Senior Development Fabrication Technician

Costa Mesa · Costa Mesa, CA (OC-00) · 6+ years experience · Full-time · Posted Sep 26, 2026

At a glance

The Development Fabrication team within Mechanical Services turns early engineering concepts into physical hardware for high-priority programs.
As a Senior Development Fabrication Technician, you will take prototype hardware from drawing to finished assembly in a highly collaborative prototype environment.

Own prototype builds from start to finish, translating engineering drawings, CAD, and work orders into finished hardware ready for integration or testing.
Determine the best build sequence, fabrication approach, tooling, fixturing, and material preparation strategy for each job.
Fabricate small through large-scale assemblies using layout, fitting, welding, cutting, drilling, grinding, forming, sawing, and conventional machining.
Build complex weldments across steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and other alloys using GMAW, FCAW, and GTAW processes.
Design and build weld fixtures and tooling that maintain alignment and tight tolerances during fabrication.
Identify fit-up, tolerance, accessibility, distortion, sequencing, and manufacturability problems before they become integration problems.
Work directly with design engineers to resolve unclear drawings, incomplete designs, and manufacturability challenges.
Challenge designs when necessary and recommend practical changes that improve buildability, quality, and speed.
Perform dimensional and visual inspection of completed hardware and make sound decisions around rework, repair, or rebuild.
Independently execute R&D fabrication work with limited oversight, including evaluating the job, planning the work, identifying material needs, and completing the build.

6+ years of hands-on fabrication, welding, or related metalworking experience, ideally in prototype, R&D, aerospace, motorsports, custom fabrication, or low-volume manufacturing environments.
Advanced experience with GMAW/MIG, FCAW, and GTAW/TIG welding processes.
Demonstrated experience fabricating steel, stainless steel, and aluminum assemblies.
Strong sheet-metal fabrication skills, including cutting, forming, fitting, and working with equipment such as brakes, rollers, saws, and related shop tooling.
Ability to independently read and interpret complex engineering drawings, including GD&T, weld symbols, dimensions, and tolerances.
Experience planning and executing fabrication work from raw material through completed assembly.
Working proficiency with conventional shop equipment, including manual mills and lathes, with the ability to hold approximately +-0.005-inch tolerances when required.
Strong practical understanding of fit-up, weld sequencing, distortion control, fixturing, and fabrication tolerances.
Strong shop math, mechanical reasoning, and hands-on problem-solving ability.
Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Experience working in aerospace, defense, automotive, motorsports, experimental vehicles, or other high-performance prototype environments.
Experience designing and fabricating complex weld fixtures.
Demonstrated ability to hold tight tolerances on large fabricated assemblies and weldments.
Familiarity with CAD tools such as NX or SolidWorks.
Experience working directly with design engineers during prototype development.
Working knowledge of aerospace or defense welding standards such as AWS D17.1, AWS D1.1, or NAVSEA requirements.
Experience mentoring junior fabricators or helping establish shop fabrication standards.

Highly competitive equity grants
Top-tier benefits for full-time employees supporting health, recovery, and whatever comes next