Solar Design and Drafting Specialist

Cal Solar•Grass Valley, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This role is focused on increasing our design capacity and improving front-end project quality. You will primarily be responsible for drafting solar and storage systems, managing outsourced design work, and supporting the technical review process to ensure projects are accurate and ready for installation. Over time, this role can expand into site validation, quality control, and client-facing energy education, depending on your strengths and interests. At Cal-Solar, we design systems that are meant to work in the real world… not just on paper. This role helps ensure what we design is what gets built, cleanly and efficiently. This role can expand over time into front-end quality control ownership, deeper system design and engineering involvement, client-facing energy education and support, and participation in community education efforts like Sunlight to Socket.

Requirements

Strong attention to detail and technical curiosity
Experience with CAD or solar design tools
Ability to review work critically and catch inconsistencies
Clear communication when coordinating with internal and external teams
Comfort working both independently and collaboratively

Responsibilities

Create and revise solar and storage plan sets using CAD and design tools
Translate proposals and system layouts into permit-ready documentation
Maintain accuracy across electrical layouts, equipment placement, and system configuration
Ensure plan sets align with Cal-Solar standards and AHJ requirements
Act as the internal point of contact for external drafting support
Manage drafting requests with partners like Greenlancer and Aurora
Review returned plan sets for accuracy, completeness, and constructability
Provide clear redlines and feedback to improve consistency and reduce rework
Track turnaround times and help improve overall design throughput
Support the Technical Operations Director and the team in tightening up front-end quality
Review projects for missing information or potential issues before install
Help identify risks that could lead to change orders or delays
Ensure designs reflect real site conditions as accurately as possible
Support validation of designs when required
Assist with site surveys to gather measurements, photos, and field data
Confirm shading, electrical, and structural conditions
Bridge gaps between design assumptions and field reality