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Durin

Automated drilling rigs for mineral exploration

MIG Welder

ContractPosted on 10/21/2026
$100 - $175/hr
Mid
El Segundo, CA, USA
In PersonOn-site at headquarters in El Segundo; full-time for the 2–6 week contract.
Manufacturing & Production OperationsWelding & Metal Fabrication

About the job

Requirements
  • Several years of hands-on structural or production welding on steel, with gas metal arc welding (MIG) as the main process.
  • Comfortable welding in every position on heavy plate and structural steel.
  • Able to read fabrication drawings and weld symbols.
  • Experienced with fit-up, grinding, and associated shop tools.
  • Able to produce welds quickly, consistently, and with good quality, and provide pictures of past welds.
  • Safety-minded and maintains a clean work area.
  • Able to handle physical work, including moving and lifting heavy parts.
  • Reliable and available full-time on-site for the entire 2–6 week contract.
  • Willing to work from the headquarters in El Segundo.
  • Must bring own welding gear, including welding machine, hood, leathers, and personal protective equipment.
Responsibilities
  • Perform production MIG (GMAW) and/or flux-core (FCAW) welding of steel structures and frames for drilling equipment, including plate, gussets, bulkheads, and tube-frame members.
  • Finish welding a large weldment that is already partially fit and tacked, including reaching through access panels to weld internal gussets in tight spots.
  • Perform fit-up, tacking, grinding, and weld cleanup; repair or cut out and redo welds when needed.
  • Read and work from fabrication drawings, weld symbols, and engineers' direction, and flag problems before they cause rework.
  • Manage heat and distortion on long structures and keep alignment within tolerance.
  • Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work area; follow shop safety rules, including hot-work and fire-watch practices, use required PPE, and complete housekeeping at the end of every shift.
  • Work closely with the mechanical engineering and assembly team on a tight build schedule.
Desired Qualifications
  • AWS certification (for example, AWS D1.1 structural) or other current welding certifications.
  • Flux-core (FCAW) experience in addition to MIG.
  • Experience with heavy equipment, mining, oilfield, or other industrial machinery weldments.
  • Experience working to inspection by a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI).
  • Interest in staying on for future work as the build continues.

About the company

Durin develops and operates automated and remotely controlled drill rigs to speed up mineral discovery. It designs, builds, and runs its rigs and collects real-time geological data, integrating this with geological modeling, lab testing, and drillhole planning on a single platform. Rigs gather mineralogical and structural data in minutes and assay data in days, and can be operated remotely to reduce on-site labor and improve safety. The goal is to scale production globally, delivering faster, safer, and more cost-efficient exploration by shortening cycles and improving decision-making.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Seed

Total Funding

$3.4M

Headquarters

El Segundo, California

Founded

2024

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Durin added five 2026 jobs, including drilling operations, signaling active field expansion.
  • The company reports 26 employees and opened Tucson operations to support drilling execution.
  • Durin's March 2025 funding from a16z and Lux Capital validates investor appetite.

What critics are saying

  • Boart Longyear, Epiroc, Atlas Copco, and Caterpillar already dominate drilling hardware.
  • If prototype reliability stalls, Durin stays a services startup with no defensible moat.
  • Critical-minerals demand delays or one failed field program can freeze fundraising before 2027.

What makes Durin unique

  • Durin vertically integrates rigs, drilling operations, assays, and data analytics, tightening feedback loops.
  • Ted Feldmann combines mining-family roots, geophysics, and computer science for product intuition.
  • Durin targets faster mineral discovery by sending rig data to geologists in minutes.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

30%

1 year growth

62%

2 year growth

188%
TechCrunch
Apr 23rd, 2025
Durin digs up $3.4M to automate drills for critical minerals exploration

To get the ball rolling, Durin has raised $3.4 million in a pre-seed round led by 8090 Industries, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. Also participating were 1517, Andreessen Horowitz, Bedrock, Champion Hill, Contrary, Day One Ventures, and Lux Capital.

Rare Earth Exchanges
Apr 23rd, 2025
Durin Mining Technologies Aims to Automate Large Scale Mines

As reported by TechCrunch today, Durin has just secured a $3.4 million pre-seed investment led by 8090 Industries, with backing from notable investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital, and Contrary.