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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is actively developing technologies to enable human life on Mars. The Structural Welder for Ground Support Equipment will work at Starbase, TX, to build, maintain, and upgrade structural and fluid systems for SpaceX rocket testing campaigns.

Responsibilities

  • Complete welding assignments and procedures for the construction and repair of all site structural stands on time, safely, and in a professional manner.
  • Cut, trim, or scarf metal objects; fit and fabricate metal components to dimensions for building and assembling test site structural forms.
  • Analyze engineering drawings and specifications to plan welding operations under the supervision of a lead welder.
  • Utilize hand welding and flame-cutting equipment to weld together metal components and parts to assemble structural forms.
  • Visually inspect own welds per American Welding Society (AWS) D1.1 and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B31.3 with proper training.
  • Obtain and maintain internal licenses, operator permits, or certifications as required.
  • Make a continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively.
  • Work in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities based on program needs.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned for an efficient and effective work environment.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 2+ years of experience with at least one of the following: SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW.
  • 5+ years of experience in one of the following processes: FCAW, SMAW, GTAW, and GMAW (preferred).
  • Experience as a combo welder with the ability to fabricate and weld carbon structure, carbon pipe, and stainless pipe.
  • Knowledge of standard tools, materials, motions, and practices of the welding trade.
  • Knowledge of occupational hazards and effective safety precautions of the trade.
  • Experience in overhead cranes and forklifts.
  • Use of precision measuring instruments.
  • Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while working in a high-paced, challenging work environment.

Additional Information

  • Ability to work multiple shifts and change shifts with minimal notice; flexibility required.
  • Ability to travel to different sites, as needed, up to 20% travel.
  • Ability to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting the upper body, working in cramped positions, and climbing hand-over-hand.
  • Typically exposed to work in extreme outdoor environments – heat, cold, rain.
  • Work performed in an environment requiring exposure to fumes, odors, and noise.
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How this job compares

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, structural welder jobs across Texas currently run a median of $31/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $26–$44/hr across 29 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 structural 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. Structural Welder, Ground Support Equipment figures were last recalculated when this page was built.