An offshore structural drafter produces and revises the drawings your engineers design: general arrangements, framing plans, sections, connection details and reinforcement drawings, in AutoCAD, Revit or Tekla, to your templates and Australian drawing conventions. They work your business hours from our Manila delivery centre, inside your systems, as part of your drafting team. Australian firms typically save between 50% and 75% against an equivalent local hire. The role suits engineering practices and builders whose engineers are spending design time on drafting.
Core Responsibilities
Structural drawings from engineer markups and sketches.
Framing plans, sections and elevations.
Connection and reinforcement detailing.
Revisions and drawing register updates.
3D models in Revit or Tekla where your workflow uses them.
Coordination drawings with architectural and services consultants.
Shop drawing checks against design drawings.
Drawing sets prepared for issue and certification.
Skills and Background
Software. Experienced in AutoCAD, Revit and Tekla Structures, and comfortable working in your templates.
Australian conventions. Familiar with the drawing conventions and the Australian Standards your engineers design to, including concrete, steel and loading standards.
Detailing judgement. Understands how connections and reinforcement are built, not just how they are drawn.
Revision discipline.. Clean registers and clear revision clouds, so nothing goes out of sync on site.
Communication.. Asks the engineer when a markup is ambiguous instead of guessing.
Why This Role Works Offshore
Drafting is screen work.
Engineers should be engineering.
The time zones work.
Continuity matters on projects.
When It Is Not The Right Fit
A structural drafter draws the design. Design decisions, calculations and certification stay with your registered engineer, including RPEQ certification in Queensland. If you need site measurement, inspections or someone on site, that is a local role. And if your templates and standards are not written down anywhere, expect the first month to go into capturing them, which is worth doing for your local team as well.
Tools We Use
AutoCAD
Revit
Tekla Structures
Bluebeam
Aconex
Microsoft 365
From first call to first day in four steps.
Tell us what you need
We source and vet
You interview and choose
We onboard and support
Start Building Your Team!
Frequent Inquiries
Do offshore drafters work to Australian Standards?
The drafters we place for Australian firms have produced drawings for Australian projects and work to Australian conventions and standards. Your engineer remains responsible for the design and its compliance, and every set is checked and issued under your firm’s name, as it would be with a local drafter.
Which software do they use?
AutoCAD, Revit and Tekla are the most common. Your drafter works in your licences and your templates, so the output is indistinguishable from your local team’s.
How do markups and revisions flow?
Usually through the tools you already use, Bluebeam markups, a shared drive or your document control system. Most firms settle into a same day turnaround because Manila overlaps with Australian business hours.
What about intellectual property and project files?
Files stay in your systems and access is granted and revoked by you. Your drafter is employed by Staff X under terms that include confidentiality obligations and works on company equipment with security tooling in place.
How quickly can we have someone started?
Typically 5 to 15 days from the brief to a hire. We source and vet, including a practical drafting test where it helps, you interview and choose, and we handle onboarding and equipment.