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Pro-Type Metal Machining

Code-Certified TIG/MIG Fabrication Welder (Aluminum/Steel/Stainless)

Location

Sterling, VA

Required Skills & Certifications

MIG WeldingTIG WeldingSteelStainless SteelAluminum
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Posted on October 6, 2026

Job Description

Overview

The Code-Certified TIG/MIG Fabrication Welder is responsible for reviewing engineering drawings, setting up welding equipment, and performing precise welding on aluminum, steel, and stainless materials. The role requires attention to detail and collaboration across manufacturing operations.

Responsibilities

  • Review engineering drawings and work instructions.
  • Build or adjust fixtures and set up TIG or MIG equipment.
  • Select the right consumables for aluminum, carbon steel, or stainless.
  • Run precise beads and verify measurements against blueprints.
  • Move between fabrication and welding using manual metalworking tools.
  • Collaborate with the sheet metal department as needed.
  • Inspect final parts and document results on a computer.

Requirements

  • No formal education required if necessary manufacturing skills are demonstrated.
  • Certifications: D1.1 and D17.1.
  • Proficiency in setting up and operating welding equipment.
  • Understanding of key welding variables for quality results.
  • Ability to operate manual metalworking equipment.
  • Ability to read engineering drawings and work instructions.
  • Must be at least 18 years old.
  • Ability to lift up to 75 pounds.
  • Ability to stand for a full 8-hour shift.
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How this job compares in Sterling, VA

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs across Virginia currently run a median of $28/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $25–$33/hr across 86 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 Sterling, VA

Sterling, VA is a small market in our index: 2 other active welding openings alongside this one, from 2 employers. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 139 other active welding openings from 74 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across Virginia.

Pro-Type Metal Machining currently has 1 other opening 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 (10), Innovative Refrigeration Systems, Inc. (7), and HII (6). 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 $30/hr, and Chesapeake at $28/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

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 stainless steel welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • 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.

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 Sterling, VA

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Code-Certified TIG/MIG Fabrication Welder (Aluminum/Steel/Stainless) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.