Tooling Engineer, Welding

Hadrian Automation • Torrance, CA

22d • $115,000 - $170,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Hadrian is hiring a Tooling Engineer for its Welding team at its weld development facility in Los Angeles. The engineer will design and build fixtures and tooling that enable accurate, repeatable welding of complex aerospace, defense, and naval parts. The role spans concept development, CAD, fabrication, prove-out, and daily production use, supporting both manual welding and robotic weld cells. The engineer will work closely with welding engineers, welders, and the automation team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Welding Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• At least 4 years designing tooling in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience designing weld fixtures or tooling, or a combined background in welding and tooling design.
• Track record of taking tools from CAD into production and supporting them through prove-out and continuous improvement.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, NX, or CATIA) and GD&T, plus FEA or static analysis to validate tooling under real-world conditions.
• Working knowledge of welding processes, weld distortion, and material selection for tooling exposed to high heat and high loads.
• Must meet applicable ITAR eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience building tooling for robotic or automated weld cells, including positioners, sensors, and pneumatic clamping.
• Background with large or complex welded structures in aerospace, defense, or shipbuilding.
• Experience with modular or reconfigurable fixturing systems that support multiple part variants.
• Hands-on welding or machining skills.
• Familiarity with AS9100, NAVSEA, or AWS requirements and tool verification methods such as CMM or laser tracker inspection.

Responsibilities

• Design weld fixtures and tooling—including locating and clamping fixtures, positioner tooling, and purge, backing, and chill tooling—from concept through detailed drawings.
• Validate tooling designs using FEA and hand calculations for load, stiffness, and thermal effects during welding.
• Manage tool fabrication with internal shops and outside vendors; prove out, verify, and release tools to production.
• Work with welding engineers and welders on the production floor to control distortion, improve fit-up, and make tools easy and safe to use.
• Design and adapt tooling for robotic welding cells and positioners to support weld automation.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees.
• 401k.
• Relocation support may be provided in certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy.
• Equity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level