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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is focused on developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. The Friction Stir Welding Technician will operate large machines for welding on launch vehicles and perform maintenance and precision tasks.

Responsibilities

  • Set up and operate large, motion-controlled machines to create friction stir welds on launch vehicles
  • Perform precision blending using hand tools to prepare metallic surfaces for welding and non-destructive evaluation
  • Perform periodic maintenance on machines with complex pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical systems
  • Accurately use precision measuring tools such as micrometers, calipers, and torque wrenches
  • Assist with area projects to improve safety, quality, and delivery

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate
  • 1+ years of experience with machining, welding, or metal fabrication
  • 3+ years of industry experience in machining, welding, or metal fabrication (preferred)
  • Experience in a manufacturing or production environment in the aerospace industry (preferred)
  • Ability to interpret electronic work instructions, process specifications, and technical drawings (preferred)
  • Ability to perform basic shop math (such as geometry and trigonometry) (preferred)
  • Experience with PLC troubleshooting, HMIs, and NC programming (preferred)
  • Experience with surface and sub-surface NDE methodologies (such as dye penetrant inspection or ultrasonic inspection) (preferred)
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills (preferred)

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Must be able to work the following shifts: Monday to Friday, 5:00AM - 3:30PM and Friday to Monday, 4:30AM - 4:30PM
  • Must be open to work overtime and weekends as needed
  • This is a hands-on position that may require standing for up to 4 hours a day and working directly with hardware on the floor
  • Must be able to lift at least 25 lbs. unassisted
  • Must be comfortable stooping, bending, standing, climbing ladders, or working in tight spaces
  • Must be willing to work all shifts, overtime, and weekends as required

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. None of them were added in the last week, so this is a slower-moving market. 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.

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. Friction Stir Welding Technician (Falcon) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.