Welding Engineer

Trident Maritime Systems, • Newport News, VA

4h • $135,000 - $163,000

About The Position

The Welding Engineer supports marine ship repair, shipbuilding, and manufacturing operations by developing, implementing, and maintaining welding procedures; ensuring compliance with military, commercial, and industry standards; and providing technical support to production personnel. The role calls for extensive knowledge of welding processes, metallurgy, procedure qualifications, and quality assurance requirements for naval vessels, commercial ships, and marine structural fabrication. It works closely with engineering, production, quality assurance, and project management to ensure welding is performed safely, efficiently, and according to contract specifications.

The position involves developing and maintaining welding documentation, evaluating welding methods and materials, troubleshooting production and fabrication issues, and supporting welding work on marine-grade alloys. It also supports welder qualification, inspections and testing, quality investigations, production planning, process improvement, and technical training. The Welding Engineer may work in shipyards, fabrication facilities, dry docks, and onboard vessels, with occasional travel to shipyards, customer facilities, and project locations. U.S. citizenship is required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline; equivalent combinations of education and extensive relevant marine welding experience may be considered.
• At least 5 years of welding engineering experience in shipbuilding, ship repair, heavy industrial fabrication, or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience developing and qualifying welding procedures.
• Experience with military specifications, NAVSEA requirements, or commercial marine welding standards.
• Strong understanding of welding metallurgy, weld discontinuities, and inspection methods.
• Experience supporting production welding operations and resolving technical welding issues.
• Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, welding symbols, and technical specifications.
• Strong technical understanding of welding engineering principles and metallurgy.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineering, production, quality assurance, and management personnel.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and technical priorities simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and engineering documentation systems.
• Strong commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Ability to work in shipyards, fabrication facilities, dry docks, and onboard vessels; access confined spaces, ladders, scaffolding, and elevated work areas as required; work around industrial machinery, welding equipment, and active production operations; and wear required PPE.
• Must be able to meet applicable customer and facility access requirements.

Nice To Haves

• American Welding Society Certified Welding Inspector (AWS CWI).
• AWS Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) or equivalent professional qualifications.
• Experience supporting U.S. Navy ship repair and maintenance contracts.
• Familiarity with NAVSEA Standard Items and applicable military welding requirements.
• Experience welding HY-80, HY-100, HSLA steels, stainless steel, and marine aluminum alloys.
• Experience with GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, SMAW, and SAW processes.
• Experience with welding procedure and welder performance qualification programs.
• Familiarity with ABS, USCG, and other marine regulatory requirements.
• Experience working with government quality assurance representatives and third-party inspectors.
• Experience with welding automation, robotic welding, or advanced manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop, review, qualify, and maintain Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), Procedure Qualification Records (PQR), and supporting welding documentation.
• Provide technical guidance to welders, supervisors, inspectors, and production personnel.
• Evaluate welding methods, joint designs, filler metals, shielding gases, and welding parameters.
• Troubleshoot welding defects, production challenges, and fabrication issues; develop corrective actions for weld failures, discontinuities, and nonconforming work.
• Support welding operations involving carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, high-strength steels, and other marine-grade alloys.
• Evaluate welding distortion, residual stresses, heat input, and preheat/interpass temperature requirements.
• Assist with developing and implementing new welding technologies and processes.
• Ensure welding activities comply with applicable specifications and standards, including NAVSEA, MIL-STD, AWS, ASME, ABS, and other marine classification society requirements.
• Review customer specifications, contract requirements, and engineering drawings for welding compliance.
• Support welder qualification testing and maintain welding qualification requirements.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance and Nondestructive Testing (NDT) personnel to evaluate weld integrity; review RT, UT, MT, PT, and VT results.
• Participate in root cause investigations and corrective action development.
• Support customer audits, regulatory inspections, and government quality assurance reviews.
• Work with production supervisors and welders to improve welding efficiency, productivity, and quality.
• Evaluate fabrication methods to reduce rework, distortion, and production costs.
• Provide technical support for structural repairs, hull modifications, piping systems, and marine equipment fabrication.
• Assist in developing welding sequences and fabrication plans for complex assemblies.
• Review engineering drawings and recommend improvements to weld design and manufacturability.
• Support production planning, material selection, and welding equipment requirements.
• Coordinate with project management to resolve welding-related technical issues and maintain project schedules.
• Identify opportunities to improve welding processes, equipment, and production efficiency.
• Develop and conduct technical training for welders, welding supervisors, and inspection personnel.
• Assist with implementing welding automation and mechanized welding processes; evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements.
• Support workplace safety initiatives and compliance with applicable OSHA requirements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level