The Lead Welder is responsible for overseeing daily welding and fit-up activities, ensuring quality workmanship, productivity, and compliance with company, customer, and industry standards. This role provides technical leadership, guidance, and training to welders and fitters while supporting production objectives, continuous improvement initiatives, safety compliance, and quality assurance requirements.
The Lead Welder serves as the primary point of contact for weld quality, weld procedure adherence, fabrication accuracy, and inspection readiness throughout the manufacturing process.
Welding & Fabrication Leadership- Lead and coordinate daily welding, fitting, and fabrication activities within assigned production areas.
- Perform and oversee welding operations using GMAW (MIG), GTAW (TIG), FCAW, and other approved welding processes as required.
- Interpret and apply engineering drawings, weld symbols, specifications, bills of material, and fabrication instructions.
- Verify proper fit-up, alignment, dimensional accuracy, and weld preparation prior to welding.
- Ensure all welds meet visual acceptance criteria and applicable quality requirements.
- Support production schedules while maintaining quality and safety standards.
- Assist supervisors in assigning work, monitoring workflow, and resolving production issues.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to apprentices, junior, and production welders.
Quality Assurance & Inspection- Conduct in-process and final visual inspections of weldments and fabricated assemblies.
- Verify compliance with approved welding procedures, work instructions, and quality standards.
- Identify weld discontinuities including:
- Undercut
- Porosity
- Cracking
- Incomplete fusion
- Incomplete penetration o Excessive reinforcement
- Distortion
- Ensure proper material traceability and documentation where required.
- Review weld quality reports and assist with corrective and preventive actions.
- Collaborate with Quality and Engineering teams to investigate nonconformances and implement solutions.
- Support internal, customer, and third-party quality audits.
- Verify calibration status of measuring and inspection equipment.
- Maintain accurate production, inspection, and repair/rework records.
Standards & Technical Knowledge- Maintain a working knowledge of recognized pressure-containing equipment, structural fabrication, and welding construction standards.
- Understand:
- Weld procedure specifications (WPS)
- Procedure qualification records (PQR)
- Welder performance qualifications
- Material specifications
- Joint design requirements
- Heat input considerations
- Dimensional tolerances
- Ensure welding parameters remain within approved ranges for voltage, amperage, wire feed speed, travel speed, and shielding gas requirements.
- Apply accepted industry practices for welding carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum materials.
- Review fabrication drawings for manufacturability and compliance before production begins.
Safety & Continuous Improvement- Enforce all safety policies, procedures, and PPE requirements.
- Promote and support 5S workplace organization principles.
- Participate in Kaizen and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Identify opportunities to improve quality, productivity, and workflow efficiency.
- Conduct workstation audits and ensure safe operation of welding and fabrication equipment.
- Assist in incident investigations and corrective action implementation when required.
Training & Team Development- Train and qualify employees on welding techniques, workmanship standards, equipment operation, and quality expectations.
- Evaluate welder performance and provide coaching for continuous improvement.
- Assist in skills assessments and qualification testing.
- Promote a culture of accountability, craftsmanship, teamwork, and safety.
Required Qualifications- High School Diploma or GED.
- Minimum 5 years of welding and fabrication experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Minimum 2 years in a lead, mentor, or senior welder role.
- Demonstrated experience welding carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.
- Ability to pass company welding qualification tests.
- Strong blueprint reading and weld symbol interpretation skills.
- Experience using precision measuring tools including:
- o Tape measures
- o Calipers
- o Squares
- o Levels
- o Angle gauges
- Proficient with manual and semi-automatic welding equipment.
- Working knowledge of welding inspections and quality systems.
Preferred Qualifications- Welding technical school certification.
- Experience with pressure vessels, coils, piping systems, or heavy fabrication.
- Experience supporting quality audits and root cause investigations.
- Knowledge of non-destructive examination methods such as:
- o Visual Inspection (VT)
- o Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT)
- o Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
- o Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
- o Radiographic Testing (RT)
- Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience.
Key Competencies- Leadership
- Quality Focus
- Technical Expertise
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- Accountability
- Planning & Organization
- Communication Skills
- Safety Awareness
- Attention to Detail
- Team Development
- Process Improvement
- Integrity & Professionalism
Performance ExpectationsThe Lead Welder is expected to:
- Maintain first-pass weld quality standards.
- Drive reductions in rework and scrap.
- Ensure production objectives are achieved without compromising safety or quality.
- Support workforce development through coaching and training.
- Maintain compliance with documented welding procedures, fabrication standards, inspection requirements, and customer specifications.
- Serve as the subject matter expert for welding workmanship and fabrication quality within the department.
SALARY RANGE: $67,900 - 101,900(Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance. This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us #
