A useful Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) job description tells candidates what they will inspect, which drawings and specifications govern the work, where inspections happen, how findings are documented, and what credential or experience the assignment actually requires. Define those details before adding a certification requirement: inspection roles can differ by product, process, customer, quality program, and project.
The template below helps metal manufacturers separate required qualifications from preferences and make the role’s authority clear. It is a starting point; have the person responsible for your quality program confirm technical and contract-specific requirements before posting it.
What should a CWI job description cover?
Start with the work the inspector will perform. Identify the products or assemblies, materials, fabrication or field setting, inspection stages, governing documents, reporting relationship, and escalation path. Then state whether an active AWS Certified Welding Inspector credential is required, preferred, or relevant only to certain assignments.
AWS sets education, work-experience, and vision requirements for people seeking its CWI credential. That describes qualification for the credential; it does not by itself determine the requirement for every employer’s inspection role. Confirm the required qualification against the applicable code, contract, customer specification, and your organization’s quality program. See the AWS CWI program.
Define the assignment before listing qualifications
- What is inspected? Name the products, assemblies, materials, and weld types the role will cover.
- Where is the work done? Specify shop, field, customer site, or a mix; include travel, shift, and physical conditions that are part of the actual job.
- What documents apply? Identify the drawings, procedures, customer specifications, and codes that the employer has confirmed for the work. Avoid copying a code list from another job without checking applicability.
- Which inspection activities belong to this position? State whether the role covers pre-weld, in-process, post-weld, dimensional, documentation, or other defined checks. Keep the list aligned with the actual assignment.
- Who decides and escalates? Explain who can place work on hold, document a nonconformance, recommend disposition, approve repairs, or answer interpretation questions. Do not imply that an inspector can independently change an engineering requirement unless that authority is assigned.
- What testing is included? If the position performs nondestructive examination (NDE), name the methods and the qualifications required for them separately. AWS describes endorsements as supplemental credentials that document additional knowledge, skill, or ability; confirm exact requirements against the job’s governing documents and quality program. AWS CWI program.
These details help applicants understand the real job and help hiring teams compare candidates against the same scope.
Certified Welding Inspector job description template
Copy and adapt the fields below. Replace every bracketed instruction and remove any responsibility that does not apply.
Job title
Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) — [shop, product, project, or facility]
Position summary
[Company] is hiring a [required / preferred] [credential name] to inspect [products or assemblies] at [shop, field, or customer locations]. The inspector will compare assigned work with [employer-confirmed drawings, procedures, specifications, and applicable code or contract requirements], document results in [system or record format], and report findings to [role or department]. This position [does / does not] include travel, shift coverage, or NDE duties.
Key responsibilities
- Review the approved drawings, inspection plan, procedures, and acceptance criteria before assigned inspections.
- Perform the inspection activities assigned for the role, such as [pre-weld], [in-process], [post-weld], and/or [dimensional checks].
- Record objective observations, results, and required traceability in [system, forms, or records].
- Identify and communicate work that does not meet the stated acceptance criteria; follow the organization’s documented nonconformance and escalation process.
- Coordinate with [fabrication, welding, quality, engineering, customer, or third-party inspection teams] within the authority assigned to this position.
- Support [audits, welder qualification records, procedure documentation, or corrective-action follow-up] only where these duties are part of the approved scope.
- Perform NDE only when assigned and when the required method-specific qualifications have been verified.
Required qualifications
- [Active AWS CWI credential required for this assignment / credential preferred / equivalent qualification accepted as approved by the quality program].
- [Years and type of relevant inspection, welding, fabrication, or product experience—only if the job requires them].
- Ability to read [the relevant drawings, weld symbols, procedures, and specifications].
- Ability to create clear inspection records and communicate findings to [teams or customers].
- [Other verified requirements tied directly to the work, safety conditions, location, or shift].
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with [specific product, material, process, or customer environment].
- Familiarity with [employer-confirmed code or documentation] where useful to the assignment.
- [Additional credential or training] when helpful but not a condition of performing the core role.
Work details
- Location: [city/site; shop, field, or hybrid only if accurate]
- Schedule: [days, shift, overtime expectations if established]
- Travel: [frequency and destinations, or none]
- Reports to: [quality leader, welding engineer, or other verified role]
- Employment type: Permanent, full-time [if accurate]
How to apply
[Explain the application process and the information candidates should provide. Do not request sensitive documents before they are needed in the hiring process.]
A simple hiring scorecard
Use the same job-related criteria for every candidate. Set weights to fit the role; the example below is a starting point, not a validated assessment instrument.
| Criterion | What to verify | Suggested weight |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection-scope match | Experience with the products, processes, work setting, and inspection stages in this assignment | 30% |
| Drawing and specification fluency | Ability to work from the employer-confirmed documents used in the role | 25% |
| Credential and method qualifications | Required active credential and any separate, role-specific testing qualifications | 20% |
| Documentation and escalation | Clear records, objective findings, and sound use of the stated escalation process | 15% |
| Work conditions and coordination | Ability to meet the actual shift, travel, site, and team requirements | 10% |
For each criterion, define what evidence counts before interviews begin—for example, a structured discussion of a comparable assignment, verified credential status, or a job-related work sample. Avoid using an informal “culture fit” rating in place of a defined, job-related criterion.
Keep required and preferred qualifications separate
A long list of codes, methods, and credentials can make a posting look specific while leaving the actual job unclear. Mark each qualification as required or preferred, connect it to a duty, and confirm it with the quality-program owner. If a credential or NDE method applies only to a portion of the work, explain that boundary.
Also describe decision rights accurately. An inspector may document an observation and escalate a discrepancy; engineering, quality leadership, a customer, or another authorized person may own the final disposition. Write the process your company actually uses.
Review the description before posting
- The work setting, products, and inspection stages are accurate.
- The governing documents and acceptance criteria are current for the assignment.
- Required credentials and NDE qualifications match the approved scope.
- Reporting, hold, escalation, and repair-approval authority are clear.
- Shift, travel, physical, and site conditions reflect the actual position.
- Required qualifications are separated from preferences and supported by the role.
A specific description helps candidates judge fit and gives the hiring team a shared basis for evaluation. If your company needs permanent metal-industry hiring support, MetalRecruiters works with employers through contingency search, retained search, executive search, and its recruiting subscription service. Explore MetalRecruiters’ hiring services.
Related metal-industry hiring templates
- Welder job description for metal fabrication employers
- Metal fabricator job description template
- Metal fabrication manufacturing engineer job description
Sources
- American Welding