Aerospace & Defense OPT Jobs in California
California is one of the strongest states for aerospace and defense F-1 OPT jobs, with major employers like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, and SpaceX operating across the state. Engineering, systems analysis, and defense technology roles in Los Angeles, El Segundo, San Diego, and the Inland Empire regularly hire international students on OPT authorization.
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Get Access To All JobsFantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.
GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.
Job Summary
Own the conversion of maintenance demand into planned, prioritized, scheduled, and executable work for the Garden Grove Facilities Engineering, Repair & Maintenance organization. The Maintenance Planner/Scheduler leads work-order triage, job planning, weekly scheduling, PM load leveling, backlog governance, and work-package readiness using Maintenance Connection as the planning system of record. The role partners closely with the Maintenance CMMS Specialist but is differentiated by ownership of job plans, schedule build, execution readiness, backlog health, and cross-functional coordination with maintenance, operations, stores, reliability, and facilities engineering.
Job Responsibilities
1. Work-Order Triage & Job Planning
Review incoming and open work orders in Maintenance Connection to clarify scope, priority, safety considerations, asset information, skills, labor, materials, drawings, vendor needs, and equipment-availability windows. Convert approved non-emergency work into executable job plans and PM work packages with clear material readiness, production access, permit, and closeout expectations.
2. Weekly Scheduling, PM Load Leveling & Schedule Governance
Build and maintain the weekly maintenance schedule with maintenance supervisors, operations, reliability, stores, facilities engineering, and contractors. Balance planned corrective work, PMs, safety/compliance work, available labor, shutdown windows, emergency capacity, and operations downtime. Track schedule compliance, break-ins, missed PMs, and recovery actions.
3. Backlog Management, Prioritization & Stakeholder Coordination
Own backlog review routines that segment open work by priority, risk, age, resource need, and work type. Partner with operations and maintenance leadership to confirm priorities, escalate blocked work, and convert backlog into scheduled execution.
4. Communication, Tier Board Participation & KPI Follow-Up
Maintain timely, professional communication on planning, scheduling, PM, and work-order support needs. Clarify ownership, timing, constraints, and follow-up. Participate in Tier routines by communicating planned work status, schedule risks, PM recovery needs, break-ins, and KPI follow-up.
5. Materials, Spares, Contractor & Work-Package Readiness
Coordinate with Stores, buyers, supervisors, facilities engineering, and service providers to confirm parts, kitting, repairables, vendor support, permits, access, and documentation before work is released. Identify material, contractor, or access constraints early to reduce schedule churn and technician waiting time.
6. CMMS Planning Discipline, Asset/PM Plan Support & KPI Inputs
Use Maintenance Connection to maintain planning fields, job-plan details, schedule status, PM due dates, labor estimates, material needs, and backlog categories. Support asset and PM record buildout where needed for planning accuracy and PM coverage, while the CMMS Specialist retains ownership of CMMS configuration, master-data governance, dashboards, and system administration. Provide planning and schedule inputs for maintenance KPIs.
7. PM Optimization Support, Reliability Interface & Backup CMMS Support
Support reliability and PM optimization by bringing planning, schedule, backlog, and work-history insights into cross-functional reviews. Serve as backup to the Maintenance CMMS Specialist for routine Maintenance Connection user guidance, work-order data corrections, reporting pulls, and basic data-quality support.
Job Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology, Engineering, Maintenance Management, Operations Management, Business, or related field; equivalent maintenance planning experience may be considered.
- 3 years of maintenance planning, scheduling, PM coordination, backlog management, or comparable maintenance operations experience.
- Hands-on CMMS experience planning work, managing work orders, scheduling PMs, reviewing backlog, estimating labor/material needs, and supporting maintenance KPIs.
- Working knowledge of PMs, corrective maintenance, work-order prioritization, job planning, schedule compliance, material readiness, and backlog governance.
- Ability to coordinate effectively with technicians, supervisors, stores, buyers, reliability, facilities engineering, operations, contractors, and leadership.
- U.S. Person status as required to support export compliance and ITAR-controlled aerospace and defense manufacturing operations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Maintenance Connection experience strongly preferred, including work-order planning, PM scheduling, backlog review, reporting, and asset/work-history navigation.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, cleanroom, chemical, utilities, CNC, autoclave, chamber, HVAC, or regulated manufacturing environments.
- Experience building weekly schedules, facilitating scheduling routines, and tracking schedule adherence or break-in work.
- Experience coordinating kitted parts, critical spares, vendors, shutdown windows, permits, drawings, and contractor readiness.
- Experience with Excel, Power BI, or similar tools for backlog analysis, PM compliance, schedule metrics, and planning dashboards.
Compensation Data
Salary Range: $84,048.00 - $105,059.00
We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?
A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working
Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.
We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.
We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.
Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.
GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.
Job Summary
Own the conversion of maintenance demand into planned, prioritized, scheduled, and executable work for the Garden Grove Facilities Engineering, Repair & Maintenance organization. The Maintenance Planner/Scheduler leads work-order triage, job planning, weekly scheduling, PM load leveling, backlog governance, and work-package readiness using Maintenance Connection as the planning system of record. The role partners closely with the Maintenance CMMS Specialist but is differentiated by ownership of job plans, schedule build, execution readiness, backlog health, and cross-functional coordination with maintenance, operations, stores, reliability, and facilities engineering.
Job Responsibilities
1. Work-Order Triage & Job Planning
Review incoming and open work orders in Maintenance Connection to clarify scope, priority, safety considerations, asset information, skills, labor, materials, drawings, vendor needs, and equipment-availability windows. Convert approved non-emergency work into executable job plans and PM work packages with clear material readiness, production access, permit, and closeout expectations.
