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Job Description

Overview

The Orbital GTAW Welding Technician role involves nationwide travel and offers competitive pay, including $38 per hour, per diem, and mileage reimbursement. The position requires expertise in orbital TIG welding and a commitment to quality and safety.

Responsibilities

  • Prepare materials, verify joints, and set up orbital TIG equipment.
  • Perform precision welds on tubing, pipe, and components to exacting specs.
  • Continuously monitor arc and puddle behavior; adjust parameters as needed.
  • Conduct visual and dimensional inspections on every completed weld.
  • Troubleshoot tools, settings, and process issues to keep production moving.
  • Maintain an orderly, safe work area and adapt to each site’s procedures.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of verifiable welding experience with strong orbital TIG focus.
  • Proven precision orbital GTAW results and a quality-first mindset.
  • Thorough understanding of TIG principles, weld parameters, and heat control.
  • Ability to read and interpret drawings, symbols, and welding specifications.
  • Experience with stainless and carbon steels; specialty alloys preferred.
  • Hands-on experience with weld inspection and quality requirements.
  • Resourceful troubleshooting and independent workstyle.
  • Willingness to work nights, weekends, and overtime as needed.
  • Availability to travel nationwide.
  • Background in aerospace manufacturing environments is a plus.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental

Additional Information

  • Most assignments run 6+ months with ongoing opportunities after that.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
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How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $38/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $37/hr median for welding jobs in Chicago, IL, whose middle half runs $31–$46/hr across 69 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 55% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. In other words it is a market-rate offer, so benefits, overtime, and shift schedule are where the real difference between this and the next posting on the list shows up.

The local market in Chicago, IL

We're tracking 99 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 52 different employers. 27 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 338 other active welding openings from 202 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Chicago, or widen the search to Illinois.

NordicWorkflow ApS currently has 2 other openings live in Illinois, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Gerber Collision & Glass (14), S&C Electric Company (11), and Venteon (10). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Downers Grove at $46/hr, Chicago at $37/hr, and Elk Grove Village at $34/hr. Chicago is among them.

What you'll be running

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

Similar openings near Chicago, IL

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