Electrical Controls Drafter (AutoCAD / SolidWorks)
Somewhere
🇿🇦 Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants
This fully remote full time position at Somewhere is open to applicants from South Africa. The estimated monthly salary is R37,000 – R46,250 ZAR. This role is suited for mid-level professionals. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.
Job Description
Electrical Controls Drafter (AutoCAD / SolidWorks)
Remote CAD specialist supporting a U.S. controls engineering team
Location:Remote — (U.S. business-hours overlap required)
Employment Type:Full-time
Department:Engineering / Drafting
Reports To:Lead Electrical Design Engineer
ABOUT THE COMPANY
We are a rapidly growing U.S.-based control systems integrator specializing in industrial automation, with more than three decades of experience delivering turnkey control solutions. Recognized among the fastest-growing companies in our market, we design and build systems across pharmaceutical (cGMP), food and beverage, automotive, water and wastewater, and warehouse distribution industries.
Our work spans the full project lifecycle: electrical panel design and fabrication, PLC / HMI / SCADA programming, data historization and reporting, on-site commissioning, validation, and remote support. We are a Rockwell Automation and Inductive Automation (Ignition) partner, and we favor proven, commercial off-the-shelf technology over proprietary tooling so the systems we deliver are easy to use and maintain.
Demand for our services has outpaced our capacity to hire locally. This role is part of a deliberate strategy to build a high-caliber remote engineering bench in Latin America that works alongside our U.S. team on real, ongoing project work.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Today, every one of our engineers produces their own CAD work. That is expensive in software licensing and, more importantly, it pulls senior engineers away from the design work only they can do. We are creating a dedicated drafting function to fix that.
As our Electrical Controls Drafter, you will be the single owner of drawing production. Engineers and designers will hand you marked-up drawing packages; you will turn those markups into clean, accurate, revision-controlled deliverables. This is a production-focused role built for someone who takes pride in speed, precision, and consistency, and who wants to become the person the whole engineering team relies on to get drawings out the door.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Electrical Drafting & Documentation
* Update and modify existing electrical drawing packages from engineer and designer markups.
* Produce control panel layouts, electrical schematics, and wiring / interconnect diagrams.
* Maintain revision control, title blocks, and drawing standards across all packages.
Bills of Materials & Schedules
* Generate and maintain bills of materials (BOMs), panel component schedules, and wire / terminal schedules.
* Cross-check drawings and BOMs for completeness and internal consistency before release.
Mechanical Drafting (SolidWorks)
* Develop enclosure and panel layouts, backplate arrangements, cutouts, and fabrication drawings.
* Create and modify 3D models and associated 2D detail drawings as needed.
Standards & Collaboration
* Maintain reusable drawing libraries, symbols, and templates to speed future work.
* Turn revisions around quickly and communicate clearly with a distributed U.S. team, largely asynchronously.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
* 3+ years of electrical or controls drafting experience.
* Proficiency in SolidWorks (mechanical layouts and detailing).
* Proficiency in 2D AutoCAD.
* Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, panel layouts, and wiring diagrams.
* Experience producing and maintaining BOMs and drawing packages.
* Strong written English and reliable, self-directed remote work habits.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
* Experience drafting industrial control panels for a systems integrator, OEM, or panel shop.
* Familiarity with UL 508A panel layout conventions (our team owns code compliance — this is a plus, not a requirement).
* Exposure to AutoCAD Electrical, SolidWorks Electrical, or EPLAN.
* Experience supporting a multi-engineer team as a shared drafting resource.
YOU ARE
* Meticulous —you catch the missing wire number or mismatched BOM line before anyone else does.
* Fast and consistent —you produce clean, standardized drawings at volume without sacrificing accuracy.
* Markup-driven —you take an engineer's redlines and run, asking sharp questions only when it matters.
* Self-managing —you keep your queue moving without being chased, and you flag blockers early.
Tips for South African Applicants
Timezone Advantage
South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.
Salary in Context
At R37,000/month, this role is competitive with the average South African remote salary. The USD equivalent ($2,000/mo) benefits from the favourable exchange rate.
Application Tips
Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.
Load Shedding Preparedness
If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.
About Somewhere
Somewhere is a company in the Recruitment & Staffing industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 828 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs →