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Job Description

Overview

At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to meet today's needs and tomorrow's breakthroughs. The Senior Materials Characterization Technician will play a crucial role in developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes for the Terran R vehicle, contributing to innovation and execution in aerospace manufacturing.

Responsibilities

  • Set up and operate CNC mills and lathes, performing first article inspections including programming, setups, dry runs, and program edits for accuracy.
  • Program and edit G-code and utilize CAD/CAM software to create, modify, and refine CNC programs.
  • Design and build custom fixturing to support machining operations and follow established setup sheets.
  • Inspect finished parts and verify dimensions using precision measuring instruments to ensure compliance with engineering specifications.
  • Maintain, troubleshoot, and calibrate machining equipment, communicating effectively with engineering teams.
  • Develop and enforce standardized workflows for machine shop operations, including shift hand-offs and documentation.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of hands-on experience setting up and operating CNC mills and lathes.
  • Proven ability to perform first article inspections, including programming and editing programs for accuracy.
  • Ability to design and build custom fixturing and follow setup sheets for fixtures, tooling, and inserts.
  • Working knowledge of G-code programming, with the ability to read, understand, and edit existing programs.
  • Proficiency with common inspection tools to inspect parts and verify dimensions against engineering drawings.
  • Ability to adapt in fast-paced environments and interpret engineering drawings and technical specifications.

Benefits

  • PTO

Additional Information

  • This is a second-shift position with a standard schedule of Monday through Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. PT.

Benefits

PTO
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How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $39/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $43/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA, whose middle half runs $31–$59/hr across 42 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 43% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. In other words it is a market-rate offer, so benefits, overtime, and shift schedule are where the real difference between this and the next posting on the list shows up.

The local market in Long Beach, CA

We're tracking 47 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 18 different employers. 15 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 650 other active welding openings from 315 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Long Beach, or widen the search to California.

Relativity Space currently has 10 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 (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 $43/hr. Long Beach is among them.

Similar openings near Long Beach, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Senior Materials Characterization Technician, Machine Shop, Second Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.