AMERICAN SYSTEMS is an employee-owned federal government contractor supporting national priority programs through our strategic solutions in the areas of Information Technology, Test & Evaluation, Program Mission Support, Engineering & Analysis, and Training.
The Mechanical Designer/Drafter II position supports mechanical design and drafting efforts for United States Navy submarine programs and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV)s. The Mechanical Designer/Drafter II develops and updates technical drawings and models, conducts ship checks, and assists with shipboard installation and mechanical design documentation in accordance with Navy, DoW, and company standards.
Responsibilities- Conduct ship checks on United States Navy submarines to collect field data and verify existing configurations.
- Research submarine construction using ship construction drawings, specifications, and technical documentation.
- Collaborate directly with Mechanical Engineers to create 3D solid models supporting optimization of mechanical designs for shipboard installations.
- Develop 2D mechanical component and assembly-level drawings in accordance with applicable standards.
- Develop, update, and maintain Lists of Material (LOM).
- Support senior Mechanical Designer/Drafter personnel with development of shipboard installation and arrangement drawings.
- Apply mechanical drafting principles and engineering concepts to support design solutions.
- Implement Standard Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) practices in accordance with ASME Y14.5 standards.
- Perform self-checks of drawings and models to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance prior to submittal.
- Participate in internal design reviews and incorporate review comments into assigned drawings.
- Maintain organized electronic design files and adhere to configuration management and document control processes.
- Communicate effectively with engineers, designers, and program team members to clarify design intent and task requirements.
- Track assigned tasks, meet schedule-driven deliverables, and provide status updates to senior design staff or project leaders.
- Follow company quality management system (QMS) procedures and support continuous improvement efforts.
- Comply with all safety, security, export control, and confidentiality requirements when working in office, shipyard, and onboard environments.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of War (DoW) Secret Clearance.
- U.S. Citizenship is required for the purpose of obtaining and holding a U.S. security clearance.
- High School Diploma or GED, plus a Computer-Aided Design/Drafting Certificate.
- 2 years minimum of business-related experience in one or more of the following:
- Creating 2D drawings using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software
- Creating 3D drawings using solid modeling design software
- Developed understanding of mechanical drafting principles, manufacturing processes, and drawing conventions.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering sketches, specifications, and technical drawings.
- Experience with Autodesk AutoCAD® and Autodesk Inventor® is desired but not required. SOLIDWORKS® experience is acceptable.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.
- Experience using Adobe PDF tools.
- Physically capable of conducting ship checks aboard United States Navy submarines.
- Comfortable working in confined spaces.
- Ability to climb vertical ladders ranging from 20 to 25 feet unassisted.
- Work may be performed in office, shipyard, and onboard submarine environments.
- May require travel to Navy facilities and shipyards.
Skills Required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of War Secret Clearance
- U.S. Citizenship for obtaining and holding a security clearance
- High school diploma or GED
- Computer-Aided Design/Drafting Certificate
- At least 2 years of business-related experience creating 2D CAD drawings or 3D solid models
- Understanding of mechanical drafting principles, manufacturing processes, and drawing conventions
- Ability to read and interpret engineering sketches, specifications, and technical drawings
- Experience with Autodesk AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor
- SOLIDWORKS experience
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint
- Experience using Adobe PDF tools
- Physical ability to conduct ship checks aboard U.S. Navy submarines
- Ability to work in confined spaces
- Ability to climb 20- to 25-foot vertical ladders unassisted
What We Do
AMERICAN SYSTEMS is an employee-owned government services contractor that delivers professional, technical, information technology, engineering, analysis, testing, evaluation, and training solutions for complex national-priority programs. Based in McLean, Virginia, the company supports federal customers—particularly defense and other Department of Defense missions—with mission-essential and information engineering, digital engineering, systems integration, cybersecurity, cloud, data, and lifecycle IT services across critical public-sector environments.
