Entry-Level Stainless Steel Fabrication Shop Assistant

A Ground-Floor Opportunity with Real Career Potential

Rock Coast Personnel is recruiting an Entry-Level Shop Assistant/Utility Worker for our client, an established custom stainless steel fabrication company in Portland, Maine.

This is much more than an entry-level shop job. It is an opportunity to get your foot in the door and begin building a lasting, well-paying career in the skilled trades.

You will start by helping keep the shop clean, organized, safe, and running efficiently. As you demonstrate dependability and learn the operation, experienced welders and fabricators will provide hands-on training in stainless steel preparation, grinding, fitting, polishing, equipment operation, blueprint reading, and basic TIG/MIG welding.
No welding or metal fabrication experience is required. Our client is willing to train someone who brings a strong work ethic, reliable attendance, mechanical interest, and a genuine desire to learn.
Many employees have started in similar entry-level positions and, through training, hard work, and increased responsibility, developed their roles into successful skilled-trade careers.

How the Temp-to-Hire Opportunity Works

This position begins as a full-time assignment through Rock Coast Personnel, and the selected candidate will initially be an employee of Rock Coast Personnel.

The goal is to transition the position into direct, permanent employment with our client. If the arrangement proves to be a good fit for both the employee and the client, the employee may be offered the opportunity to join the client's team as a full-time, permanent employee.

What You'll Do

• Shop Organization and Safety
• Keep the shop floor clean, organized, and free of safety hazards.
• Organize welding equipment, hand tools, consumable supplies, and raw materials.
• Restock workstations with safety equipment and everyday supplies.
• Help maintain a safe, professional, and efficient working environment.

Shipping, Receiving, and Material Handling

• Unload deliveries of stainless steel sheet, tubing, pipe, hardware, and other materials.
• Compare incoming materials with packing slips to verify quantities and accuracy.
• Inspect incoming materials for visible damage.
• Safely package finished custom metal components for shipment or customer pickup.
• Learn to operate material-handling equipment, including forklifts and overhead hoists.

Fabrication Support and Training

• Assist experienced welders and fabricators with holding, clamping, positioning, and moving parts.
• Clean, prepare, grind, and deburr stainless steel components before fabrication and welding.
• Learn to safely use equipment such as angle grinders, drill presses, pipe-bending equipment, and CNC machinery.
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• Shadow experienced team members while learning TIG/MIG welding, metal finishing, fitting, and blueprint reading.
• Take on increasingly skilled responsibilities as your knowledge and abilities develop.

What We're Looking For

Previous shop, welding, or metalworking experience is not required. We are looking for someone with the right attitude and work habits.

• Dependable attendance and punctuality.
• A strong work ethic and willingness to perform hands-on physical work.
• A genuine interest in learning fabrication and welding skills.
• A commitment to following shop safety procedures.
• The ability to follow basic written and verbal instructions.
• The ability to read a standard tape measure or the willingness to learn.
• The ability to stand and walk for most of an eight-hour shift.
• The ability to routinely lift and handle materials weighing up to 50 pounds.
• A high school diploma or GED is preferred but not strictly required.

What This Opportunity Offers

• 100% paid, on-the-job training
• Hands-on instruction in metalworking, grinding, polishing, fitting, and welding.
• A potential path toward an Apprentice or Welder/Fabricator position.
• Opportunities for increased responsibility and earning potential.
• Training to operate forklifts and overhead hoists.
• Paid time off during the Rock Coast Personnel assignment.
• A boot allowance during the Rock Coast Personnel assignment.
• Initial personal protective equipment during the Rock Coast Personnel assignment, including gloves, hearing protection, and safety glasses.
• A stable, safety-focused workplace with experienced team members who are willing to teach.
• The potential to transition into permanent employment with the client.

During the temporary assignment, eligible Rock Coast Personnel employees receive paid time off, a boot allowance, and initial safety equipment. Following a successful transition to permanent employment, eligible employees may have access to the client's health coverage and retirement plan. Eligibility and benefit terms are determined by the applicable employer's policies.

Schedule: Monday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Friday, 6:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Overtime as required

Ready to Build Something More?

If you are dependable, mechanically inclined, comfortable working with your hands, and ready to learn a valuable trade, we want to hear from you.

Apply today through Rock Coast Personnel and tell us why you are interested in beginning a career in stainless steel fabrication.