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Job Description

Overview

TST Fab & Machine is seeking an Entry Level MIG/TIG Welder to support custom metal fabrication for defense, maritime, and industrial projects in Norfolk, VA. This role offers hands-on experience and growth opportunities in a mission-driven team focused on precision and quality.

Responsibilities

  • Perform MIG and/or TIG welding on metal components per job specifications
  • Read and interpret fabrication blueprints/drawings, welding symbols, and technical instructions
  • Determine appropriate welding equipment and methods based on material and project requirements
  • Set up components and prepare materials for welding, including cutting, grinding, fit-up, and layout
  • Cut materials to match measurements
  • Operate angle grinders and prep tools to prepare parts
  • Align and clamp components using calipers, rulers, and fixtures
  • Weld components using manual or semi-automatic processes in various positions
  • Inspect welded surfaces and structures to ensure quality and discover flaws
  • Ensure welds meet quality standards, contract specifications, and required tolerances
  • Work with shop leads to maintain job flow and meet production schedule deadlines
  • Follow all safety protocols and maintain a clean, organized, and hazard-free work environment
  • Maintain tools and equipment in proper working condition

Requirements

  • MIG and/or TIG welding experience, preferably in a fabrication or manufacturing environment
  • Familiarity with additional welding equipment, processes, and procedures is a plus
  • Ability to read and interpret fabrication blueprints, welding symbols, and technical documents
  • Skilled in the use of electrical and manual tools
  • Basic understanding of welding tolerances, quality standards, and inspection procedures
  • Strong attention to detail, craftsmanship, and safety protocols
  • Willingness to wear appropriate PPE and follow all safety procedures
  • Reliable work ethic, punctuality, and communication skills
  • Trade school completion, welding apprenticeship, or equivalent hands-on training preferred
  • AWS certification or similar credentials are a plus
  • Proficient in English

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • Full-Time position
  • Pay: $18–$22 per hour based on experience
  • Location: Norfolk Plant
  • Schedule Options: Monday–Thursday Day Shift, Monday-Friday Evening Shift, Friday–Sunday Weekend Shift

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
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How this job compares in Norfolk, VA

Pay in context

At roughly $20/hr, this posting comes in about 37% below the $32/hr median for welding jobs in Norfolk, VA, where the middle half runs $27–$36/hr across 14 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 0% 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 Norfolk, VA

We're tracking 17 other active welding openings in Norfolk, VA right now, from 9 different employers. 3 of them were added in the last week. Across Virginia as a whole we're tracking 136 other active welding openings from 70 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Norfolk, or widen the search to Virginia.

The most active employers in Virginia at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Innovative Refrigeration Systems, Inc. (15), Atlantic Constructors, Inc. (10), and Newport News Shipbuilding, A Division of HII (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 $41/hr, Norfolk at $32/hr, and Chesapeake at $27/hr. Norfolk is among them.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG and TIG 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 welder fabricator openings if you want to compare this against similar roles.

Similar openings near Norfolk, 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 (MIG/TIG) - Defense & Industrial Fabrication figures were last recalculated when this page was built.