Job Description

MIG Welder / Fabricator Location: Itasca, IL Pay: $24–$28 per hour, based on experience and skill level Shifts: 1st Shift: 6:00 AM–2:30 PM | 2nd Shift: 3:00 PM–11:30 PM Build It Right. Weld It Square. We are seeking MIG Welders / Fabricators to join a growing manufacturing team producing industrial metal enclosures and fabricated steel components. This is a hands-on opportunity for welders who take pride in the quality of their work, can read prints, and understand the importance of producing a clean, accurate finished product.We have multiple openings across first and second shifts, with opportunities for welders at different experience levels. Candidates with strong industrial welding and fabrication backgrounds may qualify for the higher end of the pay range. What You'll DoPerform MIG welding on mild steel components, including sheet metal, structural bases, and hollow tubing.Read and interpret blueprints, fabrication drawings, and welding instructions.Weld components while maintaining proper alignment, dimensions, and squareness.Perform fit-and-finish work, including drilling, tapping, cutting, grinding, and preparing metal components.Work with material thicknesses ranging from approximately 10- and 12-gauge steel to heavier bases up to 1/2 inch thick.Perform welds in various positions, including vertical and overhead, as required.Inspect completed work for weld quality, accuracy, and overall finish.Ask questions and communicate with team members when clarification is needed to ensure the job is completed correctly.Follow shop safety procedures and maintain a clean, organized work area.What We're Looking ForHands-on MIG welding experience.Experience working with mild steel and fabricated metal components.Ability to read prints and follow fabrication instructions.Familiarity with fabrication tools and processes, including grinders, drills, and tapping tools.Attention to detail and the ability to produce parts that meet dimensional and quality requirements.A willingness to learn, ask questions, and work collaboratively on the production floor.Reliable attendance and a commitment to safe, quality workmanship.Preferred QualificationsHeavy-duty industrial or structural welding experience.Fit-and-finish fabrication experience.Experience with vertical and overhead welding.AWS D1.1 or D1.3 qualifications, or 4G welding certification.Certifications and advanced structural welding experience are a plus, but they are not required for every opening. We are considering candidates at multiple skill levels.Compensation and Schedule$24–$28 per hour, depending on experience and demonstrated welding ability.First shift: 6:00 AM–2:30 PM.Second shift: 3:00 PM–11:30 PM.A $2-per-hour second-shift differential is available, subject to the applicable pay structure.The team is currently working extended 10-hour days, with plans to transition to 9-hour days as production stabilizes.Interview ProcessQualified candidates will participate in an onsite interview and a practical welding assessment. The assessment includes reading a print and welding a square assembly, with an emphasis on producing a finished part that remains square and meets quality expectations.If you enjoy hands-on fabrication, take pride in doing the job right, and want to put your welding skills to work in a growing manufacturing environment, we'd like to hear from you. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

How this job compares in Itasca, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $26/hr, this posting comes in about 16% below the $31/hr median for welding jobs across Illinois, where the middle half runs $26–$41/hr across 184 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 25% 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.

The local market in Itasca, IL

Itasca, IL currently has 4 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 4 employers. None of them were added in the last week, so this is a slower-moving market. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 242 other active welding openings from 146 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Itasca, or widen the search to Illinois.

Sterling Engineering, Inc. 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 (12), S&C Electric Company (9), and Crash Champions (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 $38/hr, Elk Grove Village at $34/hr, and Bedford Park at $30/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG. 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.

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.
  • 3G / 4G — plate position tests — 3G is welded vertically, 4G overhead. Together they demonstrate you can hold a puddle against gravity, and they are the common entry qualifications for structural and production shops.

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 Itasca, IL

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Welder figures were last recalculated when this page was built.