Job Description

Overview

PALA Interstate, LLC is seeking a Combo Welder with experience in Stick and TIG welding on various sizes of piping in an industrial environment. The role requires the ability to read and interpret specifications and plans, as well as maintain a clean and safe work environment.

Responsibilities

  • Read and study layout, blueprints, diagrams, work orders, and welding procedures.
  • Plan work in logical sequence and determine necessary tools and equipment.
  • Lay out, position, align, and fit components together.
  • Bolt, clamp, and tack weld parts to secure them for welding.
  • Obtain specified electrode and insert it into the portable holder or thread it through the welding gun.
  • Connect cables from the welding unit to obtain specified amperage, voltage, slope, and pulse.
  • Start power supply to produce electric current.
  • Strike arc to generate heat for melting and depositing metal.
  • Manually guide electrode or gun along weld line to form specified depth of fusion and bead.
  • Weld in flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions, examining weld for specifications.
  • Perform Stick (SMAW), TIG (GATW), and Flux Core Welding.
  • Manually apply filler rod to supply weld metal.
  • Clean or degrease weld joint or work piece using appropriate methods.
  • Chip off excess weld, slag, and spatter.
  • Preheat work piece using torch or heating furnace.
  • Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts.

Requirements

  • Minimum four years' experience as a certified welder, or two years' experience as a certified welder plus two years' ABC or equivalent training.
  • Experienced in Stick and TIG pipe welding.
  • Experienced in welding carbon, stainless steel, and various alloys.
  • Must pass required welding test as required by the specific job site.
  • High School or GED preferred but not required.
  • Trade School program preferred but not required.

How this job compares in Chalmette, LA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs across Louisiana currently run a median of $27/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $23–$35/hr across 38 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in Chalmette, LA

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Chalmette, LA, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Louisiana as a whole we're tracking 100 other active welding openings from 72 employers. Browse welding jobs across Louisiana.

PALA Interstate currently has 2 other openings live in Louisiana, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Louisiana at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Worley (9), Savard Group (6), and The Shaw Group (3). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG, Stick, and Flux-Core work. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds. Stick (SMAW) burns a flux-coated consumable rod and needs no shielding gas, so it works in wind, rain, and on dirty or rusted steel. That tolerance for bad conditions keeps it the default for field, structural, and repair work.

See all combo welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Similar openings near Chalmette, LA

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