Welding Supervisor (Maritime)

Marine / Shipyard Operations | Portland, Oregon

$40-45/hour | Full-Time | Direct Hire | Monday–Friday | Morning Shift

Build It Right the First Time.

We're looking for an experienced Welding Supervisor who understands that great welding supervision isn't just about keeping people busy — it's about making sure the work is right before it has to be done twice.

In this role, your biggest impact will be preventing re-work before it happens. Roughly 90% of the position is focused on quality, planning, communication, and catching problems early — before they turn into repairs, delays, wasted material, or lost production time.

What You'll Own

• Lead and support welding operations in a marine/shipyard environment

• Make first-time quality the standard

• Identify welding, fit-up, and fabrication issues before they create re-work

• Review drawings, specifications, weld requirements, and work instructions

• Ensure welders are following the correct procedures and project requirements

• Monitor workmanship throughout the production process

• Work directly with welders and foremen to address issues early

• Partner with QC, Engineering, Project Management, and Production

• Troubleshoot welding and fabrication problems in real time

• Identify root causes behind recurring quality issues

• Improve processes that reduce re-work, downtime, and wasted material

• Provide technical direction and coaching to welding personnel

• Maintain high standards for quality, safety, productivity, and accountability

This Isn't Just a "Keep Everyone Moving” Supervisor Role

We're looking for someone who can see the job before the job happens.

Someone who understands how fit-up, weld sequence, distortion, access, procedure, and workmanship can affect everything downstream.

You'll have a major voice in making sure problems are caught upstream — not after the weld is finished.

What You'll Bring

• Previous welding leadership experience in a marine, shipyard, heavy fabrication, or industrial environment

• Strong knowledge of welding processes and fabrication practices

• Ability to read and interpret drawings, blueprints, and welding specifications

• Strong understanding of fit-up, weld sequence, distortion, and weld quality

• Ability to recognize defects and potential defects before they become re-work

• Strong communication and leadership skills

• Ability to work effectively with welders, QC, engineering, and management

• A quality-first mindset with the experience to back it up

Strongly Preferred

• Marine or shipyard welding experience

• FCAW / SMAW / GMAW experience

• Familiarity with AWS, ABS, or similar welding standards

• Experience working with WPS requirements

• Previous experience as a Welding Supervisor, Welding Foreman, Welding Superintendent, or Lead Welder

• Experience with marine structural fabrication or ship repair

Why This Role Matters

Every weld that has to be repaired costs more than the weld itself.

It costs labor. Time. Material. Production. Schedule.

Your job is to keep those costs from happening in the first place.

If you are the kind of welding leader who takes pride in doing it right the first time, sees problems before they become problems, and knows how to get a team to follow a higher standard of workmanship, this could be a great fit.

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