Armor Welding Specialist / Defense Fabrication Welder

Job Type: Contract

Pay: Based on Experience

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Armor Welding Specialist / Defense Fabrication Welder with hands-on experience welding armor steel for defense or military vehicle applications. This position requires demonstrated work with high-strength armor materials and controlled welding procedures. Candidates must have actual defense or armor-steel fabrication experience; general MIG or structural welding alone will not meet the requirements.

Responsibilities

Weld and fabricate armor-steel components and defense assemblies
Perform GMAW/MIG and/or FCAW multi-pass welding on high-strength and quenched-and-tempered steels
Fabricate components such as armor panels, hulls, doors, turrets, vehicle structures, and ballistic protection assemblies
Work from fabrication drawings, welding symbols, specifications, and controlled welding procedures
Follow qualified Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS)
Control preheat, interpass temperature, heat input, fit-up, and distortion
Complete welds to required quality and dimensional standards
Perform inspections and address weld defects or fabrication issues
Maintain accurate welding and production documentation
Follow all safety, quality, and defense-industry procedures

Required Qualifications

Documented professional welding background with armor-steel or defense fabrication experience
Hands-on experience with one or more of the following:
MIL-DTL-12560 armor plate
- MIL-DTL-46100 high-hardness armor plate
- SSAB ARMOX 500T
- SSAB ARMOX 440T
Experience welding high-strength or quenched-and-tempered steels
GMAW/MIG and/or FCAW welding experience
Experience working to controlled or qualified WPS requirements
Knowledge of preheat, interpass temperature, heat input, fit-up, and distortion control
Ability to read fabrication drawings, welding symbols, and specifications
Current or previous recognized welder qualification/certification relevant to the work
Ability to provide permitted examples of previous work, project history, references, weld samples, or photographs when allowed by confidentiality requirements

Preferred Qualifications

AWS welder qualification and/or AWS D1.x experience
TACOM, military ground-vehicle, or defense OEM welding background
Experience with defense-specific welding procedures and qualifications
Familiarity with NDT and weld inspection
AWS CWI, CWE, or SCWI credentials for senior or lead-level candidates