Branch Skilled - Welder
Location
Richmond, IL
Wage
$22/hr
Employment Type
Contract
Required Skills & Certifications
Posted on October 8, 2026
Location
Richmond, IL
Wage
$22/hr
Employment Type
Contract
Posted on October 8, 2026
Position Title: Welder Wage: $22.00-$25.00/hour Based on experience Shift: 1st Hours: 6:00am-2:30pm Monday-Friday We are seeking an experienced Welder to join a manufacturing team producing custom electrical equipment and metal components. This position is responsible for welding and fabricating components according to blueprints, drawings, specifications, and work instructions. The ideal candidate will have strong attention to detail, solid mechanical aptitude, and the ability to produce clean, accurate welds while maintaining high-quality standards. This is a potential to hire opportunity in Richmond, IL. Welder Responsibilities include but are not limited to: - Perform MIG and/or TIG welding on metal components and assemblies - Read and interpret blueprints, drawings, weld symbols, and work instructions - Set up welding equipment, select appropriate welding processes, and adjust settings based on material and job requirements - Fit, align, clamp, and tack-weld components prior to final welding - Weld and fabricate metal components to required dimensions and specifications - Inspect completed welds for quality, accuracy, appearance, and defects - Use measuring tools such as tape measures, calipers, squares, and other inspection equipment - Make adjustments to welding techniques and equipment as needed to maintain quality - Perform grinding, deburring, and other finishing work when necessary - Maintain welding equipment, tools, and a clean and organized work area - Follow all safety procedures and required PPE requirements - Work closely with other members of the manufacturing team to meet production schedules and quality requirements - Identify and communicate quality or production issues to supervisors - Perform other manufacturing and fabrication duties as assigned Welder Requirements: - High school diploma or equivalent preferred - Welding certification or technical training is a plus - Previous welding experience in a manufacturing or fabrication environment - Ability to read and interpret blueprints and technical drawings - Experience setting up and operating welding equipment - Strong mechanical aptitude and attention to detail - Ability to use basic measuring and inspection tools - Ability to work independently as well as part of a team - Good communication and problem-solving skills - Ability to stand and work for extended periods - Ability to bend, reach, kneel, and work in various positions - Ability to safely lift and move materials and components - Ability to work around welding fumes, noise, machinery, and industrial equipment - Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment IND022 QPS Employment Group is a full-service staffing firm comprised of dedicated and passionate people with over 50 offices throughout the United States. We place great people with great companies in industrial, skilled trades, administrative, manufacturing, general labor and professional employment. Hiring immediately! Why Work with QPS? - Access to sought-after positions with leading employers - Dedicated placement specialists who will guide you through every step of the job search process Best of all, our job matching and resume assistance services are 100% free to job seekers! We will never ask you to pay a fee. Please note that QPS Employment Group may use a virtual recruiting assistant to help screen and schedule candidates efficiently. All information collected through this process is used solely for employment purposes and is handled securely in accordance with our privacy policy. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
At roughly $22/hr, this posting comes in about 27% below the $30/hr median for welding jobs across Illinois, where the middle half runs $26–$41/hr across 199 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 6% 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.
This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Richmond, IL, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 261 other active welding openings from 149 employers. Browse welding jobs across Illinois.
QPS Employment Group currently has 1 other opening live in Illinois, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.
The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Gerber Collision & Glass (17), Staff on Site (13), and S&C Electric Company (9). 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 $39/hr, Elk Grove Village at $34/hr, and Skokie at $33/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.
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.
Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Branch Skilled - Welder figures were last recalculated when this page was built.