Metal Fabricator

Senior Stainless Steel Fabricator / Sanitary TIG Welder A leading food manufacturing operation in Northvale, NJ is seeking an experienced Senior Stainless Steel Fabricator / Sanitary TIG Welder to join its Engineering and Maintenance team. This is not a production-line welding position. We're looking for a highly skilled fabricator who can independently take projects from concept and field measurements through layout, cutting, fabrication, sanitary welding, finishing, installation, and turnover. The ideal candidate has extensive experience with TIG/GTAW and MIG/GMAW stainless-steel welding and understands the sanitary fabrication requirements of food, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, or similar regulated manufacturing environments. What You'll Do Fabricate, modify, install, and repair stainless-steel production equipment, piping, structures, and components. Perform high-quality TIG (GTAW) and MIG (GMAW) welding, including thin-gauge stainless and sanitary applications. Work with 304 and 316L stainless steel and other food-grade materials. Fabricate and install sanitary tubing, Tri-Clamp fittings, weld ferrules, and butt-weld connections. Build and modify platforms, guarding, hoppers, chutes, tables, tanks, conveyors, piping, and processing equipment. Take fabrication projects from field measurements and layout through installation and final turnover. Read and interpret blueprints, weld symbols, schematics, P&IDs, and engineering drawings. Grind, polish, passivate, and finish stainless-steel surfaces to sanitary standards. Produce shop sketches and as-built information from field measurements. Partner with Engineering and Maintenance on equipment modifications and continuous-improvement projects. Support equipment installations, relocations, utility tie-ins, commissioning, and capital projects. Fabricate replacement components in-house to reduce equipment downtime and OEM lead times. Support preventive maintenance and equipment upgrades. Document labor, materials, work orders, and equipment history using a CMMS. Maintain a safe, organized, and inspection-ready fabrication shop. Mentor junior fabricators and maintenance technicians on welding, layout, and sanitary fabrication practices. Required Qualifications High school diploma or GED. 7+ years of hands-on welding and fabrication experience. 3+ years working in food, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, or another sanitary manufacturing environment. Advanced TIG and MIG stainless-steel welding skills. Experience with thin-gauge and sanitary stainless applications. Experience with sanitary tubing and fittings, including Tri-Clamp fittings, weld ferrules, and butt welds. Strong layout, cutting, grinding, polishing, and stainless-steel finishing skills. Ability to read engineering drawings, blueprints, weld symbols, and P&IDs. Understanding of sanitary design principles and food-grade fabrication. Familiarity with CIP (Clean-in-Place) systems. Ability to independently take fabrication projects from concept through installation. Strong commitment to safety, quality, sanitation, and workmanship. Preferred Qualifications Welding certification, trade-school training, or completion of a welding/fabrication apprenticeship is preferred. Experience with AWS D1.6, ASME Section IX, orbital welding, compressed air, steam, water, glycol, natural gas, scissor lifts, aerial lifts, or powered industrial trucks is also highly desirable. Safety & Sanitation Because this position operates within food manufacturing, the successful candidate must understand the importance of sanitary fabrication and contamination prevention. Work must comply with applicable GMP, GFSI/SQF, OSHA, LOTO, hot-work, confined-space, fall-protection, sanitation, and foreign-material-control procedures. Work Environment Candidates must be comfortable working in manufacturing conditions that may include wet, cold/freezer, hot, elevated, and confined environments. Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs and push/pull up to 30 lbs. Occasional weekend and shutdown work may be required based on operational needs. Why This Opportunity? This is an opportunity for an experienced fabricator to move beyond simply executing assigned welds. You'll serve as a senior technical resource for sanitary stainless-steel fabrication, working directly with Engineering and Maintenance to solve production challenges, improve equipment, support capital projects, and help establish high fabrication standards throughout the facility. If you're an experienced TIG welder, stainless-steel fabricator, or sanitary welder who takes pride in precision workmanship and can take a project from concept through installation, we want to hear from you. Apply today! All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations. GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.