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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars, and the NDE Operations organization is committed to providing high quality inspections of flight components and production assemblies. As an NDE Level II Inspector, you will engage with a diverse range of inspection types across the Falcon, Dragon, and Starship programs.

Responsibilities

  • Perform both surface or volumetric NDE inspections
  • Interpret, evaluate, communicate and report findings to production and engineering
  • Interpret and review engineering drawings as required
  • Optimize and manipulate digital images for maximum clarity and accuracy
  • Support the development of NDE inspection techniques for complex geometries
  • Assist in training and developing others within the team
  • Support research and development of system qualification and certification for critical processes

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate
  • NDE level II certification in line with ASNT TC-1A, NAS-410, or DOD guidance in at least one of the following methods: Eddy Current Testing (ET), Radiographic Testing (RT), Ultrasonic Testing Immersion (UT-I), Ultrasonic Testing – Phased Array (PAUT)
  • Additional nondestructive evaluation Level II certifications in line with ASNT TC-1A, NAS-410, or DOD guidance in one of the following methods: Eddy current (ET), dye penetrant (PT), visual inspection (VT), phase array (PAUT), ultrasonic (UT), ultrasonic shear wave (UTSW), or magnetic particle (MT)
  • Operational experience using one of the listed NDE methods for the inspection of weldments
  • 2+ years of experience as a level II nondestructive evaluation/testing inspector
  • Experience performing NDE testing within the aerospace industry
  • American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)
  • Basic computer skills and familiarity with Microsoft applications including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.
  • Experience inspecting advanced materials such as high strength aluminum alloys, precipitation hardened steels, inconel, monel, titanium, and maraging steel (super alloys)
  • Knowledge of NASA 5009 standards
  • Knowledge of AMS, AWS/ASME, ASTM standards
  • Experience with problem solving tools and techniques including: practical problem solving (PPS), and eight disciplines (8D)
  • Basic understanding of Lean principles: 5S, Kaizen, continuous improvement initiative

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Ability to lift 25 lbs unassisted, bend, stretch, stand for extended periods of time, climb stairs, reach, twist, sit, and walk
  • Must be willing to work overtime and on weekends
  • Shift times: 1st shift (Monday - Friday 5:00 AM - 3:30 PM), 2nd shift (Monday - Friday 2:00 PM - 12:30 AM), Weekend 1st shift (Thursday - Sunday 5:00 AM - 5:00 PM), Weekend 2nd shift (Thursday - Sunday 5:00 PM - 5:00 AM)

Benefits

401k
Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
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How this job compares in Hawthorne, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $43/hr, this posting sits about 37% above the $31/hr median for welding jobs in Hawthorne, CA — toward the top of a $31–$56/hr middle band drawn from 40 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 73% 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, Long Beach at $49/hr, and Santa Ana at $48/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.
  • CWI — the AWS Certified Welding Inspector credential. It is an inspection qualification rather than a welding one, requiring documented experience plus a three-part exam, and it is the usual route off the torch into QC.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

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. NDE Level II Inspector - Multiple Shifts figures were last recalculated when this page was built.