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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is developing technologies to enable human life on Mars, and the Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) team is responsible for the development and integration of the heat shield for the Starship spacecraft. The Thermal Development Technician will maintain, program, and operate robotic and automated systems to support heat shield manufacturing and integration.

Responsibilities

  • Provide maintenance on various equipment including vacuum chambers, thermal chambers, CNC machines, and robotic welders.
  • Maintain, repair, and operate all robotic assets to ensure their proper operating condition.
  • Replace and install electrical components such as switches, relays, and sensors.
  • Replace and install mechanical components such as bearings, motors, and pumps.
  • Support the fabrication of ceramic refractory billets, ceramic tiles, and thermal gap fillers.
  • Support basic fabrication, surface preparation, bonding, and oven curing operations.
  • Document processes precisely to replicate each step in material processing.
  • Perform hardware inspection and rework as required.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • Experience with various types of hand tools or hand-held power tools.
  • Experience operating and maintaining Kuka, Fanuc, or other 6-axis robots.
  • Experience working with PLC programming, robotics, and CNC machines.
  • Basic understanding of stud arc welding.
  • 3+ years of experience with electrical system troubleshooting.
  • Ability to read and interpret electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic schematics.
  • Ability to describe and navigate through a machine’s functions and identify parts needed for repairs.
  • 3+ years of experience as a technician.
  • Experience within the aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, or electronic manufacturing fields.
  • Experience with hand/power tools, forklifts, and other heavy equipment.

Additional Information

  • Ability to work one of the following shifts: Monday- Friday (6:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.) or Monday -Friday (6:00 p.m. – 6:30 a.m.)
  • Willing to work overtime when necessary.
  • Hold or be willing to obtain a valid Driver's License.
  • Candidate must be capable of safely working at heights (up to 500ft) and using an air purifying respirator.
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How this job compares in US, US

Pay in context

At roughly $35/hr, this posting sits about 24% above the $28/hr median for welding jobs in US, US — toward the top of a $22–$33/hr middle band drawn from 33 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 82% 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 US, US

We're tracking 34 other active welding openings in US, US right now, from 26 different employers. 10 of them were added in the last week. Across US as a whole we're tracking 34 other active welding openings from 26 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in US.

SpaceX currently has 5 other openings live in US, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in US at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (5), AAON, Inc. (3), and Greenberry (2). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Similar openings near US, US

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Thermal Development Technician, Robotic Welding (Starship) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.