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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. The TIG Welder (Starship) - Level 4/5 position involves welding, assembling, and fabricating various components for fluid systems.

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, for the purpose of ensuring 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
  • 5+ years of experience with TIG welding
  • 7+ years of experience in welding with one or more of the following materials: stainless steel, carbon steel, Inconel, aluminum or titanium
  • 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
  • AWS D17.1 and D1.2 certification
  • Experience with overhead cranes and forklifts

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Must be willing to work all shifts, overtime, and/or weekends as needed
  • Able to lift a min. of 25 lbs. unassisted
  • Able to stand for extended periods – 8 hours min
  • Able to stoop, bend, crawl, and 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 $44/hr, this posting sits about 40% above the $31/hr median for TIG welder jobs in Hawthorne, CA — toward the top of a $31–$31/hr middle band drawn from 8 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 100% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Hawthorne, CA

We're tracking 40 other active welding openings in Hawthorne, CA right now, from 5 different employers. 15 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 596 other active welding openings from 294 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), Aerotek (16), 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 Redondo Beach at $65/hr, Santa Ana at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $45/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

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 (Starship) - Level 4/5 figures were last recalculated when this page was built.