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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. The Propulsion Technician for the Raptor Chamber and Nozzle Assembly is responsible for the assembly and testing of rocket hardware, requiring mechanical knowledge, hands-on experience, and the ability to troubleshoot.

Responsibilities

  • Clean, prepare and assemble various main combustion chamber assemblies and sub-assembly pieces for welding.
  • 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 like 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 piece parts.
  • Clean tools, valves, and maintain a professional work area.
  • Stage, install, set-up, test and de-tool Thrust Chamber Assemblies.
  • Troubleshoot engines and cell systems.
  • Operate test cell instrumentation and computer network systems.
  • Accept or reject test units based on calculated test data.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 1+ years of experience in manufacturing.
  • Experience staging, installing, removing and de-staging 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 decision-making skills.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Able to lift a minimum of 25 lbs unassisted.
  • This is a 1st shift role working from 5:00 AM - 3:30 PM, overtime and weekends as needed.
  • 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 43 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 44 other active welding openings in Hawthorne, CA right now, from 7 different employers. 14 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 568 other active welding openings from 264 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 36 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 (36), Relativity Space (22), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (18). 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 and Nozzle Assembly figures were last recalculated when this page was built.