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Job Description

Overview

AstroForge is on a mission to make space resources accessible on Earth by mining asteroids for valuable minerals. They are looking for a detail-oriented Fabrication Technician to join their hardware team, focusing on building and testing components for spacecraft and payload systems.

Responsibilities

  • Fabricate and assemble structural and mechanical components for spacecraft hardware.
  • Perform precision machining, welding, and metal finishing using a variety of tools and equipment.
  • Interpret technical drawings, CAD models, and work instructions to produce high-quality parts and assemblies.
  • Assist with the integration of fabricated components into larger assemblies and test setups.
  • Collaborate closely with engineers to refine designs for manufacturability and efficiency.
  • Inspect parts and assemblies for quality assurance, ensuring compliance with tight tolerances.
  • Maintain shop equipment, tools, and a safe, organized work environment.
  • Support rapid prototyping, iteration, and testing efforts to accelerate development cycles.

Requirements

  • Demonstrated experience in fabrication, machining, or assembly of precision mechanical systems.
  • Skilled in operating tools such as mills, lathes, welders, grinders, and sheet metal equipment.
  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and assembly instructions.
  • Knowledge of materials commonly used in aerospace (aluminum, titanium, composites, stainless steel).
  • Strong problem-solving skills with attention to detail and craftsmanship.
  • Comfort working in a fast-paced, iterative startup environment.
  • Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with cross-functional teams.

Benefits

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

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
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How this job compares in Seal Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $40/hr, this posting sits about 43% above the $28/hr median for welder fabricator jobs across California — toward the top of a $25–$35/hr middle band drawn from 57 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 88% 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 Seal Beach, CA

Seal Beach, CA is a small market in our index: 1 other active welding opening alongside this one, from 1 employer. Across California as a whole we're tracking 592 other active welding openings from 268 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across California.

AstroForge 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 (37), Vast (18), and Relativity Space (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 Gardena at $73/hr, Redondo Beach at $72/hr, and Pasadena at $61/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Seal 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. Fabrication Technician figures were last recalculated when this page was built.