R&D Technician III

About Us

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

Formed in 2023 the Antares team hails from SpaceX The White House MIT Rigetti Computing The Air Force General Atomics Relativity Space Ursa Major and National Laboratories like Los Alamos Idaho and Oak Ridge. Antares has raised over $130M in venture capital from top-tier investors and has over $13M in government funding.

About the Team

As an R&D Technician III you will be at the forefront of our companys critical operations in a fast-paced innovative environment. You will take ownership of prototyping machining assembly testing and fabrication operations ensuring attention to detail and proper documentation as we develop next-generation nuclear systems.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Work closely with engineering to fabricate prototypes build and operate test systems while ensuring adherence to specifications quality standards and safety protocols.

• Collaborate with engineering to improve designs through rapid iteration to refine manufacturing techniques.

• Participate in design reviews providing input on long term manufacturability available resources and design improvements.

• Autonomously spec source and commission equipment research new best practices coordinate resources and report project status.

• Build lead and mentor a team of ambitious quality-focused technicians fostering a culture of technical excellence teamwork and accountability.

• Develop and document best practices for machining fabrication assembly and quality inspection.

• Identify and resolve technical challenges implementing corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Support critical system testing and validation efforts ensuring products meet performance and reliability requirements. Some of these efforts will require off-site travel.

• Train and upskill technicians on new processes tools and industry best practices.

• Performs other related duties as assigned for the purpose of ensuring an efficient and effective work environment

Basic Qualifications:

• 5 years in a high-performance manufacturing or R&D environment with experience in multiple of the following areas: fabrication machining welding pneumatic/hydraulic systems test processes test stand development.

• Understanding of aerospace-grade production/quality standards and a demonstrated track record of operating in them.

• Experience interpreting engineering drawings and technical specifications & processes.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience developing complex systems from scratch and the corresponding manufacturing processes

• Experience in aerospace nuclear defense or advanced manufacturing industries.

• Knowledge of materials science precision machining and quality inspection techniques.

• Hands-on experience with fluid gas or high-voltage systems.

• Experience with automation robotics and advanced manufacturing techniques.

• Background in process optimization and lean manufacturing principles.

• Familiarity with PLM ERP and manufacturing planning systems.

• Strong problem-solving skills with a hands-on approach to technical challenges.

• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to build and coordinate a high-performing team.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones.

• The job may require frequently lifting up to 50 lbs and performing physically demanding tasks as needed.

Technician II Pay Range: $31.50 - $38.50

Technician III Pay Range: $41.40 - $50.60

Location

• We are located in Torrance CA in a 322000 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.

Culture

At Antares we like to specifically tie each role to our founding documents set of valueshere 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 thats how its always been done

• Go Where the Work Is - Never miss a chance to meet a customer user or stakeholder face to face even if that means hopping on a plane. If you cant 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.

Required Experience:

IC