Welding Inspector I (AWS CAWI) — Kenner, LA

Construction Material Testing; Kenner (LA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Construction Material Testing is seeking a Welding Inspector I to work under a Certified Welding Inspector on structural steel and pipe welding. You’ll verify fit-up, perform visual inspections, and maintain weld maps and logs.

The role requires reading structural drawings, weld symbols, WPS/PQR documents, and ensuring welder qualifications and equipment calibration. The position targets CAWI eligibility or experienced inspectors pursuing the CWI exam.

Qualifications

• AWS CAWI certification or 3+ years welding inspection experience and eligibility to sit for the CWI exam.
• Reads structural drawings, weld symbols, and WPS/PQR documents.
• Physically able to work at height, in confined spaces, and on active steel erection sites.
• Careful, consistent, and honest about what a weld looks like.

Responsibilities

• Verify joint fit-up, preheat, and welding procedure specification (WPS) compliance before and during welding.
• Perform visual weld inspection under CWI supervision to AWS D1.1, D1.5, or the governing code.
• Confirm welder qualifications, consumable control, and equipment calibration records.
• Maintain weld maps, inspection logs, and daily reports.
• Flag rejectable indications for CWI disposition.
• Coordinate nondestructive testing (UT, MT, PT) with the NDT technician and record the results.

Skills

CAWI eligibility

Welding inspection

Job description

A Welding Inspector I works under the direct supervision of a Certified Welding Inspector on structural steel and pipe welding: verifying fit-up and joint preparation, checking welder qualifications and WPS compliance, performing visual inspection to AWS D1.1 or the governing code, and keeping the weld map and inspection log. The seat is built for an AWS Certified Associate Welding Inspector, or an experienced welder or inspector on the CWI path, and the company sponsors the CWI exam.

Responsibilities:

• Verify joint fit-up, preheat, and welding procedure specification (WPS) compliance before and during welding
• Perform visual weld inspection under CWI supervision to AWS D1.1, D1.5, or the governing code
• Confirm welder qualifications, consumable control, and equipment calibration records
• Maintain weld maps, inspection logs, and daily reports
• flag rejectable indications for CWI disposition
• Coordinate nondestructive testing (UT, MT, PT) with the NDT technician and record the results

Qualifications:

• AWS Certified Associate Welding Inspector (CAWI), or 3+ years welding or welding inspection experience and eligibility to sit for the CWI exam
• Reads structural drawings, weld symbols, and WPS/PQR documents
• Physically able to work at height, in confined spaces, and on active steel erection sites
• Careful, consistent, and honest about what a weld looks like

What a week in this job looks like:

Structural and pipe welding runs on the erector's schedule, so your week runs on it too: fit-up checks before the welders start, visual inspection as joints are completed, and the paperwork that ties each weld to a welder, a procedure, and a result. The CWI you work under makes the accept/reject calls on anything marginal; your job is to see everything and record it so nothing needs to be re-inspected because the record was thin. You will see enough welds in a year to know what a good root looks like and what undercut, porosity, and incomplete fusion look like at a glance. That eye is the CWI exam.

Certifications, training, and where this leads:

The company sponsors the AWS CWI exam and preparation once you meet the experience requirement, and the move to Welding Inspector II follows the certification. Bolting inspection (ICC) and NDT Level II qualifications are the natural additions.

Pay, schedule, and travel:

Pay runs $28 to $36 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.