Back to Jobs

Job Description

Overview

The Orbital GTAW Pipe Welding Specialist role involves traveling nationwide as an Orbital TIG Expert, focusing on high-precision welding tasks. Candidates will engage in 6+ month assignments with ongoing opportunities, working on various projects that require precision and adaptability.

Responsibilities

  • Set up and operate orbital TIG equipment for high-precision welding
  • Execute consistent GTAW welds on tube, pipe, and component assemblies
  • Configure and fine-tune parameters to meet specification and quality targets
  • Perform fit-up, prep, and joint verification ahead of welding
  • Maintain dimensional accuracy and quality throughout each run
  • Interpret blueprints, weld symbols, WPSs, and engineering instructions
  • Monitor arc performance and adjust process variables as needed
  • Complete visual and dimensional inspections on finished welds
  • Troubleshoot process and equipment issues to keep work moving
  • Keep the work area orderly and uphold strict safety practices
  • Quickly adapt to new shops, procedures, and project requirements

Requirements

  • 5+ years of verifiable welding experience, including strong orbital TIG background
  • Demonstrated success producing precision orbital GTAW welds
  • Deep understanding of TIG fundamentals, heat control, and parameter selection
  • Ability to read and apply drawings, symbols, and welding specifications
  • Experience with stainless, carbon steel, and/or specialty alloys preferred
  • Sharp attention to detail and commitment to weld quality
  • Skill in diagnosing process and equipment issues
  • Experience performing weld inspections to defined quality requirements
  • Self-directed, effective in unfamiliar manufacturing environments
  • Flexibility to work nights, weekends, and overtime as needed
  • Willing and able to travel nationwide
  • Proficiency in aerospace manufacturing environments is a plus

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental

Additional Information

  • Nationwide travel required
  • 6+ month assignments with ongoing opportunities

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $38/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $38/hr median for welding jobs in Chicago, IL, whose middle half runs $30–$50/hr across 79 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 52% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. In other words it is a market-rate offer, so benefits, overtime, and shift schedule are where the real difference between this and the next posting on the list shows up.

The local market in Chicago, IL

We're tracking 108 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 62 different employers. 50 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 368 other active welding openings from 212 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.

NordicWorkflow ApS currently has 2 other openings 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 (18), Staff on Site (13), and Sargent & Lundy (11). 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 Downers Grove at $44/hr, Chicago at $38/hr, and Elk Grove Village at $34/hr. Chicago is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG. 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 pipe welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

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. Orbital GTAW Pipe Welding Specialist figures were last recalculated when this page was built.