What Is the Drafting Manager

The Drafting Manager is responsible for owning and coordinating all technical drafting efforts across live events, experiential activations, and fabricated environments. This role serves as the central point of accountability for drawing standards, drafting workflows, file management, and quality control—ensuring that all technical drawings are accurate, consistent, and aligned with production, fabrication, and installation requirements.

This is a hands-on management role that blends technical drafting expertise with process ownership. The Drafting Manager works closely with Technical Directors, Senior Technical Directors, Fabrication Producers, and external vendors, while managing internal drafting workflows and freelance drafting resources. This role is critical to translating creative intent and technical design into build-ready documentation.

Roles & Responsibilities

Drafting Leadership & Standards

Own drafting standards, templates, layer conventions, and documentation best practices
Ensure all drawings meet internal quality, accuracy, and version-control requirements
Review and approve venue and master drawing files prior to release to Production and Creative teams
Establish clear drafting scopes and deliverable expectations for each project

Workflow & Process Management

Serve as the central coordination point for drafting requests in collaboration with Technical Directors and Production team leads across technical production and fabrication teams
Lead and facilitate project-level Drafting Kick-Off (KO) meetings to align scope, drafting standards, handoff procedures, cadence, and expectations with Technical Production, Fabrication, and Production teams
Prioritize drafting requests based on project timelines and production needs
Manage drafting schedules and ensure alignment with production milestones
Enforce drafting processes and timelines, including holding stakeholders accountable to required inputs

Technical Coordination

Collaborate with Technical Directors and fabrication teams to translate designs into executable drawings
Ensure drawings accurately reflect staging, rigging, AV, power, automation, and fabrication integration
Coordinate drawing updates and revisions as projects evolve
Support venue reviews, site surveys, and feasibility assessments through accurate documentation

File Conversion & Technical Accuracy

Execute and oversee file conversions from SketchUp, Rhino (.3dm), AutoCAD, OBJ, Matterport, and LiDAR scan data
Validate scale, accuracy, and alignment when converting third-party files into Vectorworks
Maintain clean, organized, and accessible drawing file structures

Resource & Vendor Management

Manage freelance drafting resources and external drafting partners
Assign drafting work and provide clear scopes, deadlines, and feedback
Maintain a roster of trusted drafting vendors and freelancers
Coordinate with production leadership on resourcing needs and capacity planning
Partner with Project Leads and Production leadership to align drafting resources with approved project budgets and monitor drafting spend throughout the project lifecycle

Documentation & Continuous Improvement

Maintain a centralized drafting archive and documentation system
Identify opportunities to improve drafting efficiency, clarity, and turnaround time
Stay current on Vectorworks updates, drafting tools, and industry best practices

Requirements

6+ years of experience in technical drafting for live events, experiential, or fabrication environments
Expert-level proficiency in Vectorworks (required)
Strong understanding of technical drawings for live events, staging, rigging, AV, and fabrication
Ability to read, review, and QA technical drawings across multiple disciplines
Experience working with complex, multi-vendor technical environments
Proven experience managing drafting workflows and multiple concurrent projects
Strong understanding of live event production and fabrication processes
Experience working with third-party file formats and scan data (SketchUp, Rhino, AutoCAD, OBJ, Matterport, LiDAR)
Excellent organizational and communication skills
Ability to enforce process while maintaining collaborative relationships
Proficient in Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Availability for in-person collaboration as required

Salt Core Values + You

Redefine the Rules: Creative and production fighting like cats and dogs? Not here. We bring creative and production together from the start because a great idea is only as good as how it’s brought to life. For us, logistics and aesthetics go hand in hand. We’re all about delivering experiences that go beyond the ask.
In Search Of: Tackling challenges is our favorite pastime. Obstacles? We call them plot twists. We are creative thinkers and problem-solvers who always find a way forward with curiosity and determination. Our focus is exceeding expectations, turning client asks into an opportunity to deliver something unexpectedly brilliant.
Expect More, Get More: We hold ourselves to higher standards than anyone else, always looking for ways to elevate each project. We don’t stop at simply checking all the boxes; we push until time runs out. That extra 10% is where we surpass the competition, delivering results beyond what our clients could imagine—or even think to ask for.
Compassion is Culture: We are powered by extraordinary humans, and we’re dedicated to cultivating an environment where company success is tied to team success. We combat burnout with inspiration, motivation, and genuine support. Without fun, work sucks

You Are:

You are the technical authority who owns drafting standards, workflows, and quality control—ensuring every drawing is accurate, consistent, and build-ready.
You are the central coordinator who aligns Technical Directors, Production, Fabrication teams, and freelance resources to deliver documentation on time and to spec.

You are a hands-on drafting leader who translates creative and technical design into executable drawings, while driving process improvement and resource efficiency.

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