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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars, and is seeking a Propulsion Technician for the assembly and testing of rocket hardware and sub-assemblies. This dynamic position requires mechanical knowledge, hands-on experience, and the ability to troubleshoot and work autonomously while prioritizing safety and quality.

Responsibilities

  • Clean, prepare, and assemble various main combustion chamber assemblies and sub-assembly pieces for welding or brazing.
  • Perform work according to procedures, specifications, and test instructions.
  • Operate machinery such as roll formers and automated welding machines.
  • Run automated machines for surface preparation or thermal barrier coating applications.
  • Read and interpret technical drawings and follow detailed work instructions.
  • Use precision calibrated tools such as torque wrenches and micrometers.
  • Perform other related duties to ensure an efficient work environment.
  • Operate forklifts, cranes, and heavy equipment.
  • Perform blending, filing, and shearing of sheet metal parts.
  • Clean tools and maintain a professional work area.
  • Stage, install, set-up, test, and de-tool Thrust Chamber Assemblies and subassemblies.
  • Troubleshoot engines and cell systems.
  • Operate test cell instrumentation and computer network systems.
  • Accept or reject test units based on test data and results.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • Experience staging, installing, and removing propulsion engines.
  • A&P license.
  • 2+ years of experience working on aircraft or rocket engines.
  • 5+ years of aerospace engines experience.
  • Knowledge of pressure, temperature, and flow measurement devices.
  • Strong mathematical, computer, problem-solving, and communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
  • Ability to operate and understand automated asset user interfaces.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • This is a 2ND shift role working from 3:30 PM - 2:00 AM, overtime and weekends as needed.
  • Able to lift a minimum of 25 lbs unassisted.
  • Able to stand for extended periods – 8 hours minimum.
  • 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 $31/hr, this posting comes in about 22% below the $39/hr median for welding jobs in Hawthorne, CA, where the middle half runs $31–$60/hr across 42 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 43 other active welding openings in Hawthorne, CA right now, from 7 different employers. 10 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 544 other active welding openings from 252 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 35 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 (35), Relativity Space (21), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (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, Pasadena at $61/hr, and Santa Ana at $48/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 - Raptor Chamber & Nozzle Assembly & Final Assembly - 2nd Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.