Principal CAD Designer

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At Cesium Astro
, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, Cesium Astro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Principal CAD Designer to our team. If you are great at what you do, enjoy working in a startup environment, and are passionate about developing leading-edge hardware for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

In this position, you will be responsible for providing advanced CAD design and drafting support throughout the product development lifecycle. This role develops, modifies, and maintains detailed 3D models, engineering drawings, and technical documentation while ensuring accuracy, configuration control, and compliance with engineering standards.

The Principal CAD Designer serves as a key technical resource supporting engineering teams through design execution, product data management, engineering change implementation, and continuous improvement of CAD processes and documentation practices. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong technical expertise in Solid Works, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to manage complex design data in a fast-paced development environment.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide advanced CAD drafting and design support throughout the product development lifecycle using Solid Works.
• 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 company 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 as required.
• 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 Solid Works PDM.
• Prepare, process, and incorporate Engineering Change Orders (ECOs/ECRs) into released documentation packages.
• Maintain accurate bill of material (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, 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 implementation related to drawing or documentation errors.
• Support 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 or drafters as needed.
• Support departmental initiatives focused on efficiency, data integrity, and documentation quality.
• Ability to analyze detailed technical drawings and engineering data.
• Ability to work at a computer workstation for extended periods of time.
• Ability to maintain focus and accuracy while managing complex documentation.
• Ability to communicate effectively with…