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Job Description

Overview

As a Mechanical Engineer at Enertech, a business unit of Curtiss-Wright, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, develop, analyze, and test components for advanced nuclear reactor projects. This role is ideal for early-career engineers who enjoy hands-on work and problem-solving in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

  • Develop mechanical designs of hydraulically operated equipment, valves, and nuclear plant components in CAD (SolidWorks).
  • Create component level manufacturing drawings and assembly drawings.
  • Prepare engineering documentation including design specifications, test plans, and procedures.
  • Coordinate cross-functionally between mechanical, electrical, and analysis teams to drive the design process.
  • Create and execute test strategies based on system requirements, supporting hands-on testing and troubleshooting.
  • Support technicians during fabrication or test setup and assist in resolving issues.
  • Review customer specifications and drawings; participate in customer meetings and technical discussions.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent.
  • Minimum of 3 years of Mechanical Design or Test Engineering experience.
  • Familiarity with metalworks in engineering applications and common manufacturing processes (machining, fabrication, welding).
  • High proficiency in CAD modeling (SolidWorks preferred), engineering drawings, GD&T and related standards.
  • Experience or exposure to test development, testing, or lab work.
  • Ability to thrive in a work environment with evolving requirements and limited prior designs.
  • Ability to work cross-functionally.
  • Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
  • Attentive to detail while maintaining proper perspective.
  • Curious, adaptable, and creative problem solver.

Benefits

  • PTO
  • 401k

Additional Info

  • Location: Brea, CA

Benefits

PTO
401k
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How this job compares in Brea, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $47/hr, this posting sits about 38% above the $34/hr median for welding jobs across California — toward the top of a $28–$47/hr middle band drawn from 408 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 75% 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 Brea, CA

Brea, CA currently has 6 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 4 employers. 3 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 553 other active welding openings from 252 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Brea, or widen the search to California.

Curtiss-Wright Corporation currently has 3 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 (21), and Aerotek (17). 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 Redondo Beach at $72/hr, El Segundo at $58/hr, and Torrance at $47/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Brea, 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 Design Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.