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Instrumentation Fitter Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Vast

Propulsion Test Engineer

Mojave, CA · On-site

$86K - $120K/yr

Experience with common instrumentation and controls systems and sensors. * Tube fitting & bending, familiar with common industry fittings systems. * Read & interpret Plumbing and Instrumentation ...

D&D ELECTRO-MECH INC

Pipe Welder

Apple Valley, CA · On-site

$22 - $28/hr

... instrumentation, and other water treatment equipment as needed. * Support field installation and startup activities on occasion. Required Qualifications * Minimum 3 years of pipe welding and fitting ...

D&D ELECTRO-MECH INC

Pipe Welder

Apple Valley, CA · On-site

$22 - $28/hr

... instrumentation, and other water treatment equipment as needed. * Support field installation and startup activities on occasion. Required Qualifications * Minimum 3 years of pipe welding and fitting ...

D&D ELECTRO-MECH INC

Pipe Welder

Apple Valley, CA · On-site

$22 - $28/hr

... instrumentation, and other water treatment equipment as needed. * Support field installation and startup activities on occasion. Required Qualifications * Minimum 3 years of pipe welding and fitting ...

K2 Pure Solutions LP

I E Technician

Pittsburg, CA · On-site

Install conduit and conduit bracing and fittings. * Ensures that K2 Pure Solutions' safety ... Must be familiar in instrumentation troubleshooting and repair techniques. * Must be (or become ...

K2 Pure Solutions LP

I E Technician

Pittsburg, CA

Install conduit and conduit bracing and fittings. * Ensures that K2 Pure Solutions' safety ... Must be familiar in instrumentation troubleshooting and repair techniques. * Must be (or become ...

K2 Pure Solutions

I E Technician

Pittsburg, CA · On-site

$56.38 - $76.88/hr

Install conduit and conduit bracing and fittings. * Ensures that K2 Pure Solutions' safety ... Must be familiar in instrumentation troubleshooting and repair techniques. * Must be (or become ...

Stratolaunch

Propulsion Technician

Mojave, CA

Read & Understand Plumbing and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) * Experience building and testing high pressure fluid/gas systems * Tube fitting & bending, familiar with common industry fittings ...

Stratolaunch

Propulsion Technician

Mojave, CA · On-site

Read & Understand Plumbing and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) * Experience building and testing high pressure fluid/gas systems * Tube fitting & bending, familiar with common industry fittings ...

Vast

Propulsion Test Engineer

Mojave, CA · On-site

$86K - $122K/yr

Tube fitting & bending, familiarity with common industry fittings systems * Read & interpret Plumbing and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) * Excellent communication skills, both written and oral

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All JobsInstrumentation Fitter JobsInstrumentation Fitter Jobs in California

Instrumentation Fitter information

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$14

$28

$75

How much do instrumentation fitter jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 31, 2026, the average hourly pay for instrumentation fitter in California is $28.42, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $20.38 and $28.94 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an instrumentation fitter?

An instrumentation fitter installs instruments that can transmit, record, measure, indicate, and control laboratory equipment. In this career, you assemble the equipment you use and fit it to a variety of machines. You also calibrate your tools to make sure your reports are accurate. Your day-to-day duties include checking already installed instruments, disassembling and reassembling parts, setting up equipment, interfacing, and performing tests to ensure proper operations of instruments. Instrumentation fitters who have been in the field for a long time and understand the ins and outs may even work directly with scientists to help design or modify new equipment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an instrumentation fitter, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Instrumentation Fitter, you need a solid background in mechanical and electrical systems, a relevant trade qualification or apprenticeship, and a good understanding of process instrumentation. Familiarity with tools like calibrators, multimeters, and loop-checking devices, as well as knowledge of industry standards such as ISA or IEC, is typically required. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate clearly with team members are crucial soft skills. These abilities ensure accurate installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of instrumentation systems, which are essential for safe and efficient plant operations.

What are some common challenges faced by instrumentation fitters on a typical job site?

Instrumentation Fitters often encounter challenges such as working in confined spaces or hazardous environments, coordinating with multiple trades (like electricians and pipefitters), and interpreting complex technical drawings or specifications. Effective communication and adaptability are crucial, as project requirements may change quickly. Attention to detail and adherence to safety standards are also essential to ensure that instrumentation systems function correctly and safely.

What is the difference between Instrumentation Fitter vs Mechanical Fitter?

AspectInstrumentation FitterMechanical Fitter
CertificationsTrade certificate or diploma in instrumentation or electricalTrade certificate or diploma in mechanical fitting or engineering
Work EnvironmentIndustrial plants, manufacturing facilities, oil & gas sitesFactories, construction sites, maintenance workshops
Job FocusInstalling, maintaining, calibrating instrumentation and control systemsAssembling, repairing, and maintaining mechanical equipment and machinery

Instrumentation Fitters and Mechanical Fitters often work in industrial settings, but their focus differs. Instrumentation Fitters specialize in control systems and instrumentation, while Mechanical Fitters focus on mechanical equipment. Both roles require trade certifications and are essential in manufacturing and industrial maintenance.

Is instrumentation fitting in high demand?

Instrumentation fitters are in steady demand across industries such as manufacturing, oil and gas, and utilities, especially in regions with ongoing infrastructure projects. The role requires technical skills, certifications, and familiarity with tools like calibration equipment, and employment opportunities are often stable due to the essential nature of their work.

What are the duties of an instrumentation fitter?

