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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. The TIG Welder (Merlin) position involves welding, assembling, and fabricating various fluid systems and components.

Responsibilities

  • Weld, assemble and fabricate various fluid systems and various sub-assembly components
  • Use precision calibrated tools – torque wrenches, micrometers, and calipers
  • Perform work according to procedures, specifications, and test instructions
  • Read and interpret technical drawings, and follow detailed work instructions
  • Use various mechanical tools without instruction
  • Perform other related duties, as assigned, to ensure an efficient and effective work environment
  • Operate forklifts, cranes, and heavy equipment
  • Perform blending, filing, and shearing of sheet metal piece parts

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate
  • 1+ years of experience with TIG welding OR certification from an accredited trade skills program
  • 5+ years of experience in welding with one or more of the following materials: stainless steel, carbon steel, Inconel, aluminum or copper
  • Experience with aerospace TIG welding
  • Highly proficient in tube (small and large diameter up to 6”) cutting grinding and fabrication
  • Proficient in blue print reading and lay out
  • Knowledge and experience completing welds that pass visual before being X-rayed or dye penned
  • Certification with AWS D17.1 and D1.2
  • Experience with overhead cranes and forklifts

Benefits

  • 401k
  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Willing to work either 1st shift: (Monday - Friday, 5:00 AM - 3:30 PM) or 2nd shift: (Monday - Friday, 3:30 PM - 2:00 AM); able to work overtime hours and weekends as needed
  • Able to lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted
  • Able to stand for extended periods – 8 hours min
  • Able to stoop, bend, crawl, and being able to maneuver in tight spaces

Benefits

401k
Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
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How this job compares in Hawthorne, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $31/hr, this posting comes in about 15% below the $36/hr median for welding jobs in Hawthorne, CA, where the middle half runs $31–$60/hr across 24 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 0% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Hawthorne, CA

We're tracking 24 other active welding openings in Hawthorne, CA right now, from 4 different employers. 1 of them was added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 399 other active welding openings from 208 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Hawthorne, or widen the search to California.

SpaceX currently has 19 other openings 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 (19), Aerotek (17), and Volt (16). 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 $48/hr, Los Angeles at $38/hr, and Hawthorne at $36/hr. Hawthorne is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds.

See all TIG welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Similar openings near Hawthorne, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. TIG Welder (Merlin) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.