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Job Description

Overview

Join HII as a Shipboard Alteration Installer/Welder, supporting submarine and surface ship modernization efforts through the installation, repair, and troubleshooting of shipboard mechanical systems and industrial equipment. This role requires advanced welding and fabrication expertise, along with supervisory responsibilities for junior welders and mechanics.

Responsibilities

  • Perform installation, maintenance, repair, and modification of shipboard mechanical systems and associated equipment.
  • Conduct complex welding and metal fabrication using multiple processes.
  • Lead assigned team members during shipboard alterations and work evolutions.
  • Train, mentor, and oversee junior welders to ensure adherence to quality and safety standards.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve performance issues with mechanical systems and integrated equipment.
  • Support technical documentation, work packages, and reporting as required.
  • Maintain professional communication with customers, engineering teams, and program leads.
  • Work in shipyard, industrial, and confined-space environments as required by project scope.

Requirements

  • High School education, or Trade School or equivalent, and 4 years of related experience.
  • Must provide own hand tools as designated per trades specialty.
  • 4+ years of welding and metal fabrication experience in marine or industrial environments.
  • Proficiency in SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW welding processes.
  • Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and OEM specifications.
  • Ability to train junior personnel and supervise small work teams.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a CAC badge and DoD Secret clearance.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • Required travel: 51 - 75%.
  • Work in extreme temperature environments, aboard ships, in shipyards, under industrial conditions and in confined spaces.
  • May require wearing a respirator.
  • Travel may be required within and outside of the continental United States.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
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How this job compares in Hampton, VA

Pay in context

At roughly $25/hr, this posting comes in about 16% below the $30/hr median for welding jobs across Virginia, where the middle half runs $26–$36/hr across 116 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 23% 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 Hampton, VA

Hampton, VA currently has 4 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 3 employers. 1 of them was added in the last week. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 180 other active welding openings from 114 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Hampton, or widen the search to Virginia.

Mission Technologies, a division of HII currently has 5 other openings live in Virginia, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Virginia at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Colonna's Shipyard (8), HII (7), and Mission Technologies, a division of HII (5). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Virginia, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Newport News at $41/hr, Portsmouth at $41/hr, and Staunton at $34/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, TIG, and Stick 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.

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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. Shipboard Alteration Installer/Welder - 28516 figures were last recalculated when this page was built.