Propulsion Technician

Columbus Technologies and Services Inc•Pasadena, CA

8h•$25 - $44•Onsite

About The Position

The Propulsion Development Technician II works for JPL’s Mechanical, Packaging, and Test Section, which maintains technical support facilities and resources for fabricating, assembling, cleaning, and testing electromechanical developmental and flight hardware. The Section develops and matures equipment and technologies that support fabrication and environmental testing for current and future missions. The role involves working with customers and quality assurance to prepare and follow test procedures for precision tubing fabrication, orbital tube welding, pressure/propulsion/fluid-system assembly, and testing of research and development and flight components and systems. The technician ensures work complies with Laboratory protocols, government regulations, and professional standards. The position is onsite at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. It is a two-year contract with potential extension or conversion, paid W2 with full benefits, and follows a 9/80 work schedule. Customer- and contract-specific training will be provided. Employment is contingent on successfully passing a background check and drug screen. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen.
Typically requires a high school diploma and 3–4 years of general work experience with related training; alternatively, an associate degree and 2 years of related experience, or a bachelor’s degree and 1 year of related experience.
Ability to understand precision tubing fabrication, orbital tube welding, and pressure/propulsion/fluid-system assembly, and follow related procedures and practices.
General understanding and experience in mechanical hardware assembly and testing, installation and testing of electronic components, and working with flight hardware.
Experience using hand tools, including some machining experience with a drill press, band saw, and grinder.
Understanding of applicable policies, procedures, and practices for handling flight hardware.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to travel to distant domestic and/or international locations as needed.
Must successfully pass a background check and drug screen.

Nice To Haves

Orbital tube welding certification and experience, including tube bending and flaring.
Experience with pressure-system fabrication, testing, and certification methods, including proof, leak, and cold-shock testing.
Experience working in a Class 100 to 100,000 cleanroom environment and performing precision parts cleaning.
Experience with manual machining, including 3-axis mill and lathe operations.
Experience with basic electrical fabrication, including familiarity with electronic components, cabling, soldering, and wiring diagrams.
Good hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity for working with miniaturized systems or components.
Extensive knowledge of computer applications such as spreadsheets, databases, word processing, and web searches for component information.
Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

Interact with customers and quality assurance to prepare and work from test procedures for precision tubing fabrication, orbital tube welding, pressure/propulsion/fluid-system assembly, and testing of R&D and flight components and systems.
Ensure processes, products, and work environments comply with Laboratory protocols, government regulations, and professional standards.
Perform manual and mechanical tube bending, flaring, and facing within material limits, applying minimum bend radii for the specific tube material, diameter, and wall thickness.
Prepare tubing, set purge parameters, configure weld heads, perform orbital tube welding, recognize weld discontinuities and defects, and maintain personal weld certifications and logs.
Build pressure, propulsion, fluid, and purge systems from schematics using industry-standard components, maintaining required cleanliness and appropriate torque during assembly.
Conduct proof, cold-shock, and leak testing, including basic and advanced leak checking using equipment such as an Agilent leak detector and helium; perform moisture and hydrocarbon analysis.
Support flight propulsion/fluid-system assembly, testing, and launch-site operations, following JCI-handling best practices when working on or near flight hardware.
Support Pressure Vessel Systems and Pressure System Safety activities, including relief-device and flex-hose testing, pressure testing, and creating and affixing PSS tags on tested components.
Perform precision parts cleaning with chemicals and cleaning solutions, and operate ultrasonic cleaners as needed.
Follow protocols for work in ISO-5 cleanrooms and controlled environments, including wearing a full cleanroom suit.
Help maintain equipment calibration and certification records and notify the area lead when equipment requires calibration or maintenance.
As needed, support the Precision Cleaning Facility with precision parts cleaning, chemical and particle-count analyses, and passivation operations.