Welder – Shipbuilding and Repair - Ontario Shipyards Inc

Ontario Shipyards Inc. is Canada’s largest full-service ship repair and construction company operating on the Great Lakes. Headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, the company provides complete vessel lifecycle solutions—from new builds and retrofits to maintenance, repair, and vessel recycling.

Company Operating Name: Ontario Shipyards

Business Address: 208 Hillyard Street, Pier 14, Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 6B6, Canada

Job Title: Welder – Shipbuilding and Repair

Job Duties:

The employee’s primary responsibilities will consist of hands-on welding, robotic welding and metal-fabrication work, including:

• Follow all workplace health and safety procedures and complete pre-use inspections of welding equipment, tools and materials.
• Read and interpret blueprints, fabrication drawings, welding symbols, work orders and welding-process specifications.
• Operate manual and semi-automatic welding equipment to join steel components using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) processes.
• Set up, operate, adjust and monitor robotic welding machines used in pipe-spool fabrication.
• Position, align and secure pipe-spool components for robotic welding according to drawings and specifications.
• Select and adjust welding heads, tooling and operating parameters to meet applicable welding specifications.
• Monitor robotic welding cycles, identify process deviations and make necessary adjustments.
• Inspect robotically produced welds, identify defects and complete the required corrective work.
• Troubleshoot robotic welding processes and equipment and perform routine equipment inspections, cleaning and basic maintenance.
• Operate manual and semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment, including hand torches and track burners.
• Use saws, shears, bending, straightening and other metal-forming equipment to cut, shape and prepare components for welding.
• Lay out, fit, form and weld structural steel components used in vessel construction, repair and maintenance.
• Repair worn, damaged or defective metal components by welding additional layers and completing the required finishing work.
• Assist with the safe rigging, positioning and movement of materials and fabricated components using cranes and other material-handling equipment.
• Maintain accurate records of completed work, equipment inspections and materials used.
• Collaborate with supervisors, engineers, fitters and other trades to complete shipbuilding and vessel-repair projects safely, accurately and on schedule.

Secondary Training and Task-Level Supervisory Duties

As an occasional and secondary component of the position, the employee will:

• Provide limited task-level supervision and technical guidance to welders assigned to robotic pipe-spool welding activities.
• Demonstrate robotic welding procedures and provide hands-on instruction to other welders regarding equipment setup, operation, monitoring, adjustment and safe-work practices.
• Observe welders while they learn to operate the robotic welding equipment, correct improper techniques and confirm compliance with welding specifications and safety requirements.
• Review the quality of work completed during training and report any unresolved equipment, production or performance issues to the Steel Supervisor.

These secondary responsibilities do not include workforce scheduling, hiring, disciplinary action, formal performance evaluation or general management of the welding department.

Terms of Employment: Full-time (with the number of hours between 40 to 44 hours a week), permanent position; expected Start Date: As soon as possible

Language of Work: English

Compensation and Benefits:

• Hourly Wage: $36.92 per hour
• Disability Insurance: Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage
• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive medical coverage
• Dental Insurance: coverage for routine (100% up to $1000), and coverage for major dental work (50%  up to $500), no coverage for orthodontics. 
• Other Benefits: Vision care, maternity benefits, Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), group benefits, and life insurance

Location of Work:

• Primary Location: 208 Hillyard Street, Pier 14, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8L 6B6
• Secondary Location: 340 Lakeshore Road, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, L2M 0A2 (Employees may be required to work at both locations depending on operational needs.)

Skills and Requirements:

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• A minimum of three years of hands-on welding experience in shipbuilding, structural fabrication, industrial construction, equipment maintenance or another heavy-industrial environment is required.
• Practical experience using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) processes is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of operating robotic welding machines used in pipe-spool fabrication is required.
• Ability to set up robotic welding equipment and adjust welding heads, tooling and operating parameters according to drawings and work specifications.
• Ability to position, align and secure pipe-spool components for robotic welding.
• Ability to inspect robotically produced welds, identify welding defects and make or recommend necessary adjustments.
• Ability to troubleshoot basic robotic welding process and equipment issues and perform routine equipment inspections and cleaning.
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, fabrication drawings, welding symbols, work orders and welding-process specifications.
• Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills and ability to complete work safely within established project schedules.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with supervisors, engineers, fitters and other trades.
• An Ontario Welder Certificate of Qualification (Trade Code 456A) or Red Seal endorsement is considered an asset but is not mandatory.

Application Instructions:

Qualified candidates are invited to submit a résumé and copies of relevant certifications to with the subject line: “Welder – Shipbuilding and Repair"