Senior Integration Technician

Location

Hawthorne, CA

Wage

$40.12 – $56.95/hr

Employment Type

Full-time

Apply for This Position

Posted on September 4, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and infrastructure with a focus on low-cost and hardware-rich approaches. They are seeking a Senior Integration Technician to assist in transitioning their engine systems from development to production, contributing to the creation of the world's highest performing engines for small launchers.

Responsibilities

  • Assemble, install, and test liquid rocket engine hardware.
  • Perform hands-on integration of large and small, high-precision, and fragile assemblies.
  • Use precision calibrated tools including torque wrenches, micrometers, and calipers.
  • Execute aerospace integration practices such as safety wiring, helicoil installation, and hardware verification.
  • Read and interpret engineering drawings, work instructions, specifications, bills of material, and P&IDs.
  • Build, operate, and maintain test facilities and fluid systems including propellant, high-pressure, and cryogenic systems.
  • Conduct engine and subsystem test operations, including high-pressure operations, fluid fill/drain/handling, and real-time sensor monitoring.
  • Troubleshoot and perform maintenance on fluid, mechanical, and basic electrical systems.
  • Support rapid iteration and development testing.
  • Document build, test, and maintenance activities.
  • Adhere to and help refine test processes, safety standards, and best practices.
  • Support other shop floor teams through cross-functional collaboration and training.
  • Operate heavy equipment such as forklifts and overhead lifting equipment.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 6+ years of experience in production, mechanical, or manufacturing environment.
  • Hands-on hardware integration and high-pressure testing experience.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • This is a full-time, non-exempt position located in Hawthorne, California.
  • Must be willing to work all shifts, overtime, and/or weekends as needed.
  • Must be able to lift at least 25 lbs. unassisted.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k

How this job compares in Hawthorne, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $49/hr, this posting sits about 35% above the $36/hr median for welding jobs in Hawthorne, CA — toward the top of a $31–$58/hr middle band drawn from 40 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 70% 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. 18 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 Hawthorne, or widen the search to California.

Vast currently has 11 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 $42/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. Senior Integration Technician figures were last recalculated when this page was built.