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Job Description

Overview

We are seeking experienced Aluminum Welders for a ship repair project located in Portland, Oregon. Candidates must have hands-on aluminum welding experience, be proficient in MIG welding, and be able to successfully pass the required weld test.

Responsibilities

  • Perform aluminum welding and fabrication on vessels.
  • Work from ship specifications, work orders, drawings, and blueprints.
  • Fit, form, shape, and weld aluminum components.
  • Perform MIG welding in multiple positions.
  • Perform burning, beveling, and material preparation.
  • Utilize carbon arc gouging for weld preparation and cleanup.
  • Complete work according to required shipyard quality and safety standards.

Requirements

  • Previous aluminum welding experience required.
  • Strong MIG welding experience.
  • Experience with 5XXX-series aluminum preferred.
  • Ability to read and interpret blueprints.
  • Ability to weld in multiple positions.
  • Must be able to successfully pass the required weld test/X-ray inspection.
  • Pulse arc welding experience preferred.
  • TIG and flux-core welding experience is a plus.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • 67 days per week
  • 1012 hour shifts
  • Day and Swing shift opportunities
  • Majority of work will be performed outdoors aboard vessels, with some shop work as needed.
  • Candidates should be comfortable working extended hours in an active shipyard environment.
  • Travelers are encouraged to apply. Candidates who live more than 75 miles from the Portland jobsite may qualify for $120 in per diem for each workday.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
PTO
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How this job compares in Happy Valley, OR

Pay in context

At roughly $33/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $30/hr median for welding jobs across Oregon, whose middle half runs $26–$34/hr across 37 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 57% 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 Happy Valley, OR

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Happy Valley, OR, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Oregon as a whole we're tracking 56 other active welding openings from 36 employers. Browse welding jobs across Oregon.

Aerotek currently has 1 other opening live in Oregon, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Oregon at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Welding Shop in Portland, OR (11), AAON (3), and AAON, Inc. (2). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Oregon, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Portland at $33/hr and Redmond at $26/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG, TIG, and Flux-Core 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.

See all aluminum welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Similar openings near Happy Valley, OR

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