Job Description

Overview

We are currently seeking an experienced First-Class Shipfitter to support the fabrication, assembly, and erection of metal components in the construction of marine vessels. This role requires advanced blueprint reading, steel layout and fit-up skills, and the ability to work in physically demanding shipyard environments.

Responsibilities

  • Lay out, fit, assemble, and fabricate metal components for ship construction using blueprints and schematics.
  • Read and interpret detailed blueprints using both metric and standard systems.
  • Use tools such as grinders, hand torches, hydraulic and ratchet jacks, chain falls, come-a-longs, squares, levels, and plumb bobs.
  • Work with steel plate, beams, and structural shapes to perform proper fit-up and alignment.
  • Safely operate within confined spaces, elevated platforms, and in all weather conditions.
  • Follow strict safety standards and procedures, maintaining compliance with industry and site-specific safety guidelines.
  • Collaborate with team members to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and timely completion of tasks.

Requirements

  • 3–5 years of verifiable experience in the trade.
  • Strong understanding of shipfitting techniques, including layout, steel prep, and structural assembly.
  • Basic math, reading, and comprehension skills.
  • Proficient in reading complex blueprints and interpreting fit-up and alignment tolerances.
  • Experience working with datum lines for accurate unit setting and erection.
  • Comfortable working various shifts, including day and night, based on production schedules.
  • Able to work at heights, in confined spaces, and under various environmental conditions.
  • U.S. Citizenship or authorization to work in the United States.

How this job compares in Houston, TX

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Houston, TX currently run a median of $32/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $23–$41/hr across 75 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 Houston, TX

We're tracking 321 other active welding openings in Houston, TX right now, from 179 different employers. 81 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 1,132 other active welding openings from 498 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Houston, or widen the search to Texas.

Core Group Resources currently has 3 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 Zachry Group (33), Austin Industries (30), and Welding Shop in Austin, TX (21). 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 Arlington at $40/hr, Dallas at $39/hr, and Pasadena at $36/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Houston, TX

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