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Job Description

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Fabricator / Welder to join a food manufacturing operation in Northvale, NJ. This is a senior-level position for a highly skilled fabricator who can independently take stainless-steel fabrication projects from concept and layout through welding, finishing, installation, and turnover.

Responsibilities

  • Fabricate, modify, install, and repair stainless-steel equipment, structures, and piping systems.
  • Perform high-quality TIG and MIG welding on stainless steel and other food-grade materials.
  • Work with thin-gauge stainless steel and sanitary applications.
  • Fabricate and install platforms, guarding, hoppers, chutes, tables, piping, tanks, conveyors, and processing equipment.
  • Read and interpret blueprints, weld symbols, schematics, P&IDs, and engineering drawings.
  • Lay out, cut, form, drill, grind, polish, passivate, and finish stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon steel.
  • Support capital improvement projects, equipment installations, relocations, utility tie-ins, and commissioning.
  • Work with Engineering on equipment modifications designed to improve performance, throughput, sanitation, and operator safety.
  • Fabricate replacement parts and wear components in-house to reduce downtime and lead times.
  • Troubleshoot and repair fabricated equipment as needed.
  • Maintain accurate work and material records in the CMMS.
  • Mentor junior fabricators and maintenance technicians on welding, layout, and sanitary fabrication standards.
  • Maintain strict food safety, GMP, sanitation, and safety standards.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or GED required.
  • 7+ years of hands-on fabrication and welding experience.
  • At least 3 years of experience in food, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, or another sanitary manufacturing environment.
  • Strong TIG and MIG welding experience on stainless steel.
  • Experience with thin-gauge and sanitary stainless-steel applications.
  • Experience with sanitary tube and fittings, including Tri-Clamp, weld ferrules, and butt welds.
  • Orbital welding experience is a plus.
  • Strong stainless-steel layout, cutting, grinding, polishing, and finishing skills.
  • Ability to read engineering drawings, weld symbols, and P&IDs.
  • Familiarity with sanitary design principles, food-grade fittings, and CIP systems.
  • Strong mechanical aptitude.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
  • Self-motivated and able to work independently with limited supervision.
  • AWS D1.6 or ASME Section IX certification is a strong plus.

Additional Information

  • Location: Northvale, NJ
  • Schedule: Monday-Friday | 4:00 PM-1:30 AM | Night Shift
  • Weekend and shutdown work may occasionally be requested based on organizational needs.
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How this job compares in Northvale, NJ

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welder fabricator jobs across New Jersey currently run a median of $40/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $35–$40/hr across 17 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 Northvale, NJ

Northvale, NJ currently has 6 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 2 employers. 1 of them was added in the last week. Across New Jersey as a whole we're tracking 216 other active welding openings from 131 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Northvale, or widen the search to New Jersey.

gpac currently has 9 other openings live in New Jersey, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in New Jersey at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Rhoads Industries (12), Gpac (10), and gpac (9). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within New Jersey, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Camden at $51/hr, Northvale at $40/hr, and Newark at $38/hr. Northvale is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG and TIG 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 welder fabricator openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

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 Northvale, NJ

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