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Job Description

Overview

General Dynamics NASSCO is looking for five Pipe Welders J1-J4 for the night shift in Norfolk, Virginia. The company specializes in ship construction, advanced ship repair, conversion, and maintenance for both commercial and national defense assets.

Requirements

  • Journeyperson 4: Working knowledge of welding standards such as Tech-Pub-278, Tech-Pub-248, MIL-STD-1689, and proper joint designs IAW MIL-STD-22D.
  • Ability to weld all types of materials, including tig and stick welding of plate and pipe.
  • Experience with various metals such as cuni, monel, stainless steel, alum, and carbon steel/cromoly.
  • Ability to set up and operate welding machines such as SYNCHROWAVE 250 and POWCON ST-300.
  • Ability to troubleshoot problems with tig lines and machines.
  • Ability to utilize Metro PCP 912-04 for P-I piping.
  • Journeyperson 3: Knowledge of proper joint designs IAW MIL-STD-22D.
  • Ability to weld different materials with stick and tig.
  • Ability to weld pipe and plate including butts, sockets, and backing rings.
  • Experience with carbon steel/cromoly, cuni, and stainless steel materials.
  • Ability to operate with welding banks and some knowledge of the operation of welding machines.
  • Journeyperson 2: Some knowledge of proper weld joint designs.
  • Ability to stick weld and a willingness to learn tig.
  • Ability to operate with welding banks.
  • Journeyperson 1: Ability to stick weld fillet and butt joints.
  • Willingness to learn other procedures.
  • Ability to pass 6-G carbon steel pipe welding test.
  • Must be able to access all Navy installations and other shipyards by obtaining DBIDS and NAVSEA badges.

Additional Information

  • Night shift from 3pm to 11pm.
  • No security clearance required.
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How this job compares in Norfolk, VA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Norfolk, VA currently run a median of $32/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $29–$36/hr across 21 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 Norfolk, VA

We're tracking 37 other active welding openings in Norfolk, VA right now, from 17 different employers. 17 of them were added in the last week. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 141 other active welding openings from 75 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Norfolk, or widen the search to Virginia.

General Dynamics currently has 2 other openings live in Virginia, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Virginia at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are General Dynamics NASSCO (11), Mission Technologies, a division of HII (7), and Colonna's Shipyard (7). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Virginia, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Newport News at $34/hr, Norfolk at $32/hr, and Chesapeake at $28/hr. Norfolk is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG and Stick 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. Stick (SMAW) burns a flux-coated consumable rod and needs no shielding gas, so it works in wind, rain, and on dirty or rusted steel. That tolerance for bad conditions keeps it the default for field, structural, and repair work.

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

Certifications this posting mentions

  • NAVSEA — the Naval Sea Systems Command welding standards used on US Navy shipbuilding and repair. Qualification is yard-specific and typically comes with a background check.

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 Norfolk, VA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Pipe Welder J1-J4 (NIGHT SHIFT) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.