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IMIA, LLC

Lead NDT Inspector

Location

South Norfolk, VA

Wage

$90,000 – $110,000/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

Required Skills & Certifications

MIG WeldingStick Welding
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Posted on October 13, 2026

Job Description

Overview

IMIA, LLC is a national marine surface preparation painting contractor that services every U.S. Port with a mobile workforce, delivering quality products on time. The Lead NDT Inspector will supervise junior inspectors and perform various NDT inspections on surface ships and submarines.

Responsibilities

  • Direct and provide supervisory oversight of junior level II NDT inspectors.
  • Perform VT, UT, MT, and PT inspections on surface ship and submarine structures/piping.
  • Provide advanced training to junior and journeyman NDT inspectors.
  • Act as subject matter expert on NDT for various projects.
  • Review technical work instructions for accuracy before assigning NDT tasks.
  • Assist in resolving quality issues in the region.
  • Identify areas of improvement for NDT and Quality Assurance procedures.
  • Review NDT inspectors' Objective Quality Evidence prior to submittal.
  • Perform periodic surveillances on trade workers and NDT inspectors.
  • Ensure attention to detail among all inspectors.
  • Perform basic VT, MT, PT, and UT inspections as workload demands.
  • Act as liaison between Test Examiners and projects.
  • Ensure projects have necessary NDT resources.
  • Ensure NDT equipment on job sites is in good working order and calibrated.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

  • High school graduate or GED.
  • Qualified NDT Level II inspector IAW NAVSEA requirements.
  • Experience with SMAW, GTAW, and GMAW welding highly preferred.
  • 5+ years of NAVSEA NDT certification in Visual testing, liquid penetrant testing, magnetic particle testing, ultrasonic thickness testing, and ultrasonic shearwave testing.
  • Previous leadership or management experience preferred.
  • Knowledge of welding joint design and fit up requirements.
  • Ability to follow verbal and written instructions.
  • Willingness to learn and have a dependable work ethic.
  • Ability to read and interpret various documents including safety rules and quality manuals.
  • Familiarity with the metric system.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Life
  • LTD
  • Accident
  • Critical Illness
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • Location: Norfolk, VA
  • FLSA Status: Exempt
  • Pay Range: $90,000.00-$110,000.00 Annually DOE
  • Full-time position

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Life
LTD
Accident
Critical Illness
401k
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in South Norfolk, VA

Pay in context

At roughly $48/hr, this posting sits about 72% above the $28/hr median for welding jobs across Virginia — toward the top of a $23–$33/hr middle band drawn from 67 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 97% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in South Norfolk, VA

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in South Norfolk, VA, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 123 other active welding openings from 64 employers. Browse welding jobs across Virginia.

IMIA, LLC 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. (9), and RailWorks (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 Richmond 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 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 lead 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 South 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. Lead NDT Inspector figures were last recalculated when this page was built.