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Job Description

Overview

We are a stealth-mode Aerospace & Defense startup headquartered in Gardena, CA, with a founding team from SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin. As an R&D technician, you will be at the forefront of our critical operations in a fast-paced, innovative environment, taking ownership of prototyping, machining, assembly, testing, and fabrication operations.

Responsibilities

  • Work closely with engineering to fabricate prototypes and operate systems while ensuring adherence to specifications and quality standards.
  • Collaborate with engineering to improve designs through rapid iteration.
  • Participate in design reviews, providing input on manufacturability and design improvements.
  • Spec, source, and commission equipment, research best practices, coordinate resources, and report project status.
  • Support critical system testing and validation efforts, ensuring products meet performance requirements.
  • Build, lead, and mentor a team of technicians, fostering a culture of technical excellence.
  • Develop and document best practices for machining, fabrication, assembly, and quality inspection.
  • Identify and resolve technical challenges, implementing corrective actions.
  • Train and upskill technicians on new processes and industry best practices.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.
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How this job compares in Gardena, CA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs across California currently run a median of $34/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $27–$43/hr across 499 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in Gardena, CA

Gardena, CA currently has 5 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 4 employers. 2 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 650 other active welding openings from 315 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Gardena, or widen the search to California.

Stealth Mode currently has 1 other opening live in California, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (34), Honeywell Aerospace (16), and Aerotek (13). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Santa Ana at $53/hr, Redondo Beach at $51/hr, and Long Beach at $42/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Gardena, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. R&D Technician figures were last recalculated when this page was built.