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Job Description

Overview

Zekelman Industries is the largest independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer in North America, with a legacy dating back to 1877. As an Operator at Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries, you will be responsible for safely operating and maintaining production machinery to ensure efficient mill operations.

Responsibilities

  • Perform duties in accordance with company safety policies and immediately report unsafe conditions.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve production issues while communicating effectively with the mill crew.
  • Follow and communicate the mill schedule to ensure adherence to production timelines.
  • Interface with supervision, mill crew, and other departments to maintain safe and efficient operations.
  • Communicate quality requirements and ensure product standards are consistently met.
  • Relay daily production updates to supervision and other shifts.
  • Maintain offline requirements for quick-change operation.
  • Coordinate with maintenance to support repairs and equipment adjustments.
  • Calibrate micrometers at the start of each shift and during changeovers.
  • Perform size, gauge, grade, and shape changes online as required.
  • Direct and assist in changeovers while inspecting tooling condition after each rolling.
  • Support other team positions and cross-train team members as needed.
  • Maintain housekeeping standards in all work areas.
  • Perform preventive maintenance (PM) activities as assigned.
  • Ensure regular, predictable onsite attendance as an essential function of the role.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of manufacturing experience preferred.
  • Trade certification preferred.
  • Strong mechanical aptitude and basic math skills.
  • Experience using precision instruments such as micrometers and calipers preferred.
  • Crane certification required.
  • Good communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Commitment to lead and promote safe work practices per regulatory and company policy.
  • Regular, full-time attendance.

Benefits

  • Competitive Compensation
  • 401k
  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Location: Chicago, IL

Benefits

Competitive Compensation
401k
Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
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How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $29/hr, this posting comes in about 20% below the $37/hr median for welding jobs in Chicago, IL, where the middle half runs $31–$47/hr across 76 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 21% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Chicago, IL

We're tracking 96 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 54 different employers. 31 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 333 other active welding openings from 206 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Chicago, or widen the search to Illinois.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Staff on Site (13), S&C Electric Company (10), and Gerber Collision & Glass (10). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Chicago at $37/hr, Elk Grove Village at $36/hr, and Bedford Park at $33/hr. Chicago is among them.

Similar openings near Chicago, IL

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