Senior Welder

Fortive•Everett, WA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Welder at Fluke produces cosmetically critical, leak-tight welds on tanks and other visible, water-tight components. The role uses precision GTAW/TIG welding on thin-gauge stainless steel and aluminum, with careful control of heat input and technique to limit distortion and achieve required appearance and quality. The Senior Welder also mentors other welders and partners with engineering and quality to resolve welding challenges and improve processes.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least 5 years of hands-on welding experience, primarily with thin-gauge stainless steel and aluminum.
Expert GTAW/TIG skills on thin-gauge material, including pulsed TIG.
Proven ability to control heat input and distortion on thin-gauge parts.
Experience meeting cosmetic or visual weld acceptance criteria where appearance is critical.
Knowledge of stainless-steel heat-tint and discoloration control, including shielding, purging, cleanliness, and post-weld cleaning.
Precision sheet metal fabrication experience, including fit-up and fixturing.
Ability to read drawings, weld symbols, and WPS requirements.
Strong attention to detail and pride in workmanship.
Experience with leak-tight, water-tight, or tank welding, including familiarity with leak-testing methods.

Nice To Haves

Welding certificate or technical school training.
Gas-tight welding experience, such as tube-to-tube or tube-to-fitting welds; orbital tube welding is a plus.
Brazing experience using torch or furnace methods.
Experience with or knowledge of laser welding.
AWS or equivalent GTAW certification on stainless steel and/or aluminum sheet.
Background in sanitary, food/beverage, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, or other high-purity/cosmetic fabrication.
Familiarity with visual inspection and dye penetrant testing.

Responsibilities

Perform precision GTAW/TIG welding on thin-gauge stainless steel and aluminum, including tanks and assemblies with high aesthetic requirements.
Control heat input, amperage, and travel technique to minimize distortion, warping, and burn-through on thin material.
Produce clean, consistent welds that meet cosmetic acceptance criteria, free of excessive heat tint, bluing, discoloration, and surface defects.
Set up and manage shielding gas, back-purging, and trailing shields to protect weld and heat-affected zone quality.
Maintain strict cleanliness practices, including material preparation, dedicated tooling, stainless/aluminum contamination control, and surface-finish requirements.
Fixture, fit up, and tack precision sheet metal parts to tight tolerances; plan weld sequences to control distortion.
Read and interpret engineering drawings, weld symbols, and WPS requirements.
Inspect own work and perform post-weld cleaning, heat-tint removal, and finishing as required.
Troubleshoot weld quality issues such as porosity, lack of fusion, cracking, distortion, and discoloration; recommend corrective actions with engineering and quality.
Mentor and train less experienced welders and help standardize best practices and work instructions.
Support process improvement efforts, including evaluating technologies such as laser welding to improve quality and reduce rework.
Follow all safety procedures and PPE requirements.