Metallurgy Process Engineer Jobs in Lenexa, KS (NOW HIRING)

Lead Manufactoring Welder

Salary Range

55k-70k

Job Summary

A Lead Production Welder at Kodion Energy must be a skilled professional who can oversee welding operations in a manufacturing or production environment. They not only perform complex welding tasks but also supervise other welders, ensure quality standards are met, and help train team members.

In our transformer manufacturing warehouse, this role focuses on leak-free structural fabrication (such as oil-filled or dry-type transformer tanks), interpreting complex engineering blueprints, ensuring code compliance (such as AWS or CSA standards), and maintaining a safe, efficient workflow on the shop floor.

Job Qualifications

Experience: 3 to 5+ years of heavy manufacturing welding experience, with proven leadership or lead-hand responsibilities.

Certifications: High school diploma plus vocational training or valid welding certifications (AWS or equivalent).

Technical Skills: Advanced blueprint reading, proficiency with structural fabrication tools, cranes, and various welding processes (MIG/TIG/Stick).

Skills

FabricationMetallurgical engineeringAdvanced Knowledge of AWI standardsQuality ControlTeam SupervisionConflict Management & ResolutionHeavy Equipment OperationLeak-Tight FabricationAdvanced Welding ProficiencyLeadership

Key Responsibilities

Fabrication & Welding: Perform MIG, TIG, and arc welding on steel plates, structural frames, and custom transformer enclosures, ensuring pressure and leak-tight integrity.

Team Leadership & Training: An ideal Lead Welder helps to initially train A & B welders and ensures proper performance of job duties with a high degree of quality.

Quality & Blueprint Inspection: Read technical drawings, verify structural dimensions, and inspect completed welds for defects or tolerance errors.

Process & Safety Coordination: Monitor production output, troubleshoot fabrication bottlenecks, and enforce strict plant safety protocols.

Technical and Fabrication Skills

Advanced Welding Proficiency: Expert-level mastery of MIG (GMAW), TIG (GTAW), and Flux-Cored (FCAW) welding on structural steel, stainless steel, and aluminum plates.

Leak-Tight Fabrication: Experience in specialized welding techniques required to build hermetically sealed, leak-proof enclosures capable of holding high-pressure cooling oils or fluids.

Blueprint & Schematics Reading: High proficiency in interpreting complex engineering drawings, fabrication blueprints, and international welding symbols.

Rigging & Heavy Equipment Operation: Skilled in operating overhead cranes, jib cranes, forklifts, and heavy rigging equipment to position massive steel transformer tanks safely.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Team Supervision: Ability to delegate daily shop tasks, manage production schedules, and motivate a team of production welders to meet tight plant deadlines.

Mentorship & Training: Experience coaching junior apprentice welders, guiding them through new procedures, and helping them prepare for qualification testing.

Conflict Resolution: Strong communication skills to handle workplace disputes, manage floor safety compliance, and coordinate smoothly with plant managers.

Quality Control and Compliance

Code & Standards Knowledge: Deep familiarity with industrial welding standards such as AWS (American Welding Society) D1.1 structural welding code, ASME section codes, or localized standards.

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Awareness: Knowledge of post-weld inspection methods, including visual testing (VT), dye penetrant testing (PT), and magnetic particle testing (MT) to ensure weld integrity.

Responsibilities Unique to Liquid Filled Transformer Manufacturing

Manufacturing liquid-filled (oil-filled) transformers significantly changes the welding requirements. Because these tanks must hold hot insulating oil under constant pressure for decades without a single drop escaping, the technical demands focus heavily on sealing integrity and containment. 

The specialized skills required for a lead welder in a liquid-filled transformer plant include:

1. Leak-Tight Fluid & Pressure Containment

Hermetic Sealing Expertise: Deep understanding of multi-pass welding techniques that eliminate microscopic gaps, pinholes, and interlaminar porosity where oil could seep out. 

Defect Prevention: Flawless mastery of heat-input control to prevent distortion or cracking along the long, continuous seam welds of the transformer tank.

2. Specialized Inspection & Leak Testing

Pressure & Vacuum Test Coordination: Experience prepping tanks and checking welds during nitrogen pressure tests or hydrostatic oil tests. 

Penetrant & NDT Knowledge: Proficiency in executing or supervising Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT), dye checks, and using ultraviolet (UV) leak-detection tools to spot surface defects before the tank is painted or filled. 

Visual Standards: Applying strict visual testing (VT) benchmarks to catch undercut or lack of fusion early in the production line. 

3. Industry Codes & Heavy Metallurgy

AWS D1.1 Compliance: Mastery of structural steel welding codes, with a specific focus on the criteria required for heavy steel plates (≥ 1/8 inch thick) used in massive power equipment.

Material Traceability: Knowledge of Mill Test Reports (MTRs) and tracking welding rod oven temperatures to keep moisture out of low-hydrogen electrodes.Air Carbon Arc Gouging: Skill in using "air arc" torches to cleanly gouge out back-welded roots or dismantle/repair old transformer tank lids without contaminating the inner chamber. 

4. Leadership in a Liquid-Filled Environment

Weld Procedure Specification (WPS) Enforcement: Ensuring the entire shop floor strictly adheres to prequalified welding procedures to maintain product consistency.

Apprentice Weld Certification: Assisting the quality manager or a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) in preparing production welders for their qualification tests. 

Benefits

Kodion Energy currently offers 80 hours of PTO after the first 90 days of employment, along with a medical insurance stipend. We will implement a more robust benefits package when our new 180,000 sq ft warehouse and offices open in early 2027. 

Kodion Energy manufactures custom-engineered solutions delivering reliable power to industries worldwide. At Kodion, we ensure businesses, communities, and families receive uninterrupted energy, with no compromises

At Kodion Energy, innovation and reliability drive everything we do. We are committed to advancing transformer technology by delivering products that meet the highest standards of quality, performance, and safety.