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Job Description

Overview

Express Employment Professionals in Athens, TX is seeking an Industrial MIG Welding Specialist for a local company serving Elkhart, TX and surrounding areas. The role involves transforming structural steel with precision using MIG welding techniques to produce code-compliant welds.

Responsibilities

  • Set up and operate MIG equipment for structural steel using .035 hardwire
  • Read and interpret blueprints, welding symbols, and fabrication drawings
  • Perform multi-position welds (flat, horizontal, vertical)
  • Verify quality and code compliance through visual inspections
  • Follow AWS D1.1 structural welding standards
  • Prepare and finish workpieces with grinders, clamps, and related tools
  • Coordinate with the team to meet production targets and uphold safety
  • Maintain a clean, organized workstation

Requirements

  • Must pass a FlexiblePass AWS D1.1 Weld Test with .035 Hardwire (pre-employment)
  • 2+ years MIG welding experience in structural steel or industrial environments (preferred)
  • Familiarity with welding procedures, shop safety, and equipment
  • Ability to read technical documentation and blueprints
  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and remain on your feet for extended periods

Benefits

Additional Information

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How this job compares in Athens, TX

Pay in context

At roughly $22/hr, this posting comes in about 10% below the $24/hr median for MIG welder jobs across Texas, where the middle half runs $18–$25/hr across 10 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 50% 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 Athens, TX

Athens, TX is a small market in our index: 1 other active welding opening alongside this one, from 1 employer. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,014 other active welding openings from 546 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across Texas.

Express Employment Professionals - Tyler 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 Welding Shop in Houston, TX (27), Zachry Group (21), and Welding Shop in Austin, TX (21). 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 $40/hr, Midlothian at $38/hr, and Dallas at $35/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG. 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.

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

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.

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 Athens, TX

  • Welder — Red Dot Buildings (Metal Building Systems) · Athens, TX
  • Welder MIG, Flux Core — Welding Shop in Houston, TX · Houston, TX · $17–$22/hr
  • MIG Welder — Powell Industries · Houston, TX
  • MIG Welder — Express Employment Professionals Defunct · Sulphur Springs, TX
  • MIG Welder — The Ōnin Group · Wolfforth, TX · $15–$20/hr
  • MIG Welder — North Shore Supply · 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. Industrial MIG Welding Specialist figures were last recalculated when this page was built.