Job Description

Overview

The Welder position involves performing GTAW (TIG) welding on various materials, achieving tight dimensional tolerances, and ensuring compliance with aerospace quality standards. Candidates must have significant experience in aerospace or defense environments and possess relevant certifications.

Responsibilities

  • Perform GTAW (TIG) on materials such as aluminum, steel, titanium, Inconel, and other exotic alloys.
  • Achieve tight dimensional tolerances, interpreting GD&T symbols and precision weld maps.
  • Read and interpret blueprints, engineering drawings, and Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) in compliance with AWS D17.1 and applicable DoD or NAVSEA welding standards.
  • Set up, operate, and maintain welding equipment, including orbital welding systems, jigs, fixtures, and aids to control heat distortion.
  • Conduct weld inspections using NDT methods and maintain accurate records of weld parameters, heat inputs, and inspection results.
  • Assist in developing and validating weld schedules, providing feedback to engineering teams to optimize performance and quality.
  • Support NADCAP and customer audits by documenting and demonstrating compliance to aerospace quality and safety protocols.
  • Maintain meticulous housekeeping and adhere to 5S practices, PPE use, and all plant safety regulations.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or GED; technical training in Welding Technology, or equivalent experience.
  • Minimum 5 years of welding experience in aerospace or defense environments, with demonstrated success on thin-walled and precision components.
  • Proven skill with thin materials (~.020?--.125?) and exotic alloys.
  • AWS Certified Aerospace Welder to D17.1, or equivalent; Level III required.
  • NAVSEA or company-specific aerospace/defense welding certification preferred.
  • Ability to read GD&T and blueprints.
  • Proficiency in precision measurement tools (calipers, micrometers, etc.).
  • Strong knowledge of welding metallurgy for distortion control.
  • Familiarity with orbital or chamber welding setups.
  • High attention to detail, manual dexterity, and concentration.
  • Effective collaboration with engineering and quality teams.
  • Good documentation habits and ability to support audits and inspections.

Additional Information

  • Expect to lift and position materials up to 50lbs and weld in multiple positions including overhead and vertical.
  • Climate-controlled fabrication area; may involve noise, heat, and use of PPE.
  • Regular standing, bending, and fine manual tasks (fitting, grinding, measuring) required.

How this job compares in Columbus, MS

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs across Mississippi currently run a median of $33/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $25–$39/hr across 48 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in Columbus, MS

Columbus, MS is a small market in our index: 1 other active welding opening alongside this one, from 1 employer. Across Mississippi as a whole we're tracking 103 other active welding openings from 56 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across Mississippi.

The most active employers in Mississippi at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are HII (13), TIC - The Industrial Company (10), and Ingalls Shipbuilding, a Division of HII (8). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

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.

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 Columbus, MS

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.