An instrumentation fitter installs, maintains, and repairs control systems and instruments used in industrial processes. They interpret technical drawings, calibrate equipment, and ensure systems operate safely and efficiently, often working with tools like multimeters and calibration devices. Certification and knowledge of safety standards are typically required for this role.

What does an instrumentation fitter do?

An instrumentation fitter installs, maintains, and repairs control systems and instruments used in industrial processes, such as sensors, gauges, and automation equipment. They interpret technical drawings, use hand and power tools, and often work in environments requiring safety precautions and certifications. Their work ensures that equipment operates accurately and efficiently to support manufacturing or processing operations.
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Instrumentation Fitter jobs near you
Infographic showing various Instrumentation Fitter job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 5% Contract, and 5% Nights. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $59,104 per year, or $28.4 per hour.

Rainmaker Fellow, Atmospheric Instrumentation

El Segundo, CA • On-site

Rainmaker Technology Corporation
See more jobs at Rainmaker Technology Corporationexternal

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Re-posted 8 days ago

Job description

About Rainmaker

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern cloud-seeding system to increase precipitation, improve water availability, and address severe-weather challenges. We combine atmospheric science, weather-resistant UAS, radar and satellite observations, numerical weather prediction, novel sensing systems, and sustainable seeding technologies to design, operate, and evaluate precipitation-enhancement programs.

Rainmaker is building new atmospheric instruments because proprietary, intervention-relevant observations are central to improving our forecasts and operations.

About the Fellowship

The Rainmaker Atmospheric Instrumentation Fellowship is a paid, full-time research and engineering appointment for exceptional undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, recent graduates, and other early-career researchers.

You will join Rainmaker's instrumentation team and work alongside our engineers and scientists on a scoped project drawn from the team's current development priorities and defined in close collaboration with your research lead or mentor. Project matching will consider available hardware and data, mentor capacity, team needs, and your background. You will take responsibility for a concrete experimental or engineering workstream while contributing to the design, testing, and review work of the broader team.

Fellows are not expected to own delivery of an entire instrument program. You will be expected to produce a rigorous, reusable result that advances one important part of it.

Examples of the Work

Fellowship projects change with Rainmaker's instrument-development priorities. Examples of the work our instrumentation team may pursue include:

  • Developing calibration and validation methods for an airborne cloud-particle imaging instrument.
  • Creating controlled targets, fixtures, and acceptance tests for optical or particle-sensing systems.
  • Characterizing measurement uncertainty and environmental sensitivity across laboratory, ground, and flight tests.
  • Designing comparisons between Rainmaker instruments and trusted reference instrumentation.
  • Prototyping a new optical, mechanical, electrical, data-acquisition, or atmospheric-sensing subsystem.
What You'll Do
  • Translate a scientific measurement need into a scoped experimental or engineering plan with your mentor.
  • Build, integrate, calibrate, or test hardware and analysis methods required by the assigned project.
  • Create repeatable calibration procedures for the agreed instrument metrics.
  • Characterize measurement uncertainty and sensitivity to environmental, mechanical, optical, electrical, or algorithmic factors.
  • Build fixtures, test equipment, data-acquisition workflows, and analysis software needed for validation.
  • Help design laboratory, ground, and flight comparisons against reference instrumentation.
  • Connect physical instrument behavior to measurement and retrieval quality.
  • Produce clear documentation, calibration records, acceptance criteria, and reusable analysis code.
  • Deliver a final artifact such as a validated dataset, calibration system, instrument prototype, test method, uncertainty analysis, or technical report.
What We're Looking For
  • Current undergraduate, master's, or PhD students; postdoctoral researchers; recent graduates; and other early-career researchers are all eligible.
  • Background in optical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, atmospheric science, experimental science, or a related field.
  • Strong hands-on experimental ability and willingness to build and troubleshoot hardware personally.
  • Quantitative programming and data-analysis ability.
  • Careful scientific judgment about calibration, uncertainty, repeatability, and validation.
  • Ability to take responsibility for a bounded workstream while collaborating closely with instrumentation engineers and scientists.
  • Availability for full-time, on-site work in El Segundo for the agreed appointment.
Particularly Relevant Experience
  • Digital holography, microscopy, particle imaging, lasers, high-speed cameras, lidar, aerosol instruments, cloud probes, or optical metrology.
  • Calibration fixtures, laboratory automation, uncertainty budgets, environmental testing, or acceptance testing.
  • Scientific Python, image processing, signal processing, or data acquisition.
  • Airborne, UAS-borne, field-deployed, or low-volume scientific instruments.
What Success Looks Like

By the end of the fellowship, you will have answered a clearly defined measurement or engineering question and delivered a documented result the instrumentation team can continue using. Depending on the project, that might be a calibrated prototype, validation dataset, test fixture, acceptance method, uncertainty analysis, or reusable analysis workflow.

Fellowship Details
  • Paid, full-time, and on-site in El Segundo.
  • Three-to-six-month appointment, with four months as the standard duration.
  • Rolling applications and project-specific start dates.
  • Attached directly to Rainmaker's instrumentation team with a named hands-on mentor.
  • Possible consideration for future full-time roles, without any promise or expectation of conversion.
  • Publication may be supported when it does not compromise Rainmaker intellectual property or operational know-how.
Compensation and Benefits

$8,000 per month

Benefits:

  • Full health coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance)
  • Lunch provided when working in-office and a fully stocked kitchenette
  • Free EV charging at the HQ
$8,000 - $8,000 a month
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