Welding Engineer & Quality Lead

About Valstad Valstad is rebuilding how ships are made. American shipbuilding is constrained by slow, labor-intensive production methods and a shortage of skilled manufacturing capacity. We are developing robotic production systems that can turn engineering data directly into finished steel structures, dramatically reducing the time and manual programming required to build ships. Our first platform combines industrial robots, automated material handling, welding, sensing and AI-driven manufacturing software to produce large ship panels and structural assemblies. Instead of programming each new part by hand, our goal is for the system to understand the CAD model, determine how the structure should be assembled and welded, and generate the robotic plan required to build it. This requires solving hard, practical problems across robotics, welding, sensing, controls and manufacturing. The equipment you help build, integrate and operate will produce real steel structures in our Austin facility and, over time, in shipyards across the country. Our broader mission is to create the manufacturing technology required to restore and radically expand American shipbuilding capacity. The Role Valstad is seeking a Welding Engineer, Quality & NDT Lead to own the development, qualification and production performance of our welding processes while building the quality and inspection systems required to deliver customer parts. This is a hands-on role at the intersection of welding engineering, robotic automation, manufacturing quality and nondestructive testing. You will work directly with robotics engineers, automation engineers, manufacturing personnel, inspectors and customers to turn welding processes into stable, documented and scalable production capabilities. You will be responsible not only for specifying how a weld should be made, but also for ensuring that the complete production system consistently produces acceptable results. This includes joint design, fit-up requirements, welding parameters, fixturing, sequencing, distortion control, procedure qualification, inspection, NDT, traceability and corrective action. The ideal candidate has strong welding-engineering fundamentals, practical experience with structural fabrication and formal NDT training. You should be comfortable moving between developing a welding procedure, performing or reviewing an inspection, diagnosing a defect, evaluating robot-generated weld paths and preparing a customer quality package. What You Will Own Welding Process Development Develop and optimize welding processes for large steel panels, stiffened structures, frames, skids and related assemblies. Define welding parameters, joint preparation, fit-up requirements, consumables, shielding gas, preheat, interpass temperature and welding sequence. Develop and maintain welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records and welder performance qualifications. Support robotic and manual GMAW, including spray transfer, pulsed processes and other modes appropriate for structural fabrication. Establish practical process windows rather than relying on single nominal parameter sets. Lead testing required to validate new materials, thicknesses, joint configurations and welding processes. Develop approaches to controlling heat input, distortion, residual stress and dimensional variation. Troubleshoot lack of fusion, incomplete penetration, porosity, undercut, cracking, excessive reinforcement and other weld-quality problems. Evaluate new welding power sources, torches, consumables, sensors and related technologies. Robotic Welding and Automation Partner with robotics and automation engineers to translate welding requirements into executable robotic processes. Define requirements for torch orientation, travel direction, work angle, travel angle, contact-tip-to-work distance, speed and weave behavior. Review robot-generated weld paths for process suitability. Establish acceptable ranges for joint-location, geometry and fit-up variation. Develop approaches for seam finding, touch sensing, laser scanning, adaptive path correction and process monitoring. Support commissioning, debugging and production ramp-up of robotic welding cells. Diagnose whether welding failures originate in process parameters, fixturing, part geometry, sensing, programming, consumables or equipment. Identify where automated welding is appropriate and where manual intervention remains necessary. Evaluate opportunities to incorporate automated inspection and robot-mounted NDT into Valstad’s production systems. Nondestructive Testing and Inspection Develop and execute inspection plans for welded steel structures, including visual, dimensional and nondestructive examination requirements. Perform, interpret and document visual testing and magnetic particle testing of welds and fabricated components. Select appropriate NDT methods based on material, joint geometry, expected discontinuity type, governing requirements and production constraints. Perform ultrasonic weld inspection where qualified, including angle-beam examination of structural welds. Develop scan plans and inspection techniques for weld geometries suitable for conventional UT or phased-array ultrasonic testing. Coordinate specialized UT, PAUT, radiographic and other examinations with qualified internal personnel or outside service providers. Review NDT reports and underlying inspection data rather than relying solely on pass/fail conclusions. Correlate