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Job Description

Overview

GKN Aerospace is seeking a Welder for the 2nd shift, specializing in TIG welding on various metals, including titanium and aluminum. The company is committed to sustainability and innovation in air travel, providing opportunities for career growth and development.

Responsibilities

  • Performs TIG welding on titanium and aluminum jet engine components.
  • Cleans, grinds, and inspects work to ensure conformance to specifications.
  • Mentors and provides guidance to junior Welders.
  • Checks all work to maintain quality standards and adherence to specifications.
  • Maintains a clean work environment in compliance with company and government regulations.
  • Assists in the design stage of projects as required.
  • Performs daily preventative maintenance of equipment.
  • Ensures compliance with company policies regarding contracting with the United States Government.

Requirements

  • High School diploma or GED.
  • 5+ years of TIG welding experience or completion of additional welding certification.
  • Must achieve AWS certification (AWS D17.1) within 6 months of start.
  • 3+ years of TIG welding experience with basic math and blueprint reading skills.
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How this job compares in El Cajon, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $30/hr, this posting comes in about 14% below the $35/hr median for welding jobs across California, where the middle half runs $29–$44/hr across 393 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 26% 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 El Cajon, CA

El Cajon, CA currently has 5 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 3 employers. None of them were added in the last week, so this is a slower-moving market. Across California as a whole we're tracking 520 other active welding openings from 246 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in El Cajon, or widen the search to California.

GKN Aerospace currently has 1 other opening 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 (36), Relativity Space (21), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (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 California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Long Beach at $49/hr, Santa Ana at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $43/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG. 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.

Similar openings near El Cajon, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Welder - 2nd Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.