Back to Jobs

Job Description

Overview

Our client, a leading manufacturing company in Watertown SD, is seeking a Welder to join their Production Department. The ideal candidate will possess strong attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and a solid work ethic.

Responsibilities

  • Set up and safely operate advanced welding equipment, including robotic welders.
  • Inspect finished products to ensure conformance to quality and safety standards.
  • Troubleshoot and make adjustments to welding machines to maintain production efficiency.
  • Perform repair work that meets appearance and quality expectations.
  • Participate in continuous improvement activities and mentor new welders.

Requirements

  • Ability to read blueprints, weld symbols, and follow written/verbal instructions.
  • Good problem-solving skills with strong attention to safety and quality.
  • Ability to perform repetitive physical tasks and stand for an entire shift.
  • Basic data entry skills for logging maintenance or breakdown information.
  • 1 year of welding experience preferred but not required.

Additional Information

  • Multiple shift options: 1st Shift: Mon–Thurs, 5am–3pm; 2nd Shift: Mon–Thurs, 3pm–1am (+3 dollar/hr differential); Weekend Shift: Fri–Sun, 6am–6pm (+4.50 dollar/hr differential).
  • Overtime opportunities.
  • Growth potential within a company focused on employee development.
  • Stable, long‑term employment with a safety‑driven organization.
  • Opportunity to learn robotic welding systems and expand welding skills.
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Watertown, SD

Pay in context

At roughly $23/hr, this posting comes in about 12% below the $26/hr median for welding jobs across South Dakota, where the middle half runs $25–$26/hr across 26 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 12% 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 Watertown, SD

Watertown, SD currently has 5 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 3 employers. 1 of them was added in the last week. Across South Dakota as a whole we're tracking 42 other active welding openings from 21 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Watertown, or widen the search to South Dakota.

The most active employers in South Dakota at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Terex (14), DeGeest Corporation (3), and Dakota Bodies (3). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Similar openings near Watertown, SD

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