NDT indications with welding parameters, joint preparation, fit-up, sequencing, robot execution and other production data. Establish inspection hold points and determine where NDT should occur during production rather than only after final assembly. Develop NDT work instructions and support the approval of method-specific procedures with a qualified Level III. Maintain personnel qualification, equipment calibration, inspection, indication and disposition records. Manage outside NDT providers and verify that their personnel, procedures and equipment meet applicable customer and code requirements. Manufacturing Quality Build and maintain Valstad’s initial manufacturing quality system in partnership with the Head of Manufacturing. Translate drawings, specifications, contracts and customer requirements into practical production and inspection plans. Establish inspection points, hold points, acceptance criteria and required production records. Own nonconformance reporting, disposition and corrective-action processes. Lead root-cause investigations for welding and fabrication defects. Establish systems for material, consumable, procedure, personnel, inspection and configuration traceability. Develop first-pass yield, repair rate, defect and rework metrics. Ensure recurring defects result in permanent process improvements rather than repeated repair. Prepare quality documentation and manufacturing records for customer review and final acceptance. Support customer audits, source inspections and qualification activities. Inspection and Qualification Develop inspection plans appropriate to the structure, welding process, governing requirements and identified risks. Coordinate visual inspection, dimensional inspection and nondestructive testing. Evaluate NDT results against applicable acceptance criteria. Work with internal personnel and outside providers to investigate defects and verify corrective actions. Maintain or support Valstad’s employer-based NDT qualification program and written practice. Ensure NDT personnel qualifications, examinations, experience records and visual-acuity records remain current. Support qualification for commercial, marine, defense and other regulated work. Interface directly with customers, inspectors, classification societies and regulatory stakeholders when appropriate. Help develop the roadmap from current commercial-fabrication requirements toward more demanding ABS, NAVSEA and defense-quality standards. Production Support Provide direct technical support to welders, technicians and robotic-cell operators. Train production personnel on welding procedures, defect recognition, inspection preparation, process controls and quality documentation. Participate in production-readiness reviews for new part families and customer programs. Review fixture, workholding, joint-access and material-handling decisions that affect welding and inspection performance. Support quoting and planning by providing credible assumptions for weld time, consumables, inspection, qualification and rework risk. Work with manufacturing to improve throughput without compromising process control or weld integrity. Stop or contain production when a process is producing unacceptable or inadequately controlled results. Initial Priorities First 30 Days Assess Valstad’s current manual and robotic welding processes. Review existing procedures, qualifications, welding parameters, inspection methods and production records. Review existing NDT capabilities, personnel qualifications, outside providers and applicable written practices. Identify immediate risks related to process control, documentation, fit-up, distortion, inspection coverage and weld quality. Establish baseline metrics for weld defects, repairs and first-pass acceptance. Develop an initial map of the codes, standards and customer requirements applicable to current opportunities. First 90 Days Establish controlled welding procedures for priority production work. Implement a practical nonconformance and corrective-action process. Create standardized weld inspection, NDT and production records. Establish inspection hold points for priority products and weld types. Define the welding, quality and NDT requirements for releasing a new part or process into production. Develop a prioritized qualification plan for anticipated materials, thicknesses, joints and inspection methods. Establish clear responsibilities among welding engineering, manufacturing, quality, robotics engineering and outside NDT providers. First Six Months Demonstrate repeatable robotic and manual welding performance on customer parts. Reduce repair rates and variation in weld execution. Establish an auditable system for procedure, material, personnel, NDT and inspection traceability. Complete the highest-priority welding procedure, personnel and NDT qualifications. Establish validated inspection techniques for priority weld geometries. Develop a quality, welding and NDT roadmap supporting increasingly demanding marine and defense work. Build a clear plan for additional inspection, quality and welding personnel as production grows. Required Experience Five or more years of professional experience in welding engineering, welding manufacturing, structural fabrication quality or a closely related field. Strong practical understanding of GMAW processes and structural-steel welding. Experience developing, qualifying and maintaining WPSs, PQRs and welder qualifications. Experience diagnosing weld defects and implementing