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Job Description

Overview

At Tenneco, we set industry standards and strive to be the best manufacturer and distributor in the transportation industry. We are seeking highly skilled Advanced MIG/TIG Welders for stainless steel fabrication to join our team in South Bend, where craftsmanship and quality are valued.

Responsibilities

  • Perform MIG/TIG welding on stainless steel components per engineering drawings and Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS).
  • Weld in flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions.
  • Fabricate, assemble, and repair structural steel components.
  • Inspect welds for quality, penetration, and compliance; repair defects as needed.
  • Notify appropriate personnel of defects in a timely manner.
  • Perform safety checks and preventative maintenance on equipment.
  • Operate overhead cranes and lifting equipment safely.
  • Weld in confined spaces and at heights while following all safety protocols.
  • Mentor, train, and support developing welders.
  • Pass Tenneco weld certification testing when required.
  • Weld multiple joint types including filler, lap, corner, groove, and multi-pass welds.
  • Assist in troubleshooting welding and fabrication issues to improve quality and productivity.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalent required.
  • 5+ years of welding experience with stainless steel.
  • Advanced MIG welding experience required.
  • TIG welding and stainless steel experience strongly preferred.
  • Proven ability to weld stainless steel to demanding quality standards.
  • Ability to read complex blueprints, engineering drawings, and welding specifications.
  • Experience identifying and correcting weld defects.
  • Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
  • Commitment to craftsmanship, safety, and quality.
  • Demonstrated leadership and willingness to mentor less experienced welders.
  • Willingness to become crane certified.
  • Reliable, team-focused mindset.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Life Insurance
  • Critical Illness Coverage
  • Pet Insurance
  • Identity Theft Protection
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • Advanced welders start at $30/hour and progress to $35/hour based on demonstrated skills.
  • An additional $0.50/hour shift premium is paid for second and third shifts.
  • We are hiring for all shifts.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Vision
Dental
Life Insurance
Critical Illness Coverage
Pet Insurance
Identity Theft Protection
401k
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How this job compares in South Bend, IN

Pay in context

At roughly $33/hr, this posting sits about 12% above the $29/hr median for welding jobs across Indiana — toward the top of a $23–$31/hr middle band drawn from 82 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 93% 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 South Bend, IN

South Bend, IN currently has 3 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 3 employers. 1 of them was added in the last week. Across Indiana as a whole we're tracking 123 other active welding openings from 75 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in South Bend, or widen the search to Indiana.

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

The most active employers in Indiana at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are NCW (37), Lensing Building Specialties & Architectural Sales (4), and TEAM, Inc. (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 MIG and TIG 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. 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.

Similar openings near South Bend, IN

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