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Job Description

Overview

The Field Welder is responsible for performing welding, cutting, fitting, and fabrication activities at construction and industrial job sites, ensuring all work is completed safely and in accordance with project specifications and quality standards.

Responsibilities

  • Perform SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, and other welding processes as required by project specifications.
  • Read and interpret blueprints, drawings, weld symbols, and technical specifications.
  • Fabricate, install, repair, and modify structural steel, piping systems, and miscellaneous metal components.
  • Prepare materials for welding by measuring, cutting, grinding, fitting, and aligning components.
  • Conduct field layout and fit-up activities to ensure proper installation.
  • Inspect completed welds for quality and conformance to applicable codes and standards.
  • Operate welding machines, cutting torches, grinders, and other fabrication equipment safely and efficiently.
  • Collaborate with project supervisors, craft personnel, subcontractors, and other trades to coordinate work activities.
  • Maintain a clean and organized work area and ensure proper care of tools and equipment.
  • Adhere to all company, customer, and regulatory safety requirements, including PPE usage and jobsite safety procedures.
  • Participate in safety meetings, toolbox talks, and quality inspections.
  • Travel to project sites as required.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • 3+ years of welding experience in construction, industrial, manufacturing, or heavy commercial environments.
  • Current welding certifications preferred (AWS, ASME, or equivalent).
  • Ability to pass weld qualification tests as required.
  • Ability to read and interpret fabrication drawings and specifications.
  • Knowledge of welding codes, safety practices, and quality control procedures.
  • Valid driver's license and ability to travel to project sites.
  • Ability to work outdoors in varying weather conditions.
  • Frequently lift up to 50 pounds.
  • Ability to climb ladders, work at heights, kneel, crouch, and work in confined spaces.
  • Ability to stand, walk, and perform physical labor for extended periods.
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How this job compares in Detroit, MI

Pay in context

At roughly $32/hr, this posting sits about 33% above the $24/hr median for welding jobs across Michigan — toward the top of a $22–$30/hr middle band drawn from 82 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 87% 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 Detroit, MI

Detroit, MI currently has 5 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 5 employers. 3 of them were added in the last week. Across Michigan as a whole we're tracking 135 other active welding openings from 92 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Detroit, or widen the search to Michigan.

Welding Shop in Detroit, MI currently has 5 other openings live in Michigan, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Michigan at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Workbox Staffing (7), Welding Shop in Detroit, MI (5), and Technique, Inc Jobs (4). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Michigan, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Detroit at $27/hr and Holland at $25/hr. Detroit is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, TIG, Stick, and Flux-Core 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.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.

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 Detroit, MI

  • Traveling MIG Welder — Tradesmen International, LLC · Detroit, MI · $22–$24/hr
  • Pipe Fitter/Welder — Express Employment Professionals - Monroe · Detroit, MI · $25–$28/hr
  • Welder — Welding Shop in Detroit, MI · Detroit, MI · $59K–$74K/yr
  • Craftsman/Welder — Marathon Petroleum Corporation · Detroit, MI · $44–$44/hr
  • Welder — Aerotek · Detroit, MI · $56K–$56K/yr
  • Welder / Prototype — Big 3 Precision Products · Sterling Heights, MI · $77K–$77K/yr

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.