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Job Description

Overview

This Traveling Welder position focuses on fitting and welding large industrial piping and structural steel to ASME Section IX standards for high-performance data center construction. The role involves collaboration with various teams throughout the construction process to support the buildout of advanced AI infrastructure.

Responsibilities

  • Fit, tack, and weld large-bore industrial piping and structural steel according to ASME Section IX WPS.
  • Lay out, cut, bevel, grind, and align joints, ensuring quality and compliance with specifications.
  • Read and interpret isometric, spool, and structural drawings, and work to weld maps and rod-control requirements.
  • Support installation and hanging of structural members and assist with equipment setting and bolt-up.
  • Stage, move, and inventory materials, maintaining organized work areas.
  • Open and close work areas each shift, managing safety protocols and debris removal.
  • Follow safety rules including lockout/tagout (LOTO) and hot-work permits.
  • Report damaged materials, rejected welds, and unsafe conditions promptly.
  • Support punch-list completion, weld repair work, and non-destructive examination activities.

Requirements

  • 3+ years of journey-level industrial construction welding experience.
  • Hands-on experience with GTAW (TIG) on stainless steel and/or SMAW (stick) on carbon steel.
  • Current ASME Section IX qualification in GTAW on stainless and/or SMAW on carbon.
  • AWS D1.1 structural welding qualification or equivalent.
  • Ability to read and interpret isometric, spool, and structural drawings accurately.
  • Ability to use welding machines, torches, grinders, and related tools safely.
  • Strong safety mindset and willingness to follow site procedures.
  • Experience welding large-bore process, mechanical, or utility piping.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Houston, TX.
  • The position is fully onsite.
  • The application deadline is anticipated to close on Nov 2, 2026.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
PTO
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How this job compares in Old Sixth Ward, TX

Pay in context

At roughly $45/hr, this posting sits about 61% above the $28/hr median for welding jobs across Texas — toward the top of a $23–$36/hr middle band drawn from 404 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 89% 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 Old Sixth Ward, TX

Old Sixth Ward, TX currently has 4 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 1 employer. 2 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,173 other active welding openings from 549 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Old Sixth Ward, or widen the search to Texas.

Aerotek currently has 5 other openings live in Texas, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Austin Industries (33), Zachry Group (21), and Welding Shop in Austin, TX (20). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Arlington at $40/hr, Dallas at $39/hr, and Pasadena at $36/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for TIG and Stick 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. 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 travel 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.
  • ASME Section IX — the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code qualification. It covers welding on pressure-retaining equipment — boilers, vessels, and process piping — where a failed weld is a safety incident rather than a rework ticket.

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 Old Sixth Ward, TX

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Traveling Welder | $40-60/hr Per Diem figures were last recalculated when this page was built.