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Job Description

Overview

At Valar Atomics, we're redefining what's possible in energy by making clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable. The Mechanical Technician role involves building mechanical and electromechanical assemblies for modular nuclear reactor systems, working with hand and power tools to ensure quality and functionality.

Responsibilities

  • Assemble mechanical and electromechanical components using hand and power tools.
  • Read and follow engineering drawings, work instructions, and bills of materials.
  • Fit, fasten, align, and torque components to specification and verify functionality.
  • Identify and troubleshoot assembly issues, fitment problems, or missing/incorrect parts.
  • Maintain a clean, organized, and safe workspace following 5S and shop safety standards.
  • Support a wide range of build types across different product lines and subassemblies.
  • Document completed work, inspection results, and any non-conformances.

Requirements

  • 4+ years of experience in mechanical assembly, maintenance, or a similar hands-on technical role.
  • Strong proficiency with hand tools and basic power tools.
  • Ability to read and follow engineering drawings, work instructions, and assembly procedures.
  • Comfortable working across a variety of assembly tasks and switching between them.
  • Strong attention to detail and commitment to build quality.
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup manufacturing environment.
  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, stand for extended periods, and work in a shop-floor setting.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Competitive base salary of $30 USD - $42 USD.
  • Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite.
  • Generous PPE stipend.
  • Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement.

Benefits

Health Insurance
PTO
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How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $36/hr, this posting comes in about 16% 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 38% 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.

Valar Atomics currently has 12 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. Mechanical Technician figures were last recalculated when this page was built.