How to hire a composite technician

How to hire a composite technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step composite technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a composite technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new composite technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a composite technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a composite technician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A composite technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, composite technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of composite technicians.

   Type of Composite Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Composite Technician	Metal and plastic machine workers set up and operate machines that cut, shape, and form metal and plastic materials or pieces.	$12-20
   Molder Operator	A molder operator sets up for the production of millwork, which is a crucial and major output of precision wood products. This position requires experience with all machinery associated with the woodworking industry... Show more	$12-18
   Mold Setter	A mold setter positions molds used to cast products from a variety of materials such as plastic, metals, lead and composites. In this position, they are responsible for controlling the flow of materials into a machine, monitoring the process to prevent issues, and interpreting blueprints to ensure machinery is set accordingly... Show more	$12-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Hand Tools
   • Calipers
   • Composite Materials
   • Engineering Drawings
   • Grinders
   • Autoclaves
   • Vacuum Bag
   • Math
   • FOD
   • Process Specifications
   • FAA
   • Expiration Dates
   • Aircraft Components
   • Basic Math

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage utilization of LOTO procedures, GMP standards and OSHA safety standards.
   • Fabricate parts from stock maintaining alloy, heat treat, surface finish including aluminum, stainless steel and titanium.
   • Complete courses on OSHA requirements.
   • Maintain MSDS and other OSHA relate paperwork.
   • Be aware FOD and other hazards when working with chemicals.
   • Inspect every layer to ensure that they are all FOD free.

   More composite technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the composite technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. A composite technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a composite technician in South Dakota may be lower than in Oregon, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level composite technician. Additionally, a composite technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average composite technician salary

   $16.05hourly

   $33,380 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level composite technician salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average composite technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nebraska	$37,643	$18
   2	Arizona	$36,960	$18
   3	California	$34,818	$17
   4	Colorado	$34,772	$17
   5	North Dakota	$34,458	$17
   6	Utah	$34,070	$16
   7	New Mexico	$33,456	$16
   8	Alabama	$32,167	$15
   9	Illinois	$31,954	$15
   10	North Carolina	$31,771	$15
   11	Texas	$31,544	$15
   12	Ohio	$31,148	$15
   13	Mississippi	$30,801	$15
   14	Oklahoma	$30,593	$15
   15	Virginia	$30,563	$15
   16	Georgia	$29,030	$14
   17	Florida	$28,084	$14
   18	Louisiana	$26,967	$13
   19	South Carolina	$26,540	$13
   20	Kansas	$24,819	$12

   Average composite technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Aurora Flight Sciences	$43,872	$21.09
   2	Aviation Technology Group	$43,761	$21.04
   3	Boeing	$41,522	$19.96	12
   4	Textron	$41,424	$19.92	14
   5	Joby Aviation	$41,168	$19.79
   6	Lockheed Martin	$40,803	$19.62	14
   7	Spirit AeroSystems	$40,424	$19.43
   8	Wabtec Corporation	$40,206	$19.33	1
   9	Raytheon Technologies	$40,123	$19.29	1
   10	Firefly Aerospace	$39,990	$19.23
   11	Robertson Fuel Systems	$39,934	$19.20
   12	L3Harris	$39,521	$19.00	2
   13	Griffon Aerospace	$39,365	$18.93	2
   14	Donatech	$39,210	$18.85
   15	Erickson	$38,884	$18.69	2
   16	Medical Billing	$37,648	$18.10
   17	Park Electrochemical	$37,333	$17.95
   18	Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services	$36,231	$17.42	5
   19	Science and Technology	$34,911	$16.78
   20	Fralock	$34,859	$16.76

4. Writing a composite technician job description

   A composite technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a composite technician job description:

   Composite technician job description example

   An outstanding, full-time opening has become available at a highly reputable Manufacturing Company in the Duwamish-Seattle area who is in need of a Marine Composite/Fiberglass Technician with experience in Hull Construction . This position would earn a generous base salary and great benefits including insurance benefits, 401k w/ matching, PTO, and other great perks.

   All candidates MUST have the following experiences to qualify for consideration

   • Please DO NOT APPLY unless you have 2+ years of Fiberglass/Composite experience constructing Hulls of ships, boats, yachts, etc. is a MUST
   • Demonstrated experience working with other team members to build smaller- specific parts, lay-up or fabrication of engineered composite (fiberglass) structures per project specifications is a MUST
   • Having the ability to prepare, use and maintain composite tools, including resin dispensing equipment is a MUST
   • Ability to pay attention to detail and self-inspect work to ensure quality defects are minimized is a MUST
   • Ability to use grinding, cutting and trimming tools is a MUST
   • Utilization of all required PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and frequent work with fiberglass/composite materials is a MUST

   Compensation DOE - If interested and qualified, please submit your most up-to-date resume for our review and consideration!

   Company DescriptionPlacing professionals in full-time permanent positions nationwide for over 20 years.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find composite technicians for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your composite technician job on Zippia to find and recruit composite technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting composite technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new composite technician

   Once you've selected the best composite technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new composite technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a composite technician?