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Job Description

Overview

Next Level Steel is seeking a hands-on, detail-oriented Quality Control Inspector to join their fabrication shop team. The role involves ensuring that structural steel fabrication and welding work meet technical drawings, applicable codes, and high standards of quality.

Responsibilities

  • Perform in-process and final visual inspections of structural steel fabrication and welds.
  • Verify material identification, heat numbers, and traceability against Mill Test Reports (MTRs).
  • Inspect assembly fit-up, welding, bolting, hole sizes, edge conditions, and dimensional tolerances.
  • Ensure all welding operations are performed according to approved Welding Procedure Specifications (WPSs).
  • Confirm proper joint preparation prior to welding to avoid defects.
  • Document inspection results comprehensively, noting necessary repairs and re-inspections.
  • Initiate and track Nonconformance Reports (NCRs) when discrepancies are identified.
  • Coordinate inspections with production staff, shop supervision, and third-party inspectors.
  • Maintain detailed inspection and quality assurance records.
  • Support and participate in internal and external audits.
  • Enforce adherence to established inspection hold points and quality procedures.

Requirements

  • Minimum of 3 years experience in inspection within a structural steel fabrication environment.
  • Ability to read, interpret, and apply structural steel drawings, shop drawings, weld symbols, and specifications.
  • Familiarity with industry standards, including AWS D1.1 and AISC requirements.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and robust documentation skills.
  • Effective communication skills to articulate inspection findings.
  • Proficiency in using software tools such as Tekla or other inspection software.
  • Preferred certifications include AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and NDT certifications.
  • Physical ability to lift up to 75 lbs and inspect components for extended periods.
  • Strict adherence to safety protocols and PPE requirements.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.
  • Ability to work in extreme weather conditions.
  • Bilingual Spanish / English is a plus.
  • Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • 401k

Benefits

Health Insurance
401k
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How this job compares in Mesa, AZ

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Mesa, AZ currently run a median of $29/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $24–$33/hr across 23 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 Mesa, AZ

We're tracking 56 other active welding openings in Mesa, AZ right now, from 40 different employers. 25 of them were added in the last week. Across Arizona as a whole we're tracking 484 other active welding openings from 274 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Mesa, or widen the search to Arizona.

Next Level Steel, LLC currently has 2 other openings live in Arizona, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Arizona at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Sundt Construction (14), Welding Shop in Phoenix, AZ (14), and GTI Fabrication (11). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Arizona, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are El Mirage at $38/hr, Waddell at $34/hr, and Phoenix at $32/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • AWS D1.1 — the American Welding Society's Structural Welding Code for steel. It governs almost all building and structural steel work in the US, so a D1.1 qualification is the baseline credential for construction and ironworking.
  • CWI — the AWS Certified Welding Inspector credential. It is an inspection qualification rather than a welding one, requiring documented experience plus a three-part exam, and it is the usual route off the torch into QC.

Read straight from this posting's text. Confirm the exact qualification the employer wants before you test — requirements vary by shop even under the same code.

Similar openings near Mesa, AZ

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