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Antares

Build Engineer I/II - Space

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Wage

$90,000 – $150,000/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on November 11, 2026

Job Description

Overview

Antares is focused on making clean energy abundant from Earth to the Asteroid Belt through advanced nuclear energy solutions. As a Build Engineer I/II on the Space team, you will convert engineering designs into hardware for space missions, managing the development and assembly processes.

Responsibilities

  • Plan assembly sequences, build flow, and schedules using engineering drawings and CAD models.
  • Write build procedures and work orders, maintaining accurate as-built records and hardware configuration.
  • Assemble mechanical and fluid hardware using appropriate tools and specifications.
  • Install instrumentation and wiring, perform mid-build checkouts, and support testing.
  • Design, procure, and build fixtures, handling equipment, and development tooling.
  • Source commercial off-the-shelf hardware and inspect incoming parts for quality.
  • Troubleshoot assembly and integration issues and document changes.
  • Capture lessons learned and incorporate process improvements into build documentation.
  • Maintain a safe and organized build area when working with pressurized systems and heavy hardware.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering, or a related discipline.
  • 1+ years of hands-on experience building, assembling, or integrating mechanical hardware.
  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and 3D CAD models.

Additional Information

  • Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones.
  • Ability and willingness to work on-site full time.
  • Location: Torrance, CA in a new facility with easy access to major freeways.
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How this job compares in Los Angeles, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $58/hr, this posting sits about 18% above the $49/hr median for welding jobs in Los Angeles, CA — toward the top of a $37–$69/hr middle band drawn from 55 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 58% 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 Los Angeles, CA

We're tracking 98 other active welding openings in Los Angeles, CA right now, from 49 different employers. 32 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 498 other active welding openings from 235 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Los Angeles, or widen the search to California.

Antares currently has 4 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), Relativity Space (17), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (13). 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 El Segundo at $53/hr, Long Beach at $50/hr, and Pasadena at $50/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Los Angeles, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Build Engineer I/II - Space figures were last recalculated when this page was built.