Certified Welding Inspector II (AWS CWI) — Aberdeen, SD

What a week in this job looks like

Your week moves between the fabrication shop and the erection site: witnessing a welder qualification test on Monday because the erector added a crew, inspecting complete-joint-penetration welds on moment connections and calling UT on the ones that need it, reviewing the shop's WPS package before a new joint detail starts, and writing the reports the special inspection program requires. Rejections happen; the report and the repair instruction are what make them cost a day instead of a week.

On special inspection projects you are also the IBC Chapter 17 record for structural steel: what you sign goes to the building official.

Certifications, training, and where this leads

CWI II leads to Senior Certified Welding Inspector III with the AWS SCWI credential, and into quality management on steel-heavy programs. Sponsored training covers ICC steel and bolting, additional codes, and NDT Level II in UT and MT.

Pay, schedule, and travel

Pay runs $38 to $52 an hour depending on certifications held, verified experience, and the program you are assigned to. Welding inspection follows the erector's and the fabricator's schedule: early starts, night shifts on some industrial work, and overtime when steel is going up.

Texas positions are dispatched from the Sugar Land headquarters; project-site positions elsewhere are staffed on a project basis with travel and per diem as assigned, and the listing for your city says which one it is.

Safety, quality, and the standards we work under

Welding inspection is performed to the code the project specifies and reported under our documented AASHTO R18 quality system; on IBC special inspection projects the reports go to the building official under Chapter 17. Accept/reject decisions are made to the code, not to the schedule.

The safety side is real: work at height, confined spaces, hot work, and active erection. Fall protection, confined-space, and site-specific training are provided and required.

How hiring works, and our commitment

Apply with your AWS certification number, the codes you inspect to, and your project list. Expect a direct conversation with the people you would work for, references that get called, and a written offer consistent with this posting. The role requires a valid driver's license and the ability to be present on active jobsites, with pre-employment screening consistent with jobsite and client requirements.

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider every applicant without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.