Lead Orbital Welder – Stainless Steel & Welding Operations The Lead Orbital Welder – Stainless Steel & Welding Operations is a highly hands-on technical position responsible for performing precision orbital and manual welding while helping establish and grow stainless-steel welding as a core company capability. This position is intended for an experienced welder who wants to do more than weld. The successful candidate will have technical expertise, initiative, and leadership aptitude to help build a welding operation from the ground up, including developing processes and standards, identifying equipment and tooling requirements, training and mentoring welders, supporting qualification activities, and ultimately helping build a high-performing welding team as business demand increases. Initially, this individual will spend the majority of their time performing production and project welding. As the operation grows, the role is expected to evolve into increasing responsibility for technical leadership, training, quality, workforce development, and welding operations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Perform high-quality orbital GTAW/TIG welding on stainless-steel tubing and piping systems.
Set up, program, operate, troubleshoot, and maintain orbital welding equipment and associated tooling.
Perform manual GTAW/TIG welding when required by project specifications or configuration.
Prepare tubing and piping through proper cutting, facing, cleaning, alignment, fit-up, and purging techniques.
Produce consistent, repeatable welds meeting applicable customer, engineering, quality, and code requirements.
Work with stainless-steel tubing, piping, fittings, valves, and fabricated assemblies.
Interpret drawings, isometrics, P&IDs, weld maps, specifications, and fabrication documentation.
Inspect completed work and identify weld defects, contamination, fit-up issues, or process deviations before assemblies advance to subsequent operations.
Maintain proper material handling and contamination-control practices for stainless-steel components.
Build the Welding Capability:
Help establish stainless-steel orbital welding as an internal company capability.
Assist in selecting and standardizing welding machines, orbital weld heads, power supplies, purge equipment, tooling, consumables, inspection equipment, and supporting infrastructure.
Develop repeatable welding practices, setup standards, work instructions, and process controls.
Partner with Engineering, Quality, Construction, Manufacturing, and Operations to establish efficient workflows from material preparation through final inspection.
Help establish appropriate shop layout, material flow, segregation, cleanliness, and contamination-control practices for stainless-steel welding.
Identify opportunities to improve productivity, weld consistency, quality, and throughput.
Support estimating and project planning by providing practical input regarding weld requirements, labor hours, equipment, tooling, and production capability.
Quality & Welding Standards:
Support the development and implementation of Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR), and welder qualification requirements, as applicable.
Maintain compliance with applicable customer specifications, internal quality requirements, and governing welding codes and standards.
Support weld documentation, traceability, weld mapping, inspection records, and qualification records.
Work closely with Quality and Engineering to investigate weld failures, defects, and nonconformances and implement effective corrective actions.
Promote a culture in which weld quality, cleanliness, workmanship, and process discipline are non-negotiable.
Team Development & Leadership:
Serve as the technical lead and subject-matter resource for orbital and stainless-steel welding.
Help identify staffing requirements as welding volume increases.
Participate in interviewing and evaluating prospective welders and welding support personnel.
Train, mentor, and develop new welders in company welding methods, quality expectations, safety requirements, and customer specifications.
Assess welder capability and provide hands-on coaching to improve technique and consistency.
Help develop a scalable training and qualification program that creates a pipeline of qualified welders.
Lead by example and remain willing to work alongside the team as the department grows.
As business needs expand, assume increasing responsibility for day-to-day welding operations, workload coordination, technical leadership, and team performance.
Qualifications:
RequiredMinimum 5 years of professional GTAW/TIG welding experience, with significant experience welding stainless-steel tubing and/or piping.
Demonstrated hands-on experience with orbital welding equipment and processes.
Strong understanding of stainless-steel welding characteristics, shielding and purge gases, heat input, cleanliness, fit-up, and contamination prevention.
Ability to consistently produce high-quality welds in a production, fabrication, or construction environment.
Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, piping isometrics, weld symbols, specifications, and related documentation.
Experience setting up, programming, operating, and troubleshooting orbital welding systems.
Strong mechanical aptitude and practical problem-solving skills.
Ability and willingness to remain highly hands-on while simultaneously developing processes and people.
Demonstrated ability or aptitude to train, mentor, and lead other skilled tradespeople.
Strong commitment to safety, quality, workmanship, and accountability.
Preferred:
Experience with high-purity or ultra-high-purity stainless-steel piping systems.
Experience supporting semiconductor, aerospace, chemical-processing, or other high-purity manufacturing environments.
Experience with automated/orbital Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) systems such as AMI or equivalent equipment.
Familiarity with ASME Section IX, ASME B31.3, AWS standards, or other applicable welding codes.
Experience developing or working with WPS, PQR, WPQ, weld maps, weld logs, and traceability documentation.
Experience with borescope inspection and weld-quality acceptance criteria.
Previous experience serving as a Lead Welder, Welding Supervisor, Welding Technician, or welding trainer.
Experience helping launch or expand a welding, fabrication, or manufacturing operation.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Advanced stainless-steel GTAW/TIG and orbital welding knowledge.
Strong understanding of tube preparation, alignment, fit-up, purge practices, shielding gases, tungsten selection, weld parameters, and heat control.
Ability to troubleshoot welding equipment, tooling, weld programs, and process problems.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to repeatable workmanship.
Ability to translate welding expertise into standardized processes that can be taught to others.
Ability to distinguish between a one-time welding solution and a scalable production process.
Effective communication and coaching skills.
Strong sense of ownership and willingness to identify and solve problems without waiting for detailed direction.
Ability to work effectively across Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Construction, and Project Management.
Ability to balance production requirements with uncompromising safety and quality expectations.
Physical Requirements:- Ability to stand, bend, kneel, climb, and work in various positions for extended periods.
- Ability to safely lift and handle welding equipment, tubing, piping, fixtures, and related materials.
- Ability to work in fabrication, manufacturing, cleanroom, and active construction environments as required.
- Ability to use appropriate PPE and comply with all welding, hot-work, and site-specific safety requirements.
- Success in This Role
- Success in this position will be measured not only by the individual's ability to produce exceptional welds, but by their ability to build a sustainable welding capability for the company.
The successful individual will progress from being the primary hands-on technical expert to helping establish standardized processes, developing other welders, increasing internal welding capacity, and ultimately building a team capable of supporting increasingly complex stainless-steel welding projects.
This is an opportunity for an accomplished welder who wants to build something, not simply inherit an existing welding department.
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications required. Management reserves the right to
