D drawings for fabrication, and develop bills of materials (BOMs) from assemblies. Examples would include simple bracket development, custom in vacuum hardware or fixtures, and full compressed gas panel BOMs.CAD File Management Standards:
Maintain drawings as structured technical documents utilizing disciplined layer control, XREFs, blocks, viewports, and strict file-naming conventions. Adhere to use of Model Space for physical design geometry and Paper Space for sheet layouts, annotations, and plotting documentation.

Data Integrity:
Support record drawing control by preserving historic files, separating active project work from master files, and incorporating approved revisions into the record set.

Field Verification:
Work within laboratories to review drawings against physical field conditions to identify and correct discrepancies.

Stakeholder Communication:
Collaborate with engineers, technicians, and maintenance…