Back to Jobs

Job Description

Overview

Varda is seeking a Senior 5-Axis Prototype Machinist to join its Manufacturing Team, playing a crucial role in machining complex, high-precision components for spacecraft systems. The company focuses on developing commercial space infrastructure and innovative products that benefit life on Earth.

Responsibilities

  • Program, set up, and operate 5-axis CNC machines to produce complex aerospace components to tight tolerances.
  • Work with materials like Inconel, titanium, stainless steel, and carbon composites to ensure high surface finish and dimensional accuracy.
  • Create and implement advanced fixturing and work-holding solutions for prototype parts.
  • Develop and refine toolpaths using CAM software, employing advanced machining strategies.
  • Integrate on-machine probing and macros for part alignment and verification.
  • Optimize feeds, speeds, and tool selection to reduce cycle times while maintaining quality.
  • Take ownership of the machining process from material selection to final inspection.
  • Collaborate with engineering teams for Design for Manufacturability feedback and solutions.
  • Maintain documentation of manufacturing processes and lessons learned.
  • Conduct in-process inspections and first article verifications using precision measurement tools.
  • Troubleshoot machining issues and implement corrective actions.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalency certificate; vocational or technical training in machining preferred.
  • 5+ years of experience in 5-axis CNC machining, focusing on aerospace or high-precision components.
  • Proficiency in CAM software and 3D CAD tools.
  • Deep understanding of G-code, M-code, and CNC program editing.
  • Expertise in machining exotic materials such as titanium, Inconel, and carbon fiber composites.
  • Strong knowledge of GD&T, blueprint interpretation, and tolerance stack-ups.
  • Hands-on experience with precision inspection tools.
  • U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency to comply with ITAR regulations.

Additional Information

  • This role is on-site in El Segundo, CA.
  • Leveling and base salary is determined by job-related skills, education level, experience level, and job performance.
  • Eligible for incentives in the form of stock options and/or long-term cash awards.
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in El Segundo, CA

Pay in context

At roughly $55/hr, this posting sits about 15% above the $48/hr median for welding jobs in El Segundo, CA — toward the top of a $38–$77/hr middle band drawn from 16 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 El Segundo, CA

We're tracking 18 other active welding openings in El Segundo, CA right now, from 9 different employers. 5 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 486 other active welding openings from 234 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in El Segundo, or widen the search to California.

Varda Space Industries currently has 6 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 (35), Welding Shop in Los Angeles, CA (17), and Relativity Space (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 $44/hr. El Segundo is among them.

Similar openings near El Segundo, 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 Prototype Machinist figures were last recalculated when this page was built.