Job Description

Overview

Viking is seeking motivated individuals for the Fabrication Production Associate position, which involves working in a fast-paced fabrication shop that supports steel pipe fabrication, welding, machine operation, robotics, and material handling operations. This hands-on role includes various fabrication activities and is suitable for candidates with backgrounds in manufacturing or general labor.

Responsibilities

  • Operate fabrication and production equipment including plasma cutting machines, cold saws, threading machines, grooving machines, grinders, and semi-automatic fabrication equipment.
  • Support fabrication, production, welding, machine operation, robotics, and material handling activities throughout the fabrication shop.
  • Cut, groove, thread, grind, and prepare steel pipe and materials to customer specifications and production requirements.
  • Assist with machine operation involving plasma cutting, outlet placement, welding support, and automated fabrication processes.
  • Read and interpret work orders, production paperwork, measurements, specifications, and tape measures to ensure production accuracy and quality standards are met.
  • Visually inspect fabricated materials, welds, and finished products for defects, dimensional accuracy, and quality compliance.
  • Perform grinding, deburring, cleanup, finishing work, and general fabrication support activities.
  • Load, unload, stage, organize, and move steel pipe, fittings, and raw materials throughout the production process.
  • Bundle, band, label, and prepare finished products for shipment.
  • Operate forklifts, pallet jacks, CombiLift equipment, overhead cranes, and other material handling equipment as assigned.
  • Troubleshoot minor production or machine issues and communicate equipment or quality concerns to leadership.
  • Maintain a clean, organized, and safe fabrication and production environment.
  • Follow all company safety procedures, PPE requirements, lockout/tagout procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
  • Complete required operational, safety, and production training while demonstrating acceptable competency and performance standards.
  • Support additional operational and production needs as assigned by Fabrication Leadership or Branch Operations Management.

Requirements

  • Background in manufacturing, warehouse, machine operation, construction, welding, mechanical trades, or general labor.
  • Previous fabrication experience is helpful but not required.
  • Ability to read and interpret work orders and production paperwork.

Additional Information

  • Shift: 4am-12:30pm but would eventually roll into 6am-3:30pm.

How this job compares in Santa Fe Springs, CA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, manufacturing welder jobs across California currently run a median of $41/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $31–$66/hr across 37 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 Santa Fe Springs, CA

Santa Fe Springs, CA currently has 6 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 6 employers. 3 of them were added in the last week. Across California as a whole we're tracking 623 other active welding openings from 288 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Santa Fe Springs, or widen the search to California.

Viking Group, Inc. currently has 1 other opening live in California, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in California at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are SpaceX (34), Vast (22), and Relativity Space (20). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within California, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Redondo Beach at $71/hr, Long Beach at $54/hr, and Torrance at $43/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Santa Fe Springs, CA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Fabrication Production Associate | 1st Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.