Job Description

Overview

Zekelman Industries is a leading independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer in North America, seeking an Electrician to maintain and repair tube mill production equipment in Chicago. This role requires strong electrical skills and a proactive mindset to ensure operational efficiency and safety.

Responsibilities

  • Maintain electrical systems on production equipment following safety procedures, including LOTO compliance.
  • Ensure guards and safety devices are installed and functioning before equipment is turned over to operations.
  • Monitor and inspect equipment using both manual and computerized maintenance systems.
  • Read and interpret blueprints, schematics, and manuals for effective troubleshooting and repairs.
  • Use hand tools, power tools, hoists, cranes, measuring devices, and testing equipment for electrical tasks.
  • Troubleshoot process and equipment problems, accurately identifying and resolving electrical faults.
  • Execute breakdown maintenance, preventive maintenance, and electrical changeovers on production lines.
  • Maintain clean, audit-ready work areas after completing electrical tasks.
  • Provide guidance to co-workers and communicate effectively with team members.
  • Report unresolved safety, quality, or production issues to supervisor promptly.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

  • Journeyman card, Associate’s Degree, or equivalent required.
  • 2+ years of electrical maintenance experience in a heavy industrial or manufacturing environment.
  • Experience in tube mill or steel manufacturing preferred.
  • Skilled in reading schematics, using diagnostic tools, and following maintenance documentation.
  • Capable of basic math and using measuring equipment accurately.
  • Strong communication, teamwork, and listening skills.
  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. and perform physical tasks such as standing, bending, climbing, and stooping.
  • Proficient in basic computer usage.
  • Maintains regular, full-time onsite attendance per posted schedule.
  • Leads and promotes safe work practices in accordance with OSHA and company policy.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • 401k
  • Life Insurance
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Shift: 11p-7a or 3p-11p

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
Life Insurance
PTO

How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $31/hr, this posting comes in about 13% below the $36/hr median for welding jobs in Chicago, IL, where the middle half runs $29–$50/hr across 76 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 34% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Chicago, IL

We're tracking 104 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 73 different employers. 35 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 349 other active welding openings from 257 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Chicago, or widen the search to Illinois.

Zekelman Industries currently has 1 other opening live in Illinois, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are S&C Electric Company (16), Gerber Collision & Glass (7), and Ingersoll Rand (5). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Chicago at $36/hr, Itasca at $36/hr, and Melrose Park at $34/hr. Chicago is among them.

Similar openings near Chicago, IL

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Electrician figures were last recalculated when this page was built.