Job Description

Overview

At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to meet the growing demand for launch capacity. As part of the Stage Manufacturing team, the Friction Stir Welding Technician I will assist in FSW operations, contributing to the development of the Terran R vehicle and its primary structures.

Responsibilities

  • Assist in FSW operations including running equipment and prepping welds.
  • Complete standard lift operations or assist in critical lift operations.
  • Perform precision blending and deburring using power or hand tools.
  • Conduct in-process inspections using tools such as micrometers and calipers.
  • Uphold high standards of safety and shop cleanliness.
  • Foster an inclusive environment for all team members.

Requirements

  • Experience with material joining processes such as friction stir welding and arc welding.
  • Experience with metal fabrication techniques like forming and bending.
  • Proficient in the use of common hand tools and inspection tools.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office or team communication tools like Slack.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • This is a 1st shift position with a standard schedule of 5:00am-3:30pm PT, Monday through Friday.
  • The position has a baseline expectation of a 50-hour workweek, which may include occasional overtime.

Benefits

Health Insurance
PTO

How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $27/hr, this posting comes in about 37% below the $43/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA, where the middle half runs $31–$59/hr across 42 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 7% 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 Long Beach, CA

We're tracking 47 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 18 different employers. 31 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 650 other active welding openings from 315 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Long Beach, or widen the search to California.

Relativity Space currently has 10 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 (34), Honeywell Aerospace (16), and Aerotek (13). 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 Santa Ana at $53/hr, Redondo Beach at $51/hr, and Long Beach at $43/hr. Long Beach is among them.

Similar openings near Long Beach, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Friction Stir Welding Technician I, First Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.