Job Description

Overview

As a Floater Operator at Zekelman Industries, you will play a key role in safely operating and maintaining production machinery to support efficient mill operations. Zekelman is the largest independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer in North America, with a legacy dating back to 1877.

Responsibilities

  • Perform work in accordance with company safety policies and report unsafe conditions immediately.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve production issues while communicating effectively with the mill crew.
  • Follow and communicate the mill schedule to ensure adherence to production timelines.
  • Interface with supervision, mill crew, and other departments to support safe and efficient operations.
  • Communicate quality requirements and ensure product standards are consistently met.
  • Relay daily production updates to supervision and other shifts.
  • Maintain offline requirements to support quick-change operations.
  • Coordinate with maintenance teams to support repairs and equipment adjustments.
  • Calibrate micrometers at the start of each shift and during changeovers.
  • Perform size, gauge, grade, and shape changes online as required.
  • Direct and assist in changeovers while inspecting tooling condition after each rolling.
  • Support other team positions and assist in cross-training team members.
  • Maintain housekeeping standards across all work areas.
  • Perform preventive maintenance activities as assigned.
  • Maintain regular, full-time, predictable onsite attendance.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of manufacturing experience, preferred.
  • Trade certification, preferred.
  • Strong mechanical aptitude with basic math skills.
  • Experience using precision measuring instruments such as micrometers and calipers, preferred.
  • Crane certification required.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Commitment to promoting safe work practices in accordance with regulatory and company policies.

Benefits

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

Benefits

401k
Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO

How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $30/hr, this posting comes in about 21% below the $38/hr median for welding jobs in Chicago, IL, where the middle half runs $29–$49/hr across 71 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 25% 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 88 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 49 different employers. 18 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 349 other active welding openings from 223 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.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are S&C Electric Company (14), Staff on Site (13), and Gerber Collision & Glass (11). 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 $38/hr, Itasca at $36/hr, and Elk Grove Village 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. Floater Operator figures were last recalculated when this page was built.