Job Description

Overview

The jobsite located in Baytown, TX has an opening for a Structural Welder at Optimized Process Designs, LLC (OPD), an engineering/construction company with expertise in the natural gas, natural gas liquids, and petrochemical industries. OPD is known for its strong reputation for honesty and integrity, providing a 'one stop shop' for project execution.

Responsibilities

  • Must own portable welding rig including PPE and jack stands.
  • Weld skids, structural steel and related equipment according to specifications.
  • Read drawings and recognize basic symbols for the job application.
  • Operate tools and equipment including angle grinders, beveling machines, cut-off grinders, hammers, tape measure, levels and torches.
  • Possess skilled knowledge of welding and welding processes required (GMAW and/or SMAW).
  • Exhibit knowledge of material identification, equipment utilization, welder equipment set-up and maintenance.
  • Must be able to work with minimal supervision.
  • Ability to work safely and accurately.

Requirements

  • At least 2 years of structural welding experience.
  • Must be able to read, write & communicate in English.
  • Must own the necessary tools to perform the welding and fabrication of structural steel.
  • Must be able to pass code welding test: ASME Section IX 6G pipe test and AWS D1.1 plate test for structural welds.
  • Must demonstrate the ability to produce welds that are visually acceptable per the construction code.
  • Must maintain your equipment in a condition that does not compromise safety or the environment.
  • Must be able to work shifts up to 12 hours per day and 7 days per week.
  • Must be able to meet all physical demands of the job.
  • Must be able and willing to attend mandatory safety meetings.
  • Must be a safety role model.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Location: Baytown, TX
  • Work schedule may include shifts up to 12 hours per day and 7 days per week.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO

How this job compares in Baytown, TX

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, structural welder jobs across Texas currently run a median of $31/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $28–$35/hr across 28 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 Baytown, TX

We're tracking 68 other active welding openings in Baytown, TX right now, from 26 different employers. 15 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,256 other active welding openings from 597 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Baytown, or widen the search to Texas.

Optimized Process Designs LLC currently has 17 other openings 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 Austin Industries (29), Welding Shop in Austin, TX (27), and Zachry Group (23). 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 Midlothian at $38/hr, Irving at $38/hr, and Pasadena at $37/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

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

Certifications this posting mentions

  • 6G — a pipe test welded on a joint fixed at a 45-degree incline. Because the torch has to travel through flat, vertical, and overhead angles in a single pass, passing 6G qualifies you for every position on pipe — which is why it is the ticket that separates pipe welders from plate welders on pay.
  • 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.
  • 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 Baytown, TX

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