Welding Engineer

Location

Newport News

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Welding Engineer to support our marine ship repair, shipbuilding, and manufacturing operations.

The Welding Engineer will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining welding procedures, ensuring compliance with applicable military, commercial, and industry standards, and providing technical support to production personnel.

The ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge of welding processes, metallurgy, weld procedure qualifications, and quality assurance requirements associated with naval vessels, commercial ships, and marine structural fabrication.

This position requires close collaboration with engineering, production, quality assurance, and project management teams to ensure welding operations are performed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with contract specifications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Welding Engineering & Technical Support

• Develop, review, qualify, and maintain Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR), and supporting welding documentation.
• Provide technical guidance to welders, supervisors, inspectors, and production personnel.
• Evaluate welding methods, joint designs, filler metals, shielding gases, and welding parameters.
• Troubleshoot welding defects, production challenges, and fabrication issues.
• Develop corrective actions to address weld failures, discontinuities, and nonconforming work.
• Support welding operations involving carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, high‑strength steels, and other marine‑grade alloys.
• Evaluate welding distortion, residual stresses, heat input, and preheat/interpass temperature requirements.
• Assist with the development and implementation of new welding technologies and processes.

Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance

• Ensure welding activities comply with applicable specifications and standards, including:
• MIL-STD-1689, where contractually applicable
• AWS D1.1 and AWS D1.2
• ASME Section IX, where applicable
• ABS and other marine classification society requirements
• Review customer specifications, contract requirements, and engineering drawings for welding compliance.
• Support welder qualification testing and maintain welding qualification requirements.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance and Nondestructive Testing (NDT) personnel to evaluate weld integrity.
• Review radiographic testing (RT), ultrasonic testing (UT), magnetic particle testing (MT), liquid penetrant testing (PT), and visual testing (VT) results.
• Participate in root cause investigations and corrective action development.
• Support customer audits, regulatory inspections, and government quality assurance reviews.

Production & Manufacturing Support

• Work directly with production supervisors and welders to improve welding efficiency, productivity, and quality.
• Evaluate fabrication methods to reduce rework, distortion, and production costs.
• Provide technical support for structural repairs, hull modifications, piping systems, and marine equipment fabrication.
• Assist in developing welding sequences and fabrication plans for complex assemblies.
• Review engineering drawings and provide recommendations regarding weld design and manufacturability.
• Support production planning, material selection, and welding equipment requirements.
• Coordinate with project management to resolve welding‑related technical issues and maintain project schedules.
• Identify opportunities to improve welding processes, equipment, and overall production efficiency.
• Develop and conduct technical training for welders, welding supervisors, and inspection personnel.
• Assist with implementing welding automation and mechanized welding processes.
• Evaluate emerging welding technologies and recommend improvements.
• Support workplace safety initiatives and compliance with applicable OSHA requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Equivalent combinations of education and extensive relevant marine welding experience may be considered.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of welding engineering experience in shipbuilding, ship repair, heavy industrial fabrication, or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience developing and qualifying welding procedures.
• Experience working with military specifications, NAVSEA requirements, or commercial marine welding standards.
• Strong understanding of welding metallurgy, weld discontinuities, and inspection methods.
• Experience supporting production welding operations and resolving technical welding issues.
• Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, welding symbols, and technical specifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• American Welding Society Certified Welding Inspector (AWS CWI).
• AWS Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) or equivalent professional qualifications.
• Experience supporting U.S. Navy ship repair and maintenance contracts.
• Familiarity with NAVSEA Standard Items and applicable military welding requirements.
• Experience welding HY-80, HY-100, HSLA steels, stainless steel, and marine aluminum alloys.
• Experience with GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, SMAW, and SAW processes.
• Experience with welding procedure and welder performance qualification programs.
• Familiarity with ABS, USCG, and other marine regulatory requirements.
• Experience working with government quality assurance representatives and third‑party inspectors.
• Experience with welding automation, robotic welding, or advanced manufacturing processes.
• Strong technical understanding of welding engineering principles and metallurgy.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineering, production, quality assurance, and management personnel.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and technical priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and engineering documentation systems.
• Ability to interpret technical specifications, fabrication drawings, and welding symbols.
• Strong commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Ability to work in shipyards, fabrication facilities, dry docks, and onboard vessels.
• Ability to access confined spaces, ladders, scaffolding, and elevated work areas as required.
• Ability to work around industrial machinery, welding equipment, and active production operations.
• Must be capable of wearing required personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Occasional travel to shipyards, customer facilities, and project locations may be required.
• Must be able to meet applicable customer and facility access requirements.

Eligibility

Must be a US Citizen

Performance Expectations

• Welding procedure compliance and technical accuracy.
• Reduction of welding defects, rework, and repair costs.
• Effectiveness in resolving production welding challenges.
• Maintenance of required welding qualifications and documentation.
• Support of project schedules and production efficiency.
• Successful completion of customer and regulatory inspections.
• Contributions to continuous improvement and welding personnel development.

Salary Range: $135,000.00 To $163,000.00 Annually

Employment Type: Full-Time

Reports To: Director of Engineering / Operations Manager