Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field such as Welding, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering.
3+ years of experience in welding processes for aerospace or high-reliability hardware.
Knowledge of aerospace welding standards, including AWS D17.1 and ASME Section IX.
Experience developing and qualifying welding procedures and interpreting related documentation.
Solid understanding of welding metallurgy, joint design, and common weld defects.
Hands-on experience with welding processes like GTAW and GMAW.
Ability to read engineering drawings and technical specifications including GD&T.
Responsibilities
Develop and qualify welding procedures and associated documentation for various joining processes.
Act as the technical authority for welding operations, guiding from design to delivery.
Review engineering specifications for compliance and manufacturability.
Control essential process variables and ensure high-quality production conditions.
Analyze welding metallurgy and defect mechanisms in various aerospace materials.
Define inspection plans in collaboration with quality assurance teams.
Lead investigations on welding nonconformances and develop corrective actions.
Support process capabilities and readiness reviews for critical hardware projects.
Train and mentor teams on welding best practices and techniques.
Monitor and evaluate external suppliers’ welding processes to ensure quality standards.
Benefits
Health, dental, and vision insurance options.
Retirement savings plan with company match.
Paid time off and holidays.
Professional development opportunities and training.
Flexible work arrangements available.
Full Job Description
Aerospace Welding Engineer
Houston, TX
About the Position:
The Aerospace Welding Engineer will own and support welding and joining processes used to manufacture mission-critical spaceflight hardware. This role will translate design requirements into qualified, repeatable production processes; provide hands-on support to welders, technicians, suppliers, and inspectors; and ensure welded assemblies meet drawing, material, workmanship, and program requirements. The ideal candidate combines strong welding metallurgy and process-engineering fundamentals with practical experience delivering high-reliability aerospace hardware.
Responsibilities:
Develop, qualify, release, and maintain welding procedures and supporting documentation, including WPS, PQR, and welder or operator qualifications, for applicable fusion, resistance, and solid-state joining processes.
Serve as the technical authority for welding of flight and ground-support hardware, providing direction from design and material selection through fabrication, inspection, acceptance, and delivery.
Review engineering drawings, weld symbols, specifications, joint designs, tolerances, and material callouts for producibility and compliance with program requirements.
Establish and control essential process variables, tooling, shielding, cleanliness, fit-up, filler materials, heat input, preheat or post-weld heat treatment, and environmental controls.
Evaluate weld metallurgy, distortion, residual stress, defect mechanisms, and compatibility for aluminum, stainless and high-strength steels, titanium, nickel-based alloys, and other aerospace materials.
Define inspection and acceptance plans in partnership with Quality and NDE personnel, including visual, dimensional, penetrant, radiographic, ultrasonic, leak, proof, and metallographic examinations as applicable.
Lead weld-related nonconformance investigations and root-cause analyses; develop repair procedures, corrective actions, and recurrence-prevention plans with Design, Stress, Materials and Processes, Quality, and Manufacturing teams.
Support fracture-critical and pressure-system hardware reviews, design-for-manufacture trades, risk assessments, first-article builds, process capability studies, and production readiness reviews.
Provide shop-floor support during setup, tack welding, welding, rework, repair, inspection, and test; train and mentor welders, technicians, and engineers on approved practices.
Qualify and monitor external welding suppliers, review supplier procedures and records, and resolve technical issues affecting quality, schedule, or configuration control.
Maintain complete, auditable manufacturing records and traceability for procedures, personnel qualifications, materials, equipment calibration, consumables, inspection results, and as-built configuration.
Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
3+ years of engineering experience developing or supporting welding and joining processes for aerospace, defense, pressure systems, or other high-reliability hardware.
Working knowledge of aerospace welding standards and qualification practices, including AWS D17.1/D17.1M and customer or program-specific requirements; ability to apply ASME Section IX or equivalent codes when required by the hardware.
Experience creating and qualifying welding procedures and interpreting procedure qualification, welder qualification, and production weld records.
Strong knowledge of welding metallurgy, joint design, weldability, heat treatment, distortion control, and common weld discontinuities and failure mechanisms.
Hands-on experience with relevant process such as GTAW, GMAW, OTW Etc.
Proficiency in reading engineering drawings, weld symbols, specifications, material certifications, and GD&T.
Experience leading technical investigations, documenting objective evidence, and communicating dispositions and corrective actions across engineering and production teams.
Ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.
Preferred Requirements:
Master's degree in Welding Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
International Welding Engineer, AWS Certified Welding Engineer, AWS Certified Welding Inspector, or equivalent certification.
Experience with NASA-STD-5006, NASA-STD-6016, AWS D17.2/D17.2M, or other spaceflight materials and process specifications.
Experience welding thin-wall tanks, tubing, pressure vessels, propulsion components, structural assemblies, or other fracture-critical flight hardware.
Experience with titanium, nickel-based superalloys, stainless steels, high-strength steels, or dissimilar-metal joints.
Familiarity with NDE method selection, weld process automation, statistical process control, metallographic evaluation, and laboratory failure analysis.
ERP/MES and engineering collaboration experience using tools such as Boltline, Confluence, JIRA, or similar systems.
