Location: Bilston
Salary: £36,000–£40,000 per annum
Hours: Monday–Friday, days, 40 hours per week, plus overtime
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Are you a skilled Fabricator / TIG Welder with experience working with stainless steel and a passion for producing high-quality, precise finishes? Looking for a role where your technical ability will make a real difference to equipment reliability, food safety and production performance?
Our client is looking for an experienced Fabricator / TIG Welder to join its Engineering team at its Bilston site. This is a hands-on role working across a live food manufacturing environment, fabricating, modifying and repairing stainless-steel equipment and structures used in production.
You'll work on a varied range of equipment, including process pipework, conveyors, hoppers, chutes, platforms, guarding and bespoke components. The role combines workshop fabrication with on-site repairs, maintenance support and engineering projects, giving you the opportunity to apply your skills to both planned work and time-critical breakdowns.
This isn't just about producing a strong weld. In food manufacturing, the quality of the finish is just as important. Your work must meet high hygienic-design standards, with smooth, cleanable surfaces and no crevices or defects that could harbour product, water or contamination.
The Role
You'll be responsible for TIG welding stainless steel, primarily grades 304 and 316L, working with sheet, tube, sections and process pipework. This will include thin-gauge materials and butt welds, with careful control of weld quality and internal oxidation through appropriate back-purging techniques.
You'll grind, linish and polish welds to the required finish, ensuring fabricated components are hygienic, durable and suitable for use in food production. You'll also carry out MIG and stick welding on mild-steel structures and ancillary equipment where required.
Working from engineering drawings, sketches and site measurements, you'll fabricate, modify and repair a wide range of equipment and structures. This will involve measuring, marking out, cutting, folding, rolling, drilling and assembling components using workshop machinery and fabrication equipment.
Alongside fabrication work, you'll support planned maintenance, breakdown repairs, equipment installations and engineering projects. Working closely with multi-skilled engineers, you'll help minimise production downtime, resolve equipment issues and identify practical improvements to equipment design, reliability and cleanability.
You'll also maintain accurate job records, including materials used and time spent, keep the workshop organised and ensure welding equipment, tools and consumables are maintained appropriately.
Hygiene, Quality & Safety
Working within a food manufacturing facility means hygiene is central to everything you do. You'll need to understand the importance of hygienic design, producing continuous, cleanable welds and avoiding gaps, pockets, exposed threads and other features that could trap product or moisture.
You'll follow site food safety procedures, GMP and BRCGS requirements, using approved materials and consumables and keeping stainless-steel and mild-steel tools and abrasives segregated to prevent cross-contamination.
Foreign-body prevention is also critical. You'll be responsible for controlling tools, fixings and consumables, containing and removing swarf, grinding dust and offcuts, and leaving work areas clean and safe. Every job must be properly handed back to production following the required engineering hygiene clearance.
Health and safety will be equally important. You'll work within permit-to-work procedures and follow requirements for hot work, equipment isolation and lockout/tagout (LOTO), working at height and confined spaces where applicable. You'll use the correct PPE and respiratory protection, manage hot-work risks carefully and report hazards, near misses and incidents promptly.
What We're Looking For
You'll ideally have an NVQ Level 3 qualification, or an equivalent apprenticeship, in Fabrication and Welding, alongside at least three years' experience in an industrial fabrication environment.
Most importantly, you'll have proven TIG welding experience on stainless steel, producing consistently high-quality cosmetic and hygienic finishes. You should understand back-purging and the importance of preventing oxidation on the internal surfaces of pipework and closed sections.
You'll be confident reading engineering drawings, working to tolerances and taking accurate site measurements. Experience with MIG and stick welding on mild steel will also be valuable, as will practical experience using equipment such as press brakes, guillotines, bandsaws, pillar drills and plasma cutters.
Experience in food, dairy, drinks or pharmaceutical manufacturing would be a significant advantage, particularly if you understand the demands of hygienic design, contamination control and working safely around live production operations. A coded welding qualification to BS EN ISO 9606-1 for TIG stainless steel would be beneficial, as would orbital welding or thin-wall tube experience.
You should take pride in the quality of your work, pay close attention to detail and never compromise on safety or hygiene. The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently, managing their own workload and collaborating with engineers, production teams, hygiene colleagues, QA and contractors.
Flexibility is important, as the role may involve overtime, weekend shutdowns, travel to other group sites and participation in an on-call rota when required. A full UK driving licence will be needed if travelling between sites is part of your duties.
The Working Environment
You'll split your time between the fabrication workshop and the production floor within a chilled food manufacturing environment, typically operating at temperatures of 0–10°C. Conditions can be wet, noisy and physically demanding, and you'll need to follow site hygiene rules, including wearing the required protective clothing and observing jewellery restrictions.
What's on Offer?
* Permanent, full-time employment with a Monday–Friday daytime working pattern.
* A salary of £36,000–£40,000 per annum, plus overtime opportunities.
* A varied role combining precision fabrication, TIG welding, maintenance support and engineering projects.
* Opportunities to develop your technical skills and undertake further training and relevant industry tickets.
Full details of holiday allowance, pension, overtime rates, training support and additional benefits can be discussed during the recruitment process.
Interested?
If you're an experienced Fabricator / TIG Welder who takes pride in producing excellent stainless-steel work and wants to apply those skills in a quality-focused food manufacturing environment, we'd like to hear from you
Salary description
£36000.00 - £40000.00 per year