Sr. / Principal Welding Process Engineer
Location
Stevensville, MD
Wage
$116,000 – $156,000/yr
Employment Type
Full-time
Apply for This Position
Posted on August 3, 2026
Job Description
Overview
Hydrasearch is seeking a Senior / Principal Welding Process Engineer in Stevensville, MD, to develop welding and joining capabilities for aerospace, naval, and defense programs. The role involves solving manufacturing capability gaps and establishing technical infrastructure for growth in regulated markets.
Responsibilities
- Identify and solve manufacturing capability gaps limiting growth and develop internal welding knowledge and standards.
- Drive rapid cycles of welding procedure development (WPS), procedure qualifications (PQR), and personnel qualifications (WPQ).
- Interpret and apply AWS, ASME, NAVSEA, and customer-specific welding requirements.
- Provide early technical input to development teams to ensure manufacturability and prevent late-stage rework.
- Support the development of joining processes including welding, brazing, and tube joining.
- Support 'make vs. partner' decisions and ensure the clean transition of qualified processes into production.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related field.
- 10+ years or equivalent experience in welding engineering or welding process development within compliance-driven manufacturing environments.
- Deep knowledge of welding metallurgy, various welding processes, and inspection methods (VT, PT, RT, UT).
- Extensive experience qualifying welding procedures and developing welder certification programs.
- Thorough understanding of AS9100 special process requirements.
- A 'builder' mindset with a bias toward execution over discussion and the ability to work effectively in small, fast-paced teams.
- Travel may be required, both domestically and internationally.
Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental
- Vision
- 401k
- PTO
Additional Information
- Location: 203A Log Canoe Circle, Stevensville, MD 21666-2128
- Work Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
PTO
How this job compares in Stevensville, MD
Pay in context
At roughly $65/hr, this posting sits about 125% above the $29/hr median for welding jobs across Maryland — toward the top of a $27–$32/hr middle band drawn from 59 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 100% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.
The local market in Stevensville, MD
This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Stevensville, MD, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Maryland as a whole we're tracking 66 other active welding openings from 30 employers. Browse welding jobs across Maryland.
The most active employers in Maryland at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Adecco (18), U.S. Coast Guard (7), and Better Engineering (6). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.
Certifications this posting mentions
- ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.
- NAVSEA — the Naval Sea Systems Command welding standards used on US Navy shipbuilding and repair. Qualification is yard-specific and typically comes with a background check.
Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.
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Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Sr. / Principal Welding Process Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.