Job Description

Overview

NABRICO Marine Products is seeking a safety-oriented, skilled Automated Welding Operator to join our team at our Ashland City, TN, barge manufacturing facility. This position is responsible for performing welding operations and related fabrication activities in support of barge manufacturing.

Responsibilities

  • Perform FCAW and/or SMAW in accordance with approved Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), fabrication drawings, and established quality standards.
  • Successfully perform flat (2F), vertical (3F), and overhead (4F) fillet welds while maintaining consistent weld quality and proper welding techniques.
  • Read and interpret welding symbols, weld sizes, fabrication drawings, and applicable quality requirements.
  • Set up, operate, and adjust welding equipment to establish parameters and compliance with approved procedures.
  • Visually inspect completed welds to identify defects and verify compliance with applicable quality standards.
  • Identify and communicate all defects & concerns to facility leadership.
  • Maintain proper welding techniques, including appropriate travel speed, weld angle, electrode or wire placement, and heat control.
  • Perform weld seam preparation and related fabrication activities as needed.
  • Maintain welding equipment, tools, and assigned work areas to maintain a safe condition.
  • Follow all company safety policies, procedures, PPE requirements, and established best practices.
  • Maintain a clean, organized work area and follow housekeeping expectations.
  • Participate in safety initiatives, quality improvement efforts, and continuous improvement activities.
  • Work collaboratively with all team members to meet production schedules and quality expectations.
  • Communicate production progress, equipment concerns, material defects, and other related challenges to leadership.
  • Meet established production goals while maintaining safety, workmanship, and quality standards.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or GED preferred.
  • Previous welding experience in a manufacturing, fabrication, construction, marine, or industrial environment preferred.
  • Verifiable experience with FCAW and/or SMAW welding processes.
  • Ability to successfully perform flat (2F), vertical (3F), and overhead (4F) fillet welds.
  • Ability to read and interpret welding symbols, weld sizes, fabrication drawings, and Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS).
  • Knowledge of welding techniques, equipment operation, welding parameters, and consumable handling.
  • Ability to visually identify weld defects and understand basic visual weld quality requirements.
  • Ability to safely operate welding equipment, grinders, and other steel fabrication tools.
  • Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing consistent, high-quality welds.
  • Ability to follow verbal and written instructions, meet production expectations, and work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Strong understanding of workplace safety practices and willingness to follow all company policies and procedures.
  • Ability to work effectively with all members of the production team.
  • Regular and predictable attendance, a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic.
  • Ability to work overtime and alternate schedules as business needs require.

Additional Information

  • This position operates in a heavy manufacturing and industrial fabrication environment.
  • Employees are regularly exposed to welding operations, sparks, fumes, noise, moving equipment, and varying temperatures.
  • Work may take place indoors and outdoors in changing weather conditions.
  • The position requires the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and adherence to all company safety requirements.
  • The role requires crawling, standing, walking, bending, reaching, confined spaces and working in various welding positions.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k

How this job compares in Ashland City, TN

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs across Tennessee currently run a median of $29/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $22–$32/hr across 28 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 Ashland City, TN

Ashland City, TN is a small market in our index: 2 other active welding openings alongside this one, from 2 employers. Across Tennessee as a whole we're tracking 71 other active welding openings from 55 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across Tennessee.

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

The most active employers in Tennessee at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Mueller Water Products (4), Staffmark (3), and Welding Shop in Nashville, TN (3). 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 Stick and Flux-Core work. Stick (SMAW) burns a flux-coated consumable rod and needs no shielding gas, so it works in wind, rain, and on dirty or rusted steel. That tolerance for bad conditions keeps it the default for field, structural, and repair work. Flux-cored (FCAW) runs a hollow wire filled with flux, combining MIG-like deposition rates with the outdoor tolerance of stick. It is the workhorse on heavy structural steel and shipbuilding, where thick sections and long welds reward speed.

Similar openings near Ashland City, TN

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Automated Welding Operator - 2nd Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.