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Job Description

Overview

Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of HII, is hiring experienced Shipfitters with a minimum of 3 years in steel fabrication and tack welding. The role involves interpreting blueprints and fabricating steel structures for shipbuilding.

Responsibilities

  • Read and interpret blueprints or plans to fabricate steel structures.
  • Measure, cut, grind, fit, align, and tack weld parts.
  • Build interior structures, hatches, doors, and bulkheads.
  • Work in various locations including shops, dry-docks, and onboard ships.
  • Attend and qualify through the shipyard's welding school.

Requirements

  • Minimum of 3 years of fitting/fabrication experience.
  • Ability 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 pass a Physical Agility Test.
  • High school graduate or equivalent preferred.
  • Certificate or diploma in Shipfitting or related field is a plus.

Benefits

  • 401k
  • Health Insurance
  • PTO

Additional Information

  • Full-Time position with multiple shifts available.
  • No relocation assistance available.
  • No telework opportunity.

Benefits

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

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Newport News, VA currently run a median of $40/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $29–$41/hr across 13 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 Newport News, VA

We're tracking 21 other active welding openings in Newport News, VA right now, from 8 different employers. 1 of them was added in the last week. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 163 other active welding openings from 83 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.

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. (14), 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 $27/hr. Newport News is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG 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. 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.

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

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. SHIPFITTER- EXPERIENCED (3+ YEARS STEEL FABRICATION/TACK WELDING) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.