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Job Description

Your Job

The jobsite located in Baytown, TX has an opening for a Structural Welder .

Our Team

Optimized Process Designs, LLC (OPD) is an engineering/construction company headquartered in Katy, TX with an expertise in the natural gas, natural gas liquids, and petrochemical industries. OPD is part of the larger Koch Engineered Solutions (KES) organization which provides a variety of capabilities across many industries. Originally incorporated in 1980, OPD has developed a strong reputation for honesty, integrity, and ability to successfully execute projects. OPD has a key advantage in being able to supply construction services as well as engineering/procurement. This enables clients to have a ''one stop shop'' for the overall project, providing increased efficiency and avoiding potential interface problems. OPD's industry experience, flexibility, and personal attention have made us a preferred partner to our customers and our tight knit, highly productive, team atmosphere makes OPD a great place to work.

What You Will Do

Core responsibilities for a Structural Welder include:

Must own portable welding rig including PPE and jack stands. Weld skids, structural steel and related equipment according to specifications. Read drawings and recognize basic symbols for the job application. Operate tools and equipment including: angle grinders, beveling machines, cut-off grinders, hammers, tape measure, levels and torches (oxygen/acetylene & plasma). Possess skilled knowledge of welding, and welding process required (GMAW and/or SMAW). Exhibit knowledge of material identification, equipment utilization, welder equipment set-up and maintenance. Must be able to work with minimal supervision. Ability to work safely and accurately.

We Expect All Field Employees To

Actively participate in a strong safety culture. Recognize safety hazards and risks. Participate in onsite safety meetings. Follow OPD and client safety policies and procedures. Be aware of changing conditions on an active jobsite. Be on time to the jobsite each day ready for work. Display a positive attitude and can work in a team environment.

Some Physical Demands Of Being a Structural Welder Include

Capable of working in outdoor weather and environmental conditions including extreme heat and humidity, extreme cold, and high elevations. Lifting and carrying awkward objects up to 60 lbs. Standing for extended periods of time up to 11 hours per day. Moving the entire body. Considerable use of arms, legs, climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, crawling, twisting, reaching, and bending on a regular basis. Must be able to work on elevated platforms and maintain balance when stepping on narrow platforms such as beams and pipes. Must be able to perform these activities while wearing an approved full-body harness and lanyard. Use hands to handle, control, and feel objects and/or tools.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

At least 2 years of structural welding experience. Must be able to read, write & communicate in English. Must own the necessary tools to perform the welding and fabrication of structural steel. Must be able to pass code welding test: ASME Section IX 6G pipe test (SMAW and GTAW) and AWS D1.1 plate test for structural welds (SMAW and/or GMAW). Must demonstrate the ability to produce welds that are visually acceptable per the construction code i.e. ASME B 31.3. Must maintain your equipment in a condition that does not compromise safety or the environment. Must be able to work shifts up to 12 hours per day and 7 days per week. Must be able to meet all physical demands of the job. Must be able and willing to attend mandatory safety meetings. Must be a safety role model.

What Will Put You Ahead

5 or more years of experience as a structural welder and fabricator. Previous experience in a gas plant construction environment Strong interpersonal skills.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .

Who We Are

As a Koch Engineered Solutions company, Optimized Process Designs (OPD) provides clients with detailed engineering packages in all disciplines, single-point procurement for all equipment and materials, fabrication and direct-hired construction services throughout the United States. We leverage in-house capabilities and provide services with faster speed to market to help deliver increased cost savings while minimizing risk.

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please visit the following website for additional information: http://www.kochcareers.com/doc/Everify.pdf

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How this job compares in Baytown, TX

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, structural welder jobs across Texas currently run a median of $28/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $22–$35/hr across 14 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 Baytown, TX

We're tracking 66 other active welding openings in Baytown, TX right now, from 24 different employers. 16 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,148 other active welding openings from 511 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Baytown, or widen the search to Texas.

Optimized Process Designs LLC currently has 11 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 (38), Zachry Group (27), and Welding Shop in Houston, TX (22). 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 Old Sixth Ward at $40/hr, Arlington at $39/hr, and Dallas at $36/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 Stick 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 structural welder openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Certifications this posting mentions

  • 6G — a pipe test welded on a joint fixed at a 45-degree incline. Because the torch has to travel through flat, vertical, and overhead angles in a single pass, passing 6G qualifies you for every position on pipe — which is why it is the ticket that separates pipe welders from plate welders on pay.
  • 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 Baytown, TX

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