Nondestructive Evaluation Technician III-IV

Antares; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 56,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

Antares is seeking a Nondestructive Evaluation team member to join the quality team in Torrance, CA. You will evaluate welds and fabricated hardware using multiple NDE methods and collaborate with fabrication, welding, and manufacturing personnel to ensure compliance with drawings and specifications.

The role requires Level II qualifications (PT/RT/UT), visual weld inspection capability, and the ability to interpret engineering drawings. Occasional overtime and ~5% travel may be needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in hardware manufacturing environment performing inspections or direct welding experience.
• Level II qualification in PT, RT, or UT per training/experience requirements.
• Visual weld inspection (VT) qualification and ability to apply acceptance criteria.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, weld symbols, inspection requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Experience performing and documenting nondestructive examinations in manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or similar industry.
• Ability to pass Jaeger 2 near-vision examination and other vision requirements.
• Willingness to work onsite in Torrance, CA on first shift with occasional overtime and weekend support; travel ~5%.

Responsibilities

• Perform nondestructive evaluation of welds and fabricated hardware using approved visual, penetrant, radiographic, and/or ultrasonic inspection methods within the qualified scope.
• Work with fabrication, welding, manufacturing, development, and quality personnel to verify workmanship and conformance during reactor hardware builds.
• Interpret drawings, weld symbols, acceptance criteria, inspection plans, and applicable codes and specifications to determine inspection requirements.
• Document inspection results clearly and maintain objective evidence required for product acceptance and quality records.
• Identify, document, and communicate relevant indications or nonconforming conditions and support disposition, rework, and reinspection activities.
• Support development and continuous improvement of NDE procedures, work instructions, techniques, inspection planning, and equipment controls.
• Develop tooling necessary to perform inspections and improve outcomes and repeatability.
• Maintain inspection equipment and consumables in a state suitable for use, including required calibration/status controls as applicable.
• Support supplier or vendor inspections when needed, including limited travel.

Skills

NDE inspection

Level II PT/RT/UT

Visual weld inspection

Drawings interpretation

NDE documentation

Vision screening

Onsite work

Travel readiness

Job description

About Us

At Antares, our long-term mission is to make clean energy abundant from Earth to the Asteroid Belt. We’re fueled by the belief that advanced nuclear energy can strengthen our military, solve the climate crisis, elevate global living standards, and expand humanity's presence in outer space. To achieve our mission, we’re building mass-producible, inherently safe, deployable microreactors that can be used terrestrially, underwater, and in space.

The Antares team hails from SpaceX, the White House, the Pentagon, the Department of Energy, MIT, Rigetti Computing, General Atomics, Relativity Space, Ursa Major, and National Laboratories like Idaho, Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and Savannah River. Antares has raised over $600M in venture capital from top-tier investors and has hundreds of million-dollars on contract with the military services, NASA, and the Department of Energy.

About the Team

We are seeking a Nondestructive Evaluation team members to join the Antares quality team and work to evaluate cutting edge technology by ensuring we build safe, reliable products. This role will work hand in hand with manufacturing, engineering, testing, and other quality team members to provide valuable insight into the quality of our builds and ultimately ensure success in all our missions.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Perform nondestructive evaluation of welds and fabricated hardware using approved visual, penetrant, radiographic, and/or ultrasonic inspection methods within the individual's qualified scope.

• Work directly with fabrication, welding, manufacturing, development, and quality personnel to verify workmanship and conformance during reactor hardware builds.

• Interpret drawings, weld symbols, acceptance criteria, inspection plans, and applicable codes and specifications to determine inspection requirements.

• Document inspection results clearly and maintain objective evidence required for product acceptance and quality records.

• Identify, document, and communicate relevant indications or nonconforming conditions and support disposition, rework, and reinspection activities.

• Support development and continuous improvement of NDE procedures, work instructions, techniques, inspection planning, and equipment controls.

• Develop tooling necessary to perform inspections and improve outcomes and repeatability.

• Maintain inspection equipment and consumables in a state suitable for use, including required calibration/status controls as applicable.

• Support supplier or vendor inspections when needed, including limited travel.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years in hardware manufacturing environment performing inspections or direct welding experience.

• Meets the training and experience requirements necessary for Level II qualification in at least one of the following NDE methods: PT, RT, or UT.

• Qualified for visual weld inspection / VT and able to apply visual acceptance criteria to welded hardware.

• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, weld symbols, inspection requirements, and applicable acceptance criteria.

• Experience performing and documenting nondestructive examinations in a manufacturing, fabrication, aerospace, defense, oil & gas, or similar industrial environment.

• Ability to pass a Jaeger 2 near-vision examination and any other vision requirements applicable to Antares' written practice.

• Ability to work onsite in Torrance, California on first shift, with flexibility for occasional overtime and weekend support based on business needs.

• Ability to travel approximately 5% for supplier or vendor inspection support.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Current Level II certification/qualification in two or more of PT, RT, and UT.

• Qualification history based on ASNT Recommended Practice SNT-TC-1A.

• AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) credential.

• Experience inspecting hardware to ASME BPVC Section VIII, AWS D1.1, and/or AWS D17.1 requirements; familiarity with ASME BPVC Section II materials requirements.

• Aerospace weld inspection or other high-reliability manufacturing experience.

• Experience supporting NDE procedure, technique, work-instruction, or inspection-plan development.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs

• Ability to stand, work at heights (ladder/platform), and maneuver into tight locations for inspections.

Location

• We are located in Torrance, CA in a 145,000 square foot, brand new facility featuring large open spaces for team collaboration, R&D, and production, as well as easy access to the 405, 105, and 110 freeways. Our facility is in the heart of Los Angeles' vibrant emerging tech ecosystem alongside many other high growth startups and enterprises.

Compensation

• NDE Technician III: $41.40 - $50.60

• NDE Technician IV: $48.60 - $59.60

Culture

At Antares, we like to specifically tie each role to our founding document’s set of values–here are the top five cultural values we think you should believe at your core to be successful:

• Think in Systems - Energy and Defense are complex ecosystems with numerous stakeholders with competing priorities, conflicting policies, perverse incentives, and emergent and path-dependent properties. First principles thinking alone is insufficient. Think probabilistically and then take action. “If you want to be certain, then you are apt to be obsolete.” Over-optimizing the components often degrades the system

• Obsess over the End User - The customer and end user are often not the same. We will never build globally competitive commercial products if we lose sight of our end users and their entire interaction with the product life cycle

• Be Unconstrained by Convention - Our only limits are the laws of physics. Many, even experts, will say what we are working on is impossible. They said the same about SpaceX reusing rockets. Generationally impactful companies, by definition, must accomplish the seemingly impossible. If it were easy, it would have already been done. Never shy away from a solution because it has never been tried before, and never choose to do something because that's “how it's always been done”

• Go Where the Work I s - Never miss a chance to meet a customer, user, or stakeholder face to face, even if that means hopping on a plane. If you can’t make it, find a teammate who can channel your intentions and go in your place. Deep work can be done from anywhere, but we believe teams are built in person, and aim to maximize our time together

• Operate in the Grey - Embrace nuance in pursuit of truth. Question every fundamental assumption

Equal Opportunity

Antares is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.