Job Description

Overview

The Pipefitter Millwright installs, fabricates, and repairs industrial piping systems and mechanical equipment in a job shop environment. This role combines advanced pipefitting and welding with millwright responsibilities, while working closely with maintenance, engineering, and production teams to deliver high-quality projects on schedule.

Responsibilities

  • Read and interpret blueprints, piping diagrams, fabrication drawings, and work orders to plan and execute projects accurately.
  • Fabricate, fit, and install carbon steel, stainless steel, and process piping systems according to specifications and industry standards.
  • Perform MIG, TIG, and Stick welding on piping, structural steel, and equipment components to ensure strong, reliable joints.
  • Measure, cut, bevel, thread, and assemble pipe to required dimensions and tolerances using appropriate tools and methods.
  • Install, align, and secure piping, valves, pumps, and tanks to ensure proper operation and system integrity.
  • Perform millwright work, including equipment installation, alignment, leveling, and mechanical assembly of industrial machinery.
  • Utilize precision measuring tools to verify proper fit-up, alignment, and clearances for piping and mechanical equipment.
  • Collaborate with maintenance, engineering, and production teams to coordinate work, resolve technical issues, and complete projects on schedule.
  • Apply safe rigging and lifting practices when moving, positioning, and installing piping, structural components, and equipment.
  • Assist in building and assembling projects from start to finish in a job shop setting, following drawings and fabrication plans.

Requirements

  • Previous experience as a Welder, Pipefitter, or Millwright in an industrial or job shop environment.
  • Ability to read and interpret blueprints, mechanical drawings, and piping diagrams.
  • Hands-on experience with industrial pipe fabrication and installation, including carbon steel and process piping.
  • Proficiency in MIG, TIG, and/or Stick welding on piping, structural steel, and equipment components.
  • Experience installing and repairing pumps, valves, and other mechanical equipment.
  • Familiarity with rigging practices, lifting equipment, and precision alignment methods.
  • Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to perform equipment installation, alignment, leveling, and assembly.
  • Ability to use precision measuring tools to ensure accurate fit-up and alignment.
  • Capability to work collaboratively with maintenance, engineering, and production teams to meet project deadlines.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chicago Heights, IL.
  • This role is based in a job shop environment, working closely with a lead technician in a smaller, tight-knit team.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
PTO

How this job compares in Chicago Heights, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $36/hr, this posting sits about 22% above the $29/hr median for welding jobs across Illinois — toward the top of a $25–$36/hr middle band drawn from 164 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 75% 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 Chicago Heights, IL

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Chicago Heights, IL, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 238 other active welding openings from 161 employers. Browse welding jobs across Illinois.

Aerotek currently has 4 other openings live in Illinois, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Staff on Site (13), S&C Electric Company (11), and Gerber Collision & Glass (7). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Chicago at $36/hr, Peoria at $31/hr, and South Beloit at $24/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.

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

Similar openings near Chicago Heights, IL

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