Job Description

Job Location: Walterboro Manufacturing - Walterboro, SC 29488,

Position Type: Full Time, Education Level: None,

Salary Range: $26.00 - $43.00 Hourly,

Travel Percentage: None,

Job Shift: Day,

Job Category: QA - Quality Control,

About Sunward Steel

For over 50 years, Sunward Steel Buildings has been doing things differently. We’re a family-owned, American manufacturer and we don’t just sell steel buildings, we partner with our customers to bring their vision to life.

From industrial facilities, aircraft hangars, and self-storage complexes to arenas, barndominiums, agricultural buildings, and fitness centers, we engineer and manufacture fully custom solutions delivered to every state in the U.S. and across Canada. No two projects are alike, and that’s exactly how we like it.

Our mission is simple: fulfill our customers’ visions into dreams that last generations. We achieve that by listening first, designing second, and delivering a needs-based solution that actually fits - not a cookie-cutter product pushed from a catalog. That commitment to partnership is what’s kept us growing for half a century, and it’s what makes Sunward a place where the work genuinely matters.

Position Summary

The Quality Control Inspector / CWI is the certified welding inspector for Sunward's Walterboro, SC manufacturing facility and a general quality control inspector across every stage of production. You will verify that welded structural members, cold-formed components, and finished building packages meet Sunward's shop drawings, engineering specifications, and applicable AWS codes - and partner with Production and Engineering to resolve issues before anything ships. Your judgment and consistency protect the quality of every Sunward building and the reputation behind it.

Starting pay reflects your background. Inspectors with structural steel fabrication, PEMB, or NDT experience can expect placement well above the entry rate. This is stable, full-time, in-plant work - no travel circuit, no per diem chasing - with a clear path forward for those who want it.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Welding Inspection (CWI)

• Perform visual weld inspection of primary framing (columns, rafters, built-up plate members), secondary members, and connection assemblies to AWS D1.1 (and AWS D1.3 where applicable) and project specifications.
• Verify weld size, length, profile, and placement, and identify discontinuities - undercut, porosity, cracking, overlap, and incomplete fusion - using fillet, V-WAC, and bridge cam gauges.
• Inspect joint preparation, fit-up, and preheat before welding, and verify welders are working to approved weld procedure specifications (WPS).
• Maintain WPS, PQR, and welder performance qualification (WPQ) records; administer and witness welder qualification tests and track welder continuity.
• Coordinate nondestructive testing (UT, MT, PT) with third-party providers when required by specification, and review results.

General Quality Inspection

• Inspect incoming materials, in-process parts, and finished components against shop drawings, cut lists, and piece marks - including lengths, hole and punch locations, camber, and sweep.
• Use precision measuring tools including tape measures, calipers, micrometers, squares, protractors, and coating thickness (DFT) gauges.
• Verify mill test reports (MTRs) and material traceability for plate, coil, and purchased components.
• Perform first-piece and final inspections, including verification of part marking and labeling prior to shipment.

Documentation & Continuous Improvement

• Record inspection results in the quality database, summarizing rework and scrap.
• Identify, tag, and document non-conforming product (NCRs) and facilitate disposition - rework, repair, use-as-is, or scrap - with Production and Engineering.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA), and analyze inspection data to identify trends and repeat defects.
• Train welders and production staff on weld acceptance criteria and quality standards, and communicate findings to supervisors and managers.

Calibration & Audits

• Maintain the calibration program for inspection and measuring equipment - ensuring on-time calibration and removing out-of-tolerance equipment from service.
• Support internal, customer, and third-party audits and inspections, including code-authority and special inspections.
• Maintain CWI certification and job knowledge through continuing education and training.

Other duties may be assigned as business needs evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Current AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) per AWS QC1 (CSA W178.2 Level 2 or higher considered)
• 2+ years of quality inspection experience in structural steel fabrication, metal building, or heavy manufacturing
• Working knowledge of AWS D1.1, weld symbols, and weld acceptance criteria
• Ability to read and interpret shop drawings, engineering drawings, and specifications
• Proficiency with precision measuring instruments and basic computer skills (Excel, quality/ERP data entry)
• Reliable, detail-oriented, and able to communicate findings clearly and constructively
• High school diploma or equivalent required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) manufacturing
• ASNT SNT-TC-1A Level II in UT, MT, and/or PT
• CWB-certified W47.1 Welding Supervisor or CSA W178.2 certification (supports Canadian project requirements)
• Hands-on welding experience (GMAW, FCAW, SAW)
• Familiarity with IAS AC472 or ISO 9001 quality systems
• Associate degree or technical diploma in welding technology or a related field

Core Competencies

• Attention to Detail - catches what others miss and documents it accurately every time
• Integrity - makes the right accept/reject call, even under production pressure
• Communication - delivers findings clearly and constructively to welders and leadership
• Collaboration - partners with Production and Engineering to fix problems, not just flag them
• Continuous Improvement - uses inspection data to prevent repeat defects

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Group Life Insurance & AD&D - 100% company-paid
• Long-Term Disability - 100% company-paid
• Voluntary Supplemental Benefits
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 128 hours of Paid Time Off
• 8 paid holidays

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, crouch, and climb for extended periods on the production floor to inspect large structural members
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs; team lift required for heavier materials and components
• Visual acuity (near vision and color discrimination) sufficient for weld inspection, consistent with AWS CWI vision requirements
• Must be able to work in a manufacturing environment with heat, noise, metal dust, welding fumes, and UV exposure from welding arcs
• Must be able to wear required PPE for the full duration of the shift including safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, and steel-toed footwear

Work Environment

• Active indoor manufacturing facility - exposure to welding fumes, heat, noise, UV light from welding arcs, overhead cranes, and moving equipment
• PPE required at all times on the production floor
• Fast-paced, production-driven environment where inspection timing directly impacts customer delivery commitments

Additional Requirements

Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the United States

Background Check: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check

Drug Screening: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening

Equal Opportunity Employer

Sunward Steel and its affiliates are an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military service, family or parental status, or any other status protected by law. Sunward Steel is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us prior to your interview.