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Job Description

Overview

Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is seeking Entry-Level Welders. This role requires no prior experience as training will be provided, and it involves performing various welding tasks in ship construction.

Responsibilities

  • Perform structural and/or pipe welds in all phases of ship construction.
  • Use a wide range of welding filler metals and processes.
  • Complete welding school training.
  • Perform tack, fillet, and full penetration welding on steel foundations and joints.
  • Satisfy all nondestructive test requirements.
  • Receive additional training including certified visual inspection and troubleshooting.

Requirements

  • Must be able to take measurements or be willing to learn.
  • Must be able to work assigned shift as production needs.
  • Must be able to work at extreme heights or in confined spaces.
  • Must be able to kneel, squat, crawl, bend, stoop, and climb.
  • Must be able to lift 40 lbs and pass a respirator fit test.
  • Must be able to work indoors/outdoors year-round in all weather conditions.
  • Must be able to pass Physical Agility Test.
  • Must be willing to undergo a background investigation and drug screen.
  • High school graduate or equivalent preferred.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • 401k
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Full-Time position with multiple shifts available.
  • No relocation assistance available.
  • Not eligible for telework.
  • No travel requirements.
  • No clearance required to start.

Benefits

Health Insurance
401k
PTO
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How this job compares in Newport News, VA

Pay in context

At roughly $29/hr, this posting comes in about 28% below the $40/hr median for welding jobs in Newport News, VA, where the middle half runs $29–$41/hr across 11 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 18% 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 Newport News, VA

We're tracking 19 other active welding openings in Newport News, VA right now, from 8 different employers. 13 of them were added in the last week. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 146 other active welding openings from 76 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Newport News, or widen the search to Virginia.

Newport News Shipbuilding, A Division of HII currently has 7 other openings live in Virginia, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Virginia at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Innovative Refrigeration Systems, Inc. (15), General Dynamics NASSCO (10), and Atlantic Constructors, Inc. (8). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Virginia, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Newport News at $40/hr, Norfolk at $30/hr, and Chesapeake at $28/hr. Newport News is among them.

Similar openings near Newport News, VA

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