corrective actions. Practical understanding of fit-up, joint preparation, fixturing, distortion and dimensional-control challenges. Experience interpreting fabrication drawings, weld symbols, codes and technical specifications. Experience working directly with production welders, technicians and manufacturing personnel. Experience developing or executing weld inspection plans. Ability to produce clear, controlled technical, inspection and quality documentation. Willingness to work primarily on-site and spend substantial time on the production floor. Required NDT Qualifications Current or previous Level II certification in Visual Testing and Magnetic Particle Testing under an employer written practice based on ASNT SNT-TC-1A, ANSI/ASNT CP-189 or an equivalent recognized qualification framework. Documented NDT training and method-specific experience sufficient to support Level II qualification. Demonstrated ability to set up equipment, perform examinations, interpret indications, evaluate results against applicable acceptance criteria and prepare complete inspection reports. Practical experience applying VT and MT to structural-steel welds and fabricated assemblies. Experience selecting inspection methods based on anticipated discontinuities, material, access and weld geometry. Ability to review and interpret third-party UT, PAUT, RT and other NDT reports. Familiarity with NDT personnel records, visual-acuity requirements, equipment calibration and method-specific procedures. Previous employer-based certification must be supported by sufficient training and experience documentation to permit qualification under Valstad’s written practice. Strongly Preferred Bachelor’s degree in welding engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering or a related discipline. AWS Certified Welding Inspector certification. Current or previous Level II certification in Ultrasonic Testing. Hands-on experience with angle-beam ultrasonic examination of structural welds. Experience with phased-array ultrasonic testing of carbon-steel welds. Experience with AWS D1.1 or comparable structural-welding requirements. Experience with robotic welding systems. Experience with heavy steel fabrication, shipbuilding, marine structures, bridges, rail, pressure equipment or large industrial assemblies. Experience with high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. Familiarity with ABS, NAVSEA, MIL standards or defense manufacturing requirements. Experience developing quality systems in a new or rapidly growing manufacturing operation. Experience managing outside laboratories, NDT providers or customer inspectors. Experience working with or under the oversight of an ASNT Level III. Additional Differentiators ASNT NDT Level II, ASNT 9712 Level II or equivalent independently administered credentials. ASNT Level III certification in one or more relevant methods. Level II certification in Liquid Penetrant Testing. Experience with automated UT, PAUT, laser-based inspection, thermography or robot-mounted NDT systems. Experience building an employer-based NDT qualification program under SNT-TC-1A or CP-189. Experience correlating welding-process data with NDT and inspection results. Experience developing inspection methods for fillet welds or other challenging weld geometries. Experience with weld-data monitoring, statistical process control or automated quality systems. Shipbuilding or defense experience is valuable but not mandatory. We care more about strong welding fundamentals, practical inspection capability, sound judgment and evidence that you can build reliable processes in an evolving manufacturing environment. What Success Looks Like Success means Valstad’s welding and inspection processes are no longer dependent on undocumented knowledge, repeated experimentation or final inspection to determine whether a part is acceptable. Welding procedures are controlled and appropriate for the work. Production personnel understand and follow them. Robotic weld paths reflect real process requirements. Fit-up and dimensional risks are identified before welding begins. Inspection methods are selected based on the actual discontinuities and geometries involved. Defects are detected early, investigated rigorously and prevented from recurring. NDT results are connected to welding-process and production data rather than treated as isolated pass/fail reports. Customer parts are supported by complete, credible quality records. Valstad can introduce new materials, joints and part families through a disciplined qualification process. The company develops a clear path from its current capabilities to the welding, inspection and quality standards required for commercial marine and defense production. Most importantly, welding engineering, NDT and quality become integrated parts of product development and manufacturing rather than functions consulted only after a weld fails. Compensation and Benefits The anticipated base-salary range for this position is $120,000 to $150,000 , depending on experience, certifications and scope. The role also includes: Meaningful early-stage equity ownership Medical, dental and vision benefits Paid time off Relocation assistance where appropriate The opportunity to build the welding, inspection and quality function at an early-stage industrial technology company Valstad is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate candidates based on their ability, experience and potential to contribute to the company’s mission.