Welding Program Manager
About The Position
The Welding Program Manager is responsible for the technical ownership, implementation, control, and continuous improvement of the company’s welding program. This program provides standardized welding processes, procedures, oversight, and support to both the shipboard systems integration, alteration, installation, and testing (AIT) sector and the Fabrication (Fab Shop) sector. The role includes the fabrication of shipboard subassemblies, equipment foundations, and related structural and mechanical components. The Welding Program Manager develops, maintains, and administers the company’s welding procedure and welder qualification program in accordance with applicable customer requirements, military and commercial standards, codes, specifications, drawings, and contract requirements. The position ensures that welding procedures and welder qualifications are technically valid, properly documented, current, traceable, and applicable to the work being performed. The position owns the welding procedure specification (WPS), procedure qualification record (PQR), welder performance qualification (WPQ), welder continuity, and associated welding documentation systems, including development, review, approval coordination, revision control, retention, and accessibility of records. The individual establishes and maintains the systems necessary to ensure that only appropriately qualified welders, approved procedures, and qualified welding processes are used for production work. The position has the authority and responsibility to identify welding activities that do not meet applicable requirements and to recommend or initiate corrective action, including withholding approval for use of an unqualified procedure, unqualified welder, or otherwise noncompliant welding process.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline; equivalent technical education and substantial welding engineering experience may be considered.
- Significant professional experience in welding engineering, welding program management, or welding quality within heavy fabrication, shipbuilding, naval, defense, marine, or similarly regulated manufacturing environments.
- Demonstrated experience developing and administering welding procedure and welder qualification programs.
- Familiarity with HII-NNS carrier new construction and NSTP-1688 supporting EB fabrication specifications
- Demonstrated working knowledge of applicable welding codes, standards, military specifications, customer requirements, and quality-system requirements.
- Demonstrated experience with WPS/PQR/WPQ development, qualification, control, and records management.
- Experience establishing and maintaining welder continuity systems.
- Experience auditing welding operations and identifying and resolving compliance deficiencies.
- Extensive experience with training and continuous improvement of best work practices, and applying QMS requirements to daily tasking.
- Strong understanding of welding metallurgy, weldability, welding processes, consumables, heat input, preheat/interpass controls, distortion, weld defects, and weld repair.
- Experience working directly with certified welders, welding supervisors, inspectors, quality personnel, and manufacturing organizations.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, welding symbols, specifications, and technical requirements.
- Strong technical writing, documentation, organizational, and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and exercise sound technical judgment in a highly regulated defense/shipbuilding environment.
- AWS Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng) or comparable professional welding engineering credential.
- AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) certification.
- AWS Certified Welding Supervisor (CWS) or equivalent supervisory/production welding experience.
- Experience supporting U.S. Navy shipboard fabrication, alteration, installation, repair, or sustainment programs.
- Experience with NAVSEA welding requirements and applicable Navy fabrication and welding standards/specifications.
- Experience with ASME, AWS, ABS, or other applicable commercial/industrial welding codes and standards.
- Experience supporting government/customer audits and source inspections.
- Experience with electronic welding qualification/continuity databases or quality-management systems; proficiency with maintaining digital records via SharePoint or equivalent.
- Familiarity with NDE methods and weld inspection requirements.
- Experience implementing welding program improvements across multiple operating locations or business units.
Responsibilities
- Ensure welder qualifications and continuity records accurately reflect individual qualifications and remain current in accordance with governing requirements.
- Oversee procedure qualification and welder performance qualification testing, including coordination with qualified testing laboratories, inspectors, and customer representatives as required.
- Create and modify Quality Management System (QMS) documentation.
- Identify systemic welding-program deficiencies and implement corrective and preventive actions.
- Maintain objective evidence necessary to demonstrate welding program compliance during customer, regulatory, classification society, government, and internal audits.
- Interface with Quality Assurance, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Contracts, Program Management, and customer representatives on welding-related matters.
- Provide technical input during source inspections, customer inspections, government oversight, and audits involving welding activities.
- Establish metrics and reporting mechanisms for welding qualification status, continuity, procedure utilization, weld defects, rework, nonconformances, audit findings, and other indicators of welding program performance.
- Evaluate new welding technologies, processes, equipment, and materials for potential application within the fabrication operation.
- Support estimating, proposals, and new-work reviews by identifying welding requirements, qualification needs, technical risks, and resource requirements.
- Maintain awareness of changes to applicable welding codes, standards, Navy requirements, customer specifications, and company processes and incorporate changes into the welding program as appropriate.
- Perform other related duties consistent with the technical and managerial responsibilities of the position.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
