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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is developing technologies to enable human life on Mars, and the Propulsion Components team is focused on creating advanced spacecraft and launch vehicle components. The Propulsion Technician will work on hardware build and test for Starship and Super Heavy Booster propulsion systems.

Responsibilities

  • Deliver high-quality components for Starship and Super Heavy using laser welding and participate in mechanical assembly and pressure testing.
  • Collaborate with engineering and leadership to achieve component delivery rates reliably.
  • Maintain a safe and professional work area and recommend changes to eliminate safety hazards.
  • Set standards for efficiency and utilization across a variety of products and communicate daily work completion.
  • Troubleshoot failure modes and collaborate with engineering to solve technical problems.
  • Grow skillset and expertise while training peers in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 1+ years of experience in fabrication, manufacturing/assembly, or testing role.
  • Experience in weld preparation.
  • Trained in assembly or testing of propulsion, aviation, or automotive hardware.
  • A&P license.
  • Lean manufacturing (5S) knowledge and experience.
  • High attention to detail for safety and accuracy.
  • Experience with pressure/temperature/flow measurement devices and mechanical/pneumatic systems.
  • 3+ years of aerospace component testing experience.
  • Strong mathematical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
  • Basic computer experience.
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills with engineering and production teams.
  • Experience working autonomously or as part of a team to achieve production goals.
  • High pressure testing knowledge.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Must be able to work 1st shift hours (5:00 AM - 3:30 PM), overtime, and weekends as needed.
  • Able to lift at least 30 lbs. unassisted.

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–$58/hr across 40 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 5% 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 40 other active welding openings in Hawthorne, CA right now, from 6 different employers. 16 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 Hawthorne, or widen the search to California.

SpaceX currently has 33 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 (33), 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 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. Propulsion Technician (Starship) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.