2. Weekly Scheduling, PM Load Leveling & Schedule Governance
Build and maintain the weekly maintenance schedule with maintenance supervisors, operations, reliability, stores, facilities engineering, and contractors. Balance planned corrective work, PMs, safety/compliance work, available labor, shutdown windows, emergency capacity, and operations downtime. Track schedule compliance, break-ins, missed PMs, and recovery actions.
3. Backlog Management, Prioritization & Stakeholder Coordination
Own backlog review routines that segment open work by priority, risk, age, resource need, and work type. Partner with operations and maintenance leadership to confirm priorities, escalate blocked work, and convert backlog into scheduled execution.
4. Communication, Tier Board Participation & KPI Follow-Up
Maintain timely, professional communication on planning, scheduling, PM, and work-order support needs. Clarify ownership, timing, constraints, and follow-up. Participate in Tier routines by communicating planned work status, schedule risks, PM recovery needs, break-ins, and KPI follow-up.
5. Materials, Spares, Contractor & Work-Package Readiness
Coordinate with Stores, buyers, supervisors, facilities engineering, and service providers to confirm parts, kitting, repairables, vendor support, permits, access, and documentation before work is released. Identify material, contractor, or access constraints early to reduce schedule churn and technician waiting time.
6. CMMS Planning Discipline, Asset/PM Plan Support & KPI Inputs
Use Maintenance Connection to maintain planning fields, job-plan details, schedule status, PM due dates, labor estimates, material needs, and backlog categories. Support asset and PM record buildout where needed for planning accuracy and PM coverage, while the CMMS Specialist retains ownership of CMMS configuration, master-data governance, dashboards, and system administration. Provide planning and schedule inputs for maintenance KPIs.
7. PM Optimization Support, Reliability Interface & Backup CMMS Support
Support reliability and PM optimization by bringing planning, schedule, backlog, and work-history insights into cross-functional reviews. Serve as backup to the Maintenance CMMS Specialist for routine Maintenance Connection user guidance, work-order data corrections, reporting pulls, and basic data-quality support.
Job Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology, Engineering, Maintenance Management, Operations Management, Business, or related field; equivalent maintenance planning experience may be considered.
- 3 years of maintenance planning, scheduling, PM coordination, backlog management, or comparable maintenance operations experience.
- Hands-on CMMS experience planning work, managing work orders, scheduling PMs, reviewing backlog, estimating labor/material needs, and supporting maintenance KPIs.
- Working knowledge of PMs, corrective maintenance, work-order prioritization, job planning, schedule compliance, material readiness, and backlog governance.
- Ability to coordinate effectively with technicians, supervisors, stores, buyers, reliability, facilities engineering, operations, contractors, and leadership.
- U.S. Person status as required to support export compliance and ITAR-controlled aerospace and defense manufacturing operations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Maintenance Connection experience strongly preferred, including work-order planning, PM scheduling, backlog review, reporting, and asset/work-history navigation.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, cleanroom, chemical, utilities, CNC, autoclave, chamber, HVAC, or regulated manufacturing environments.
- Experience building weekly schedules, facilitating scheduling routines, and tracking schedule adherence or break-in work.
- Experience coordinating kitted parts, critical spares, vendors, shutdown windows, permits, drawings, and contractor readiness.
- Experience with Excel, Power BI, or similar tools for backlog analysis, PM compliance, schedule metrics, and planning dashboards.
Compensation Data
Salary Range: $84,048.00 - $105,059.00
We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?
A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working
Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.
We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.
We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.
OPT Aerospace & Defense Job Roles in California
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Search Aerospace & Defense Jobs in CaliforniaAerospace & Defense OPT Sponsorship Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which aerospace and defense companies sponsor F-1 OPT visas in California?
Several large California-based contractors have established histories of hiring F-1 OPT candidates, including Northrop Grumman (El Segundo and Redondo Beach), Lockheed Martin (Palmdale and Sunnyvale), Raytheon Technologies (El Segundo), Boeing (Long Beach and Huntington Beach), SpaceX (Hawthorne), and Aerojet Rocketdyne (Sacramento). Many mid-size defense suppliers and aerospace engineering firms across the state also participate in OPT hiring, though availability varies by role and clearance requirements.
Which cities in California have the most aerospace and defense F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
The Los Angeles metropolitan area, including El Segundo, Hawthorne, Torrance, and Long Beach, is the densest cluster of aerospace and defense employers in California. San Diego has a strong naval defense and unmanned systems presence. The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento corridor host satellite, space launch, and propulsion employers. Palmdale and the Antelope Valley are home to major aircraft development and test facilities.
What types of aerospace and defense roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship?
Roles that commonly align with F-1 OPT authorization in this industry include systems engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, electrical and avionics engineering, software engineering for flight and defense systems, propulsion engineering, structural analysis, and manufacturing engineering. Research and development positions tied to STEM-eligible degrees can also qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, which is particularly relevant in California's aerospace sector.
How do I find aerospace and defense F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international students and filters aerospace and defense roles in California by visa type, including F-1 OPT. Rather than manually screening hundreds of postings, you can search directly for positions where employers have indicated OPT sponsorship. Migrate Mate also surfaces companies with established hiring patterns for F-1 candidates in the California aerospace market, saving significant time in your job search.
Are there any state-specific or industry-specific considerations for F-1 OPT in California aerospace and defense?
Security clearance is a significant factor in California's defense sector. Many positions with major defense contractors require a U.S. government security clearance, which F-1 OPT holders are generally not eligible to obtain, as clearances require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency in most cases. This narrows the pool of available roles, so targeting commercial aerospace, space launch, satellite, and unclassified engineering positions typically yields more F-1 OPT opportunities in California.