How to hire a welding engineer

How to hire a welding engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step welding engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a welding engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new welding engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a welding engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your welding engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a welding engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a welding engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a welding engineer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of welding engineers.

   Type of Welding Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Welding Engineer	Materials engineers develop, process, and test materials used to create a wide range of products, from computer chips and aircraft wings to golf clubs and biomedical devices. They study the properties and structures of metals, ceramics, plastics, composites, nanomaterials (extremely small substances), and other substances to create new materials that meet certain mechanical, electrical, and chemical requirements.	$24-66
   Metallurgist	A metallurgist is responsible for producing metal items and resources to create components used for large manufacturing and industrial production. Metallurgists operate various machine tools and equipment, requiring them to have a strict adherence to the workplace's safety protocols and regulations to prevent potential hazards and operational delays... Show more	$29-55
   Materials Research Engineer	A materials research engineer researches, processes, and develops test materials used to create a wide range of products. They must be good in analytical, mechanical, and math skills... Show more	$32-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Arc Welding
   • GMAW
   • GTAW
   • Continuous Improvement
   • CAD
   • Procedure Specifications
   • Aluminum
   • MIG
   • NDE
   • Resistance Welding
   • Stainless Steel
   • Brazing
   • SMAW
   • Troubleshoot

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage CWI's to ensure interpretations and directions are follow consistently.
   • Lead extrusion billet design and specification of hot-and-cold work tooling for press-and-draw bench use.
   • Operate and train operators on multiple CNC equipment and manage all products produce by the machines.
   • Manage aluminum structural/pipe fabrication turnaround: cross-country CGIT/IPB megawatt electrical power conductors.
   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Experience in GMAW, FCAW, SMAW, GTAW and SA welding processes.

   More welding engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the welding engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A welding engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a welding engineer in Michigan may be lower than in Arizona, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level welding engineer. Additionally, a welding engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average welding engineer salary

   $84,923yearly

   $40.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level welding engineer salary

   $51,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 12, 2025

   Average welding engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Texas	$99,011	$48
   2	California	$97,877	$47
   3	Washington	$93,674	$45
   4	Virginia	$72,227	$35
   5	New York	$71,912	$35
   6	Florida	$64,092	$31
   7	New Jersey	$59,213	$28
   8	Kentucky	$56,293	$27
   9	Tennessee	$55,650	$27
   10	Ohio	$54,853	$26
   11	Wisconsin	$52,519	$25
   12	New Hampshire	$52,025	$25
   13	Missouri	$51,598	$25
   14	Kansas	$50,624	$24
   15	Illinois	$50,245	$24
   16	Indiana	$48,620	$23
   17	Michigan	$47,445	$23
   18	Arkansas	$39,941	$19

   Average welding engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	T.D. Williamson	$124,187	$59.71	2
   2	OpSource	$117,161	$56.33	1
   3	CyberCoders	$112,321	$54.00	2
   4	Oshkosh	$103,643	$49.83	14
   5	Oceaneering	$101,715	$48.90	6
   6	Amphenol	$101,434	$48.77	10
   7	Technip USA Corporation	$101,332	$48.72
   8	FANUC America	$100,444	$48.29
   9	Tesla	$99,568	$47.87
   10	Toyota Financial Svc	$99,553	$47.86	4
   11	McDermott International	$99,262	$47.72
   12	BWX Technologies	$99,238	$47.71	40
   13	General Electric	$98,400	$47.31	113
   14	BorgWarner	$98,056	$47.14	14
   15	General Motors	$97,905	$47.07	29
   16	Woods Services	$97,847	$47.04
   17	Wabtec Corporation	$95,824	$46.07	1
   18	BAE Systems	$95,800	$46.06	80
   19	Component Repair Technologies	$92,662	$44.55	5
   20	Chart Industries	$91,996	$44.23	2

4. Writing a welding engineer job description

   A job description for a welding engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a welding engineer job description:

   Welding engineer job description example

   Our people are the heart of our business. As the world's largest provider of thermal processing services, Bodycote employs thousands of highly skilled staff around the globe, some of the best engineers, scientists and technicians in the industry. Come join our team!
   
   This role is a direct report to the General Manager for a heat treatment plant in Berlin, CT that supports the aerospace, defense and energy industries. The Weld Process Engineer will be responsible for process planning, design of shop layout, equipment selection, setting up/ commissioning of manufacturing equipment for EBW, X-Ray, and rough machining. The job includes development and qualification of machines, process certification, welding parameter development/certification and implementation to production operations.
   Major Responsibilities:
   Development, maintenance and evaluation of weld schedules and fixtures for welding. Do the tests to weld all new products and write the procedure for all new products as per industry and customer standards. Familiarity with GE and P&W procedures and approval processes a plus.
   Create a program for and assist operations in completing machine maintenance/upkeep, fixture design and management, and daily/weekly/etc. preventative maintenance activities including; maintaining the generator, clean the chamber, check the pumps, changing filament, etc.
   Provide input/review to hardware and tooling design, review of specifications and shop processing procedures, training and certification, oversight of 1st article welding, CNC programming, efficiency improvements and review of suppliers and welding materials.
   Train operators, dispositioning non-conforming items, input to Material Review Board, to address manufacturability issues, to maintain and revise relevant procedures and specifications, provide oversight of daily welding activities. In addition to in-house activities shall be responsible for coordination of outside vendor services including lab, x-ray, and machining vendors.
   Facilitate Continuous Improvement Activities. Help lead Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), create Control Plans, and perform Root Cause Analysis.
   Responsible for process planning, design of shop layout, equipment selection, setting up/ commissioning of manufacturing equipment for EBW.
   
   We are seeking candidates with the following qualifications:
   This position must satisfy ITAR compliance requirements, therefore candidates must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Resident Card Holder
   Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Production or Welding Engineering
   Minimum of 8-10 years hands on experience in manufacturing engineering & should know about EBW machines (Hamilton Standard W-2 models and Hawker-Siddley Model #EBW-15
   Experience in other welding techniques including GTAW, resistance welding, machining, Non Destructive Testing & thermal processing of Aerospace materials.
   Understanding of NDT involved in the products after EBW/conventional welding & be able to interpret results and take corrective actions wherever required.
   Knowledge of CNC controls and systems and understanding of basic programming.
   Understanding of metallurgy and basic metallographic methods. Knowledge of raw materials particular experience working with titanium, aluminum alloy, stainless, Inconel & other aerospace alloys.
   
   Bodycote has a longstanding commitment to provide a safe, quality-oriented and productive work environment and for these reasons all applicants in the United States who receive a conditional offer of employment must undergo a drug screen before employment begins.
   EOE/Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right welding engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with welding engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit welding engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your welding engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit welding engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with welding engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new welding engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the welding engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new welding engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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