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Job Description

Overview

Vortex Companies, LLC is one of the country’s fastest growing infrastructure businesses, delivering cutting edge trenchless technologies and turnkey services to improve water quality. They are seeking a Heavy Machine Operator to work in underground utility construction, emphasizing a culture of safety and teamwork.

Responsibilities

  • Operate heavy equipment safely and efficiently on underground utility and trenchless jobs.
  • Perform daily equipment inspections, maintenance checks, and basic upkeep.
  • Work with ground personnel to safely dig, bed, and backfill trenches.
  • Cut, fit, and seal different types of piping.
  • Ensure trenches are excavated to proper depth and grade.
  • Assist with installation of water, storm, and sanitary sewer pipe.
  • Work outside of the machinery when needed to support the crew with physical labor and jobsite tasks.
  • Load and unload materials and equipment as needed.
  • Follow all company safety policies and jobsite safety requirements.

Requirements

  • At least 1 year of heavy equipment operating experience required.
  • Experience with underground utility construction or excavation required.
  • Valid driver’s license preferred.
  • Must be able to perform physically demanding work and lift 50+ lbs regularly.
  • Must be comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions.
  • Must be comfortable working in trenches, around excavation sites, and in confined jobsite environments.
  • Must be able to pass a pre-employment drug test, background screening, and DOT physical.
  • Trucking experience, including driving, loading, and unloading equipment or materials, is a plus.
  • Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred but not required.

Additional Information

  • This is a full-time, non-exempt position.
  • Typical work schedules are Monday through Saturday, with weekly hours generally ranging from 55 to 70 hours.
  • This position requires frequent out-of-town travel and extended stays at project locations as needed.
  • On occasion, work may include shift work, weekends, evenings, holidays, and overnight travel.
  • Flexibility is required to meet operational and project demands.
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How this job compares in Houston, TX

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Houston, TX currently run a median of $25/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $22–$32/hr across 71 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 Houston, TX

We're tracking 326 other active welding openings in Houston, TX right now, from 187 different employers. 121 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,307 other active welding openings from 708 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.

Vortex Companies - Trenchless Infrastructure Solutions currently has 1 other opening live in Texas, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Zachry Group (24), Welding Shop in Houston, TX (21), and Austin Industries (19). 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, Midlothian at $38/hr, and Dallas at $35/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

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. Heavy Machine Operator figures were last recalculated when this page was built.