Lockheed to hire up to 1,000 people at another job fair this month

FORT WORTH - Lockheed Martin is looking for another 1,000 people to help build the F-35 at its Fort Worth plant.

The company will hold its third job fair this summer on Aug. 29, specifically seeking to hire aircraft mechanics, structural assemblers, electrical assemblers and “low observable material coaters,” who apply stealth material to the jets. Job seekers are being asked to pre-register for the event which will be held at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel.

“We are shooting to have about 2,000 that would be registered for the event,” said Lockheed Martin spokesman Ken Ross. “We’re not quite there yet. We think there is interest out there.”

Ross said the company plans to offer letters of intent to between 800 to 1,000 people that day.

Those who are offered a letter of intent for a manufacturing position at the job fair will still have to take a written test and pass a standard background check and drug screen. If they pass the written test, they will then get a start date to work on Lockheed’s manufacturing line, Ross said.

Applicants being hired for the production line will make between $44,000 and $77,000 a year, depending on their experience level, and add to a growing level of factory jobs in Tarrant County.

More than 3,000 people showed up for a similar job fair last month in downtown Fort Worth and the company offered 850 letters of intent on the spot. In June, Lockheed made about 600 job offers.

Earlier this year, Lockheed said it planned to hire more than 1,800 workers to handle growing production of its F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Lockheed employs about 14,000 workers at its west Fort Worth aeronautics complex.

Lockheed is ramping up production of its F-35 to fulfill growing orders to the U.S. military and foreign allies. Last year, the company built about 50 F-35s and it plans to build up to 160 a year by 2019.

Last month, Lockheed was awarded a $5.58 billion down payment for the 11th contract with the Pentagon to help defray costs until it reaches a final agreement with Defense Department negotiators.

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