Job Description

Overview

The Design Engineer-FWH (Entry Level) position involves reviewing customer requirements and technical specifications to develop designs for heat exchangers and pressure equipment. The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams and participation in project execution, ensuring compliance with applicable codes and standards.

Responsibilities

  • Review customer requirements, technical specifications, sales documentation, and design data to develop heat exchanger and pressure equipment designs.
  • Perform mechanical and structural calculations and prepare engineering drawings, bills of materials, and supporting documentation in accordance with applicable codes and standards.
  • Develop general arrangement, fabrication, assembly, and drawings.
  • Review fabrication drawings and final document packages for technical accuracy and compliance.
  • Prepare and issue material and fabrication subcontract packages.
  • Review engineering and fabrication documents for compliance with customer requirements and applicable standards.
  • Support project execution through technical coordination, material and fabrication subcontract packages, documentation, and customer follow-up.
  • Participate in project meetings and collaborate with cross-functional engineering and project teams.
  • Identify design improvements that enhance performance, productivity, and cost effectiveness.
  • Communicate scope or design changes that may impact cost, quality, or schedule.
  • Perform other related engineering duties as assigned.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline from an accredited institution.
  • 0-2+ years of professional engineering experience in mechanical design, pressure equipment, or a related engineering function.
  • Proficiency with AutoCAD, Inventor and/or SolidWorks.
  • Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, technical writing, and communication skills.
  • Ability to manage priorities, meet deadlines, and work effectively with cross-functional teams.
  • Experience with heat exchangers, pressure vessels, or related pressure equipment is preferred.
  • Knowledge of applicable Feedwater Heaters, HEI, ASME, PED, and standards is preferred.
  • Experience with FEA and engineering design software such as SolidWorks, CADWorx, PV Elite, or Codeware/Compress is preferred.
  • EIT/PE certification or relevant engineering internship/co-op experience is preferred.

How this job compares in La Palma, CA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs across California currently run a median of $35/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $28–$44/hr across 449 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in La Palma, CA

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in La Palma, CA, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across California as a whole we're tracking 594 other active welding openings from 271 employers. Browse welding jobs across California.

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.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

Similar openings near La Palma, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Design Engineer-FWH (Entry Level) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.