Rigger Jobs

This Job Listing is for recent or upcoming 2026 High School Graduates. Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is offering a $500 sign-on bonus to welder trainee hires. In addition, NNS is offering $500 in relocation bonus to rigger entry level new hires that live 50 miles or greater from Newport News, VA. Job seekers who apply are eligible for the sign-on and relocation bonus. Newport News Shipbuilding offers competitive pay, weekly paychecks, paid time off, paid holidays, medical benefits including an on-site health center, 401K company match, employee discounts, and more. The sign-on bonus is for external new hires. Current Newport News Shipbuilding employees are ineligible for the sign-on bonus. Riggers provide the kinetic energy of the shipbuilding business. They operate the vast majority of cranes throughout the shipyard in addition to a wide assortment of forklifts with various capacities. Riggers are also responsible for operation of the shipyard’s tug boats – moving ships between dry docks and piers, and mooring ships while at the piers and outfitting berths. Riggers handle every component of a ship - from pipes and valves, to pumps, motors and electronic equipment, to the largest machinery and structural components – riggers are able to lift, manipulate, and set them into place. To accomplish this, riggers must be able to calculate the weight and center of gravity of the item being handled, determine the capacity of the lift points, and calculate the angle imposed on the handling gear in order to select the most appropriate gear for the task at hand. Riggers erect, maintain, and dismantle various types of scaffolding throughout the shipyard. Each type is selected to best suit the physical location and intended use, to provide a safe working platform for personnel where none existed. The Rigger’s Department is also responsible for purchasing, maintaining, and issuing the myriad assortment of tools used in the shipbuilding business. This section of the department also installs and maintains various types of ventilation equipment onboard ships to prevent dangerous atmospheres from developing.