Draftsman Job Description

What does a Draftsman do?

Civil Drafters, more commonly known as a Draftsman or CAD Operator, prepares technical drawings and topographical relief maps used in various civil engineering projects such as roadways, bridges, structures, pipelines, water and sewage control systems, and more. Drafters can specialize in architectural, civil, electrical, or mechanical drafting. 

Duties and Tasks: 

• Create drawings manually or through computer-aided drafting systems 
• Draw diagrams, profiles, cross-sections, maps, surveys, and others technical drawings to represent elevations, topographical contours, subsurface formations, structures, and more 
• Draft plans and detailed drawings used for structures, installations, or other construction projects 
• Review and revise rough sketches, drawings, designs, specifications, and other relevant data given by civil engineers to ensure that they apply and conform to design concepts 
• Assist during surveying of proposed projects and plot/encode survey data using CAD software 
• Specify materials and procedures to be used 

Technical Skills: 

• Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Software - Autodesk AutoCAD, Civil 3D, SketchUP, etc 
• Technical Drawing/shop drawing 
• Blueprint creation 
• Diagrammatic skills 
• Skilled in mathematics and physics 

Other Skills/Requirements: 

• Critical thinking skills – good at spotting problems with plans and designs and coming up with solutions 
• Detail-oriented – able to carefully pay close attention to details in plans they are building or creating, to ensure they are technically accurate to the outlined specifications 
• Systems analysis – determining how a system should work 

Additional Information: 

Eligibility for work in Government - Draftsman (CSC MC NO. 10, S. 2013-Cat II) 

Other Specializations/Sub Disciplines for a Civil Engineer: 

• Civil Drafters
• Coastal Engineer 
• Environmental Engineer 
• Geotechnical Engineer 
• Materials Engineer  
• Structural Engineer 
• Surveying Engineer (Surveyor)
• Transportation Engineer 
• Water Resource Engineer