Raytheon Trades Hiring Event Sept 2

Published: August 28, 2026 | By TucsonHIRED Team

TUCSON, AZ — You do not need an engineering degree to work at Raytheon. Next Wednesday the company is putting its manufacturing hiring managers in a room on Oracle Road looking for machinists, maintenance electricians, material handlers and technicians — and the basic qualification is a high school diploma or GED plus one year of relevant experience.

Build Your Future: Off-Site Manufacturing & Skilled Trades Hiring Event. Wednesday, September 2, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Walk-ins welcome.

In a hurry? Skip straight to the job links and begin searching now →

📍 Event at a Glance

Event	Build Your Future: Off-Site Manufacturing & Skilled Trades Hiring Event
Date	Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Time	11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Arizona time (stop by anytime)
Location	El Conquistador Tucson Hilton Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, AZ 85704
Cost	Free
Registration	Encouraged; walk-ins welcome
Roles based at	Raytheon Tucson operations (the event venue is off-site)
Eligibility	External candidates only; current RTX employees should not register

🔧 The Roles They Named

Raytheon published the actual list, which is rare and useful. Opportunities may include:

Precision Production Machinist
Production Machine Operator
Journeyman Machinist
Maintenance Electrician Technician
Calibration Service Technician
Mechanical Service Technician
Manufacturing Technicians
Product Test Specialists
Material Handler
Material Specialist
WIPS

✅ What You Actually Need

The basic qualifications, as published:

High school diploma or GED equivalent
Minimum one year of experience in machine trades, machining, maintenance, manufacturing or related skilled trades
U.S. Person status — U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee or asylee — or eligibility to obtain the necessary export authorizations

Read that first bullet again. No degree. No apprenticeship completion certificate required as a floor. One year of hands-on trades experience and a diploma gets you in the door at the largest private employer in Southern Arizona.

The U.S. Person requirement is not Raytheon being difficult — it is federal export control law that applies to defense manufacturing across the industry.

💪 Why This Is Worth the Drive

Skilled trades work at a defense manufacturer is a genuinely different proposition from most shop jobs in this market.

You get scale and stability. Raytheon's Tucson operation is enormous and the programs run for years, which means the work does not evaporate when one contract ends. You get a benefits package that small shops struggle to match. And you get equipment and process discipline — precision machining to defense tolerances, calibrated instrumentation, formal quality systems — that makes you more valuable everywhere else for the rest of your career.

There is also a ladder. Machine operator to precision machinist to journeyman is a real progression, and maintenance and calibration technicians move into lead and supervisory roles. Manufacturing at this level is a career, not a stopgap.

📋 How to Show Up Ready

Raytheon asks candidates to apply to positions of interest before attending, and that instruction is worth following literally. Browse their Tucson operations openings, apply to two or three that fit, and then introduce yourself at the event as someone who already applied. That is a completely different conversation than "what have you got?"

Beyond that:

Come ready to talk specifics. They explicitly ask you to discuss your skills, experience, certifications and career interests. Know your machines, your controls, your tolerances.
Bring your certifications on paper. Any machining, welding, electrical, calibration or safety credentials.
List the equipment you have run. CNC platforms, controls, manual machines, test and calibration gear. Specifics beat adjectives.
Register in advance so you get the confirmation email with additional event details.
Do not skip it because you lack a certificate. The published floor is a diploma and one year of experience.

🎓 The Long Game if You're Not There Yet

If you do not have the year of experience yet, the path exists locally. Pima Community College runs electrical, HVAC, welding and machining programs out of its Downtown Campus, and registered apprenticeships across Southern Arizona pay you while you train. A year in a machine shop or maintenance role is exactly what makes you eligible for an event like this one next time.

👔 Engineering or Professional Instead?

Raytheon is holding a separate Professional Off-Site Hiring Event on Tuesday, September 1 at the same hotel, covering hardware, software and systems engineering plus digital, quality, finance and program planning roles. Different event, different requirements. If your background is on that side, see → Raytheon Hiring Event September 1: Engineering, Digital, Finance and Quality Jobs in Tucson

What It Means for Job Seekers

Skilled trades are among the most-searched jobs in Tucson month after month — electrician, machinist, maintenance, manufacturing and assembler roles all rank near the top of local job searches. Meanwhile Tucson's manufacturing base keeps expanding, from defense to battery production to precision machining. The demand is real and the supply of qualified people is not keeping up. That is leverage, and it belongs to you.

Search these now:

Want the background first? Our Tucson electrician and electrical trades hub, manufacturing careers guide and welder careers guide cover local pay and requirements. Registration and full details are on Raytheon's event page, and current openings are on the Raytheon Tucson operations job search.

Create a free TucsonHIRED account to get alerts when new manufacturing and skilled trades roles post in Tucson.

Hiring tradespeople in Tucson? Post your openings on TucsonHIRED and reach machinists, electricians and technicians who are already searching.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Raytheon skilled trades hiring event?

Wednesday, September 2, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Arizona time at the El Conquistador Tucson Hilton Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, AZ 85704. Stop by anytime during those hours.

What are the minimum qualifications?

A high school diploma or GED equivalent, a minimum of one year of experience in machine trades, machining, maintenance, manufacturing or related skilled trades, and U.S. Person status or eligibility to obtain necessary export authorizations.

What roles are they hiring for?

Precision production machinist, production machine operator, journeyman machinist, maintenance electrician technician, calibration service technician, mechanical service technician, manufacturing technicians, product test specialists, material handler, material specialist and WIPS.

Do I need to register?

Walk-ins are welcome, but registering in advance is encouraged and gets you a confirmation email with additional details. Raytheon also asks that you apply to positions of interest before attending.

Do I need a security clearance?

The published requirement for this event is U.S. Person status or export authorization eligibility rather than a clearance. Individual roles may vary, so ask at the event.

What is a U.S. Person?

For export control purposes, a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee. It is a federal requirement in defense manufacturing, not a company policy.

Can current RTX employees attend?

No. This event is for external candidates only.

Raytheon Skilled Trades Hiring Event September 2: Machinists, Electricians and Technicians