What does a welding engineer do?
A welding engineer is responsible for planning and monitoring welding projects and assisting the welding team by facilitating procedures and analyzing designs for construction. Welding engineers consult with the clients for their needs and requirements, including their budget limitations, to identify cost-efficient resources with high-quality standards. They also conduct quality control processes and define failure sources for an immediate resolution to avoid potential hazards and operational delays. A welding engineer must have excellent communication and analytical skills, especially in measuring the scope of the project and meet deadlines efficiently.
Welding engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real welding engineer resumes:
- 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.
- Launch first AWS customer require program to D1.2 Aluminum code manual GTAW.
- Implement new semi-automate welding equipment in each production line for reparations (MIG, FCAW).
- Develop and optimize robotic GMAW parameters for aluminum welding procedures.
- Write welding procedures to ASME, AWS & API codes.
- Use SMAW to make UT quality butt welds on column splices.
- Operate CDL hy-rail trucks (section truck, boom truck, grapple truck, rail inspector truck).
- Progress to design/engineer using 'solidworks' cad system.
- Train and serve as an internal ISO auditor.
- Perform weld repair on castings using the GTAW process.
Welding engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Welding Engineers are proficient in Arc Welding, GMAW, and GTAW. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Welding Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Arc Welding, 8%
Developed welding procedures for AC submerged arc welding and AC Shielded Metal Arc welding of 9% Ni tank plates.
- GMAW, 7%
Developed and optimized robotic GMAW parameters for aluminum welding procedures.
- GTAW, 5%
Procured and implemented Automated Orbital GTAW system.
- Continuous Improvement, 5%
Worked closely with engineering department on new product launch, and developed continuous improvement processes.
- CAD, 4%
Work closely with a team using CAD to custom fabricates machines for water removal and flood damage restoration.
- Procedure Specifications, 3%
Monitor sub-contractors welding procedure specifications, NDE standards, and welder qualifications for compliance to applicable contract requirements.
"arc welding," "gmaw," and "gtaw" are among the most common skills that welding engineers use at work. You can find even more welding engineer responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a welding engineer to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what welding engineers do because "materials engineers often work on projects related to other fields of engineering." Additionally, a welding engineer resume shows how welding engineers use analytical skills: "performed failure analysis of components that lead to a major production improvement for snowmobile steering components. "
Speaking skills. Many welding engineer duties rely on speaking skills. "while working with technicians, technologists, and other engineers, materials engineers must state concepts and directions clearly," so a welding engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways welding engineer responsibilities rely on speaking skills: "presented quality initiatives and corrective actions during regular customer visits. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for welding engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how welding engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "materials engineers must write plans and reports clearly so that people without a materials engineering background can understand the concepts." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a welding engineer: "performed welding engineering duties including writing and qualification of welding procedure specifications and qualification of welders. ".
Math skills. For certain welding engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a welding engineer rely on this skill, as "materials engineers use the principles of calculus and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what welding engineers do: "use statistics extensively for data analysis. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in welding engineer job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what welding engineers do. Welding engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "materials engineers must understand the relationship between materials’ structures, their properties, how they are made, and how these factors affect the products they are used to make." You can also see how welding engineer duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "develop test plans for failure analysis and provide process resolution to resolve. "
The three companies that hire the most welding engineers are:
- Honeywell68 welding engineers jobs
- Stoughton Trailers40 welding engineers jobs
- BWX Technologies20 welding engineers jobs
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Compare different welding engineers
Welding engineer vs. Materials branch chief
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. They also identify cost-efficient methods for the processes without compromising high-quality standards and business requirements. A metallurgist conducts troubleshooting and enhances technical solutions for production and manufacturing discrepancies.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, welding engineer responsibilities require skills like "arc welding," "gmaw," "gtaw," and "continuous improvement." Meanwhile a typical materials branch chief has skills in areas such as "logistics," "occupational safety," "product research," and "stock control." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that materials branch chiefs earn slightly differ from welding engineers. In particular, materials branch chiefs are 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a welding engineer. Additionally, they're 3.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Welding engineer vs. Metallurgist
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. They are likely to perform in their role such as formulating their own project concepts, executing technology projects about the development of novel polymer fiber-reinforced composites, and identifying unknown material compositions. Also, they implement powder processing equipment and manufacture tools to improve their efficiency and quality.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, welding engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "arc welding," "gmaw," "gtaw," and "cad." Meanwhile, a metallurgist has duties that require skills in areas such as "aerospace," "heat treat," "data analysis," and "titanium." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, metallurgists earn a lower salary than welding engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, metallurgists earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $79,892. Whereas welding engineers have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $91,235.In general, metallurgists achieve higher levels of education than welding engineers. They're 6.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 3.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Welding engineer vs. Materials research engineer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from welding engineer resumes include skills like "arc welding," "gmaw," "gtaw," and "continuous improvement," whereas a materials research engineer is more likely to list skills in "materials research," "research projects," "characterization techniques," and "synthesis. "
Materials research engineers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $101,507. On the other hand, welding engineers are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $91,235.When it comes to education, materials research engineers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to welding engineers. In fact, they're 7.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 8.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Welding engineer vs. Forensic materials engineer
Types of welding engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
