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Sub-Arc Welder - Night Shift

Location

Houston, TX

Wage

$34,518/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

Required Skills & Certifications

MIG WeldingStick WeldingFlux-Core Welding
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Posted on August 18, 2026

Job Description

Overview

At North Shore Steel and our affiliated companies, we produce large-diameter pipe and structural products that require precision welding to meet demanding industry standards. Our girth seam welders play a critical role in final weld integrity, impacting quality, safety, and performance in the field.

Responsibilities

  • Operate Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) equipment for long seam welding.
  • Perform long-seam welds on pipe/cylinders.
  • Set and adjust welding parameters to maintain proper penetration and bead profile per code requirements.
  • Execute clean starts, stops, and tie-ins with minimal defects.
  • Monitor weld performance throughout rotation and adjust as needed.
  • Read and interpret Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), blueprints, and weld symbols.
  • Perform carbon arc gouging and grinding to remove defects when required.
  • Prepare weld surfaces, including cleaning.
  • Maintain welding equipment in safe, working conditions.
  • Keep work area clean, organized, and aligned with safety standards.

Requirements

  • Proven experience operating Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) equipment.
  • Strong understanding of weld parameters, heat input, and deposition control.
  • Experience in pipe welding or large structural steel fabrication.
  • Ability to read and interpret blueprints and welding schematics.
  • Working knowledge of applicable standards (API, AWS, ASME).
  • Experience with multi-process welding environments (SAW, MIG, FCAW, SMAW).
  • Ability to identify weld defects and support repair processes.
  • Strong attention to detail with a focus on consistency and quality.
  • Reliable and able to maintain performance during 12-hour night shifts.

Additional Information

  • This is a night shift role (6 PM – 6 AM).
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How this job compares in Houston, TX

Pay in context

At roughly $17/hr, this posting comes in about 34% below the $25/hr median for welding jobs in Houston, TX, where the middle half runs $22–$32/hr across 59 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 3% 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 Houston, TX

We're tracking 209 other active welding openings in Houston, TX right now, from 122 different employers. 9 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 914 other active welding openings from 518 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Houston, or widen the search to Texas.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Welding Shop in Houston, TX (21), Zachry Group (20), and Austin Industries (20). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Pasadena at $82/hr, Dallas at $35/hr, and La Porte at $32/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, Stick, and Flux-Core work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. 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.

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.

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.

Similar openings near Houston, TX

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