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Job Description

Overview

SpaceX is developing technologies to enable human life on Mars, and the Propulsion Components team is responsible for creating advanced spacecraft and launch vehicle components. The Propulsion Technician will work on hardware build and test for Starship and Super Heavy Booster propulsion systems.

Responsibilities

  • Deliver high-quality components for Starship and Super Heavy using laser welding and mechanical assembly.
  • Collaborate with engineering and leadership to achieve component delivery rates reliably.
  • Maintain a safe and professional work area, recommending changes to eliminate safety hazards.
  • Set standards for efficiency and utilization across a variety of products.
  • Troubleshoot failure modes and work with engineering to solve technical problems.
  • Grow skillset in various areas while training peers in a fast-growing environment.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate.
  • 6+ years of experience in fabrication, manufacturing/assembly, or testing.
  • Experience in weld preparation.
  • Trained in assembly or testing of propulsion, aviation, or automotive hardware.
  • A&P license.
  • Lean manufacturing (5S) knowledge and experience.
  • High attention to detail for safety and accuracy.
  • Experience with pressure/temperature/flow measurement devices and mechanical/pneumatic systems.
  • 5+ years of aerospace component testing experience.
  • 5+ years of experience working on aircraft, rocket engines, or high-performance cars.
  • Strong mathematical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
  • Basic computer experience.
  • Effective communication skills with engineering and production teams.
  • Ability to work autonomously or as part of a team.
  • Knowledge of high-pressure testing.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Must be able to work 1st shift hours (5:00 AM - 3:30 PM) or 2nd shift hours (3:30 PM - 2:00 AM), overtime, and weekends as needed.
  • Able to lift at least 30 lbs. unassisted.
  • Ability to stoop, bend, crawl, and maneuver in tight spaces.

Benefits

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

Pay in context

At roughly $44/hr, this posting sits about 24% above the $35/hr median for welding jobs in Hawthorne, CA — toward the top of a $31–$60/hr middle band drawn from 43 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 56% 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 Hawthorne, CA

We're tracking 44 other active welding openings in Hawthorne, CA right now, from 7 different employers. 21 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 586 other active welding openings from 267 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Hawthorne, or widen the search to California.

SpaceX currently has 36 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 (36), Relativity Space (22), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (18). 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 $65/hr, Pasadena at $61/hr, and Santa Ana at $48/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Hawthorne, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Propulsion Technician (Starship) - Level 4/5 figures were last recalculated when this page was built.