Welder/Fabricator - Production

MIG Steel Fabrication Houston • Full-time • Houston, Texas, United States • $45,684 - $65,856 / year • 3m ago

Overview
Here is your revised Shop Manager – Steel Fabrication Shop job description tailored for a structural/miscellaneous steel environment like MIG Steel, with emphasis on rough estimating, production supervision, and managing welders and fitters:

Shop Manager – Steel Fabrication

Join our dynamic team as a Shop Manager for our steel fabrication operation, where you will lead and oversee daily shop production, workforce coordination, and project execution. This role is ideal for a hands-on leader with strong fabrication knowledge who can rough estimate labor and material costs, manage welders and fitters, and keep projects moving safely and efficiently from drawings to delivery.

As Shop Manager, you will coordinate fabrication schedules, supervise shop personnel, maintain quality standards, and support estimating and project planning efforts to ensure jobs are completed on time and within budget. Your leadership will directly impact productivity, safety performance, and profitability.

Duties

Supervise daily steel fabrication shop operations including cutting, fitting, welding, layout, and material handling
Manage and coordinate a team of welders, fitters, helpers, and shop personnel
Perform rough estimates of labor hours, material needs, and fabrication costs from drawings and sketches
Review shop drawings and field measurements to plan fabrication sequencing
Coordinate workflow between estimating, project management, and field installation teams
Schedule fabrication priorities to meet project deadlines and delivery requirements
Maintain quality control standards for structural steel, miscellaneous metals, handrails, and custom fabrication
Monitor productivity and adjust manpower allocation as needed
Ensure compliance with OSHA safety standards and shop safety procedures
Track shop material inventory and coordinate procurement needs
Support loading, staging, and delivery preparation for field installation
Communicate with project managers regarding schedule changes, RFIs, and fabrication progress
Maintain shop equipment readiness and coordinate repairs when necessary

Skills & Qualifications

Proven experience in a steel fabrication shop leadership role
Strong ability to interpret structural and miscellaneous steel drawings
Experience supervising welders, fitters, and fabrication crews
Ability to produce rough fabrication estimates for time, labor, and material
Working knowledge of structural steel, stairs, rails, embeds, columns, plates, and miscellaneous metals
Familiarity with shop equipment such as saws, ironworkers, drill lines, welders, and forklifts
Understanding of welding processes (FCAW, SMAW, GMAW)
Strong organizational and scheduling skills
Ability to manage multiple fabrication projects simultaneously
Effective communication with shop personnel, project managers, and field teams
Commitment to safety compliance and quality workmanship
Experience with fabrication tracking sheets, cut lists, and production logs preferred

Preferred Experience (Strong Plus)

Background supporting projects in hospitals, airports, commercial buildings, or public infrastructure
Experience coordinating with erection crews and field installation teams
Familiarity with estimating takeoffs from contract drawings
Experience working with general contractors and structural steel partners

Impact of the Role

This position plays a key leadership role in ensuring fabrication efficiency, accurate production planning, and timely project delivery. The Shop Manager helps bridge estimating, fabrication, and field installation—keeping projects profitable and crews productive.

Pay: $45,683.89 - $65,855.88 per year

Work Location: In person