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Job Description

Overview

The Propulsion Development Technician IV position at JPL involves working in the Mechanical Engineering, Integration and Test Section to support the fabrication, assembly, and testing of electro-mechanical developmental and flight hardware. JPL is dedicated to innovation and discovery, located in Pasadena, California.

Responsibilities

  • Lead or be a key member of a team responsible for precision tubing fabrication and test operations.
  • Perform Flight propulsion/fluid system assembly, test, and launch site operations.
  • Ensure compliance with Laboratory protocols, government regulations, and professional standards.
  • Mentor others in manual and mechanical tube bending, flaring, and facing operations.
  • Prepare tubing, set purge parameters, configure weld heads, and perform orbital tube welding.
  • Build pressure/propulsion/fluid/purge systems to schematics using industry-standard components.
  • Conduct proof, cold shock, and leak testing and perform moisture and hydrocarbon analysis.
  • Support Pressure Vessel Systems (PVS) and Pressure System Safety (PSS) activities.
  • Perform precision parts cleaning using various chemicals and cleaning solutions.
  • Work in ISO-5 cleanroom and controlled environments, following all protocols.
  • Maintain calibration/certification records for equipment.

Requirements

  • High School diploma with 10 years of work experience, Associates with 6 years, or Bachelor's with 3 years of related experience.
  • Advanced understanding and experience in precision tubing fabrication and orbital tube welding.
  • Expertise in mechanical hardware assembly and test, installation and test of electronic components.
  • Experience with hand tools and some machining experience.
  • Ability to operate equipment from detailed test procedures and make adjustments.
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to travel to distant locations as needed.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Located in Pasadena, California.
  • Work environment fosters innovation and collaboration.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
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How this job compares in Pasadena, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $51/hr, this posting sits about 45% above the $35/hr median for welding jobs across California — toward the top of a $29–$46/hr middle band drawn from 355 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 80% 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 Pasadena, CA

Pasadena, CA currently has 6 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 4 employers. 2 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 473 other active welding openings from 229 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Pasadena, or widen the search to California.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory currently has 1 other opening 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 (35), Relativity Space (14), and Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (14). 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 Long Beach at $49/hr, El Segundo at $48/hr, and Los Angeles at $46/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Pasadena, 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 Development Technician IV figures were last recalculated when this page was built.