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Job Description

Overview

At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. The Senior Weld Engineer will lead the development and optimization of advanced fusion welding processes for the Terran R launch vehicle, contributing to innovative aerospace solutions.

Responsibilities

  • Lead cross-functional collaboration with design, manufacturing, and quality teams to develop, qualify, and optimize advanced fusion welding processes and equipment/tools.
  • Own weld process development and qualification, including authoring and approving weld procedure specifications and qualifications in accordance with AWS D17.1 and related aerospace standards.
  • Provide expert technical support to manufacturing operations, troubleshoot complex welding challenges, perform root cause analysis, and drive sustainable corrective actions.
  • Establish and maintain process controls, quality documentation, and inspection criteria to ensure compliance with aerospace standards and production goals.
  • Mentor and guide junior weld engineers and technicians, supporting technical development and promoting best practices in welding process control and manufacturing efficiency.
  • Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives to advance welding automation, throughput, and reliability across production systems.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
  • 5+ years of experience in fusion welding process development, qualification, and production support within aerospace, space, or high-reliability manufacturing environments.
  • Extensive knowledge of fusion welding processes (GTAW, GMAW, laser, and orbital tube welding) and related equipment setup, programming, and parameter optimization.
  • Demonstrated experience with aerospace materials such as stainless steel, nickel, aluminum, and titanium alloys.
  • Proven ability to lead cross-functional problem-solving, communicate and drive technical decision-making to implement robust welding solutions in fast-paced production settings.

Benefits

  • PTO

Benefits

PTO
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How this job compares in Long Beach, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $75/hr, this posting sits about 73% above the $43/hr median for welding jobs in Long Beach, CA — toward the top of a $30–$54/hr middle band drawn from 34 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 94% 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 Long Beach, CA

We're tracking 43 other active welding openings in Long Beach, CA right now, from 17 different employers. 12 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 594 other active welding openings from 272 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Long Beach, or widen the search to California.

Relativity Space currently has 12 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 (37), Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (17), and Honeywell Aerospace (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 Pasadena at $51/hr, Santa Ana at $48/hr, and El Segundo at $48/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG and TIG work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. 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 Long 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. Senior Weld Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.