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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is seeking skilled individuals for the Pipe Welder position at their Starship launch site, focusing on welding piping, structural steel, and facility infrastructure to support their mission of enabling human life on Mars.

Responsibilities

  • Complete welding assignments and procedures for construction and repair of structural stands on time and safely.
  • Cut, trim, or scarf metal objects and fabricate metal components to dimensions for building test site structural forms.
  • Analyze engineering drawings and specifications to plan welding operations under supervision.
  • Utilize hand welding and flame-cutting equipment to assemble structural forms.
  • Visually inspect own welds per AWS D1.1 and ASME B31.3 with proper training.
  • Obtain and maintain internal licenses, operator permits, or certifications as required.
  • Make efforts to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, and streamline work processes.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned to ensure an efficient work environment.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 1+ years of experience with TIG (GTAW) welding per ASME B31.3 applications.
  • 1+ years of experience in a process piping environment using various measurement tools.
  • 5+ years of experience using SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, and other welding equipment is preferred.
  • General mechanical skills in concrete, machining, and alignment/setting.
  • Knowledge of welding techniques, metallurgy, AWS/ASME codes, and engineering requirements.
  • Experience with standard tools and practices of the welding trade.
  • Knowledge in ferrous and non-ferrous metals related to welding and brazing.
  • Knowledge in occupational hazards and effective safety precautions.
  • Experience with precision measuring instruments.
  • Ability to adapt to changing roles in a high-paced environment.

Additional Information

  • Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, noise, and extreme outdoor conditions.
  • Anticipated hours are day shift, 6 AM - 6 PM or night shift, 6 PM - 6 AM, with overtime and weekends as needed.
  • Physical requirements include standing, lifting, climbing, and working in confined spaces.
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How this job compares

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, pipe welder jobs across Texas currently run a median of $35/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $34–$35/hr across 25 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market

This posting doesn't specify a city. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,339 other active welding openings from 721 employers. 425 of them were added in the last week. Browse welding jobs across Texas.

SpaceX currently has 10 other openings live in Texas, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Welding Shop in Houston, TX (27), Zachry Group (22), and Austin Industries (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 Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Pasadena at $40/hr, Arlington at $39/hr, and Midlothian at $38/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, TIG, Stick, and Flux-Core work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. 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 pipe welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • AWS D1.1 — the American Welding Society's Structural Welding Code for steel. It governs almost all building and structural steel work in the US, so a D1.1 qualification is the baseline credential for construction and ironworking.
  • 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.

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

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Pipe Welder (Starship) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.