Maker Lab Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We're looking for an R&D Technician who loves building real hardware, getting their hands dirty, and making experiments actually work. If your happy place is a lab or shop; turning wrenches, wiring up sensors, fixing that one flaky connector, and helping bring bleeding-edge hardware to life, you'll fit right in.

Maritime Fusion is building fusion reactors for ships and off grid energy markets. En route on this endeavor we're commercializing High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cable technology for power distribution while advancing the physics basis of our HTS tokamak to decarbonize global shipping. Since participating in the world's leading startup accelerator, Y Combinator, we've moved quickly to plot the most pragmatic path to getting the First of a Kind (FOAK) fusion reactors out in the world in an application most primed to benefit from recent advances in HTS magnet technology. Our founding team brings a unique blend of hands-on engineering experience from Tesla and SpaceX, combined with deep academic expertise in plasma physics and fusion energy technology from academia and industry.

• Building and assembling hardware and test setups: assembling magnet test stands, power racks, cryogenic plumbing, vacuum systems, and custom fixtures using mechanical drawings and wiring diagrams.
• Hands-on wiring, soldering, and instrumentation: terminating cables and connectors, building harnesses, routing and labeling wiring, soldering boards and connectors, and installing sensors (voltage taps, thermocouples, strain gauges, Hall probes, etc.).
• Running experiments and collecting data: setting up and operating DAQs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, DMMs, and other lab gear; executing test procedures; logging results; and flagging anomalies for the engineering team.
• Supporting cryogenic and vacuum operations: helping assemble and maintain cryostats, handling LN₂, operating vacuum pumps and gauges, leak-checking systems, and keeping an eye on "is everything actually sealed and cold?"
• Standing up and organizing the R&D lab: helping bring the lab online: setting up benches, mounting equipment, organizing tools and parts, labeling everything, and keeping the lab safe, tidy, and functional.
• Debugging hardware on the bench: tracking down loose connections, miswired harnesses, flaky sensors, and mechanical fit-up issues; working side-by-side with engineers to get systems from "it kinda works" to "it works every time."
• Doing whatever it takes in an early-stage startup: from uncrating equipment and assembling racks/furniture to runs to the hardware store; you will be a core part of making the lab and company actually function.

What You Bring

• Hands-on build and test experience: 2+ years as a technician, mechanic, lab tech, or similar role in hardware R&D, manufacturing, automotive/EV, aerospace, electronics, or a related field. (Exceptional hobbyist/maker experience also counts.)
• Comfort with tools and instrumentation: confident using hand tools, basic machine/shop tools, soldering irons, crimpers, multimeters, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and basic DAQ software.
• Ability to read and follow technical documentation: comfortable working from mechanical drawings, simple CAD prints, wiring diagrams, and written procedures, and giving feedback when something does not match reality.
• High ownership and reliability: you take pride in clean builds, good cable management, accurate measurements, and leaving the lab better than you found it.

Bonus points for any of the following

• Experience with vacuum systems, cryogenics, or high-current / high-voltage equipment
• Experience with REBCO/HTS, magnets, or power electronics
• Basic familiarity with Python, LabVIEW, PLCs, or test automation
• Machine shop experience (CNC, manual mill/lathe, drill press, basic fabrication)
• Startup-ready mindset: willingness to do the often overlooked but critical work: assembling office furniture, unpacking crates, organizing inventory, and helping build a world-class lab from the ground up.

Compensation

100k-160k base + 0.1-0.25% equity (depending on experience and background)

$100,000 - $160,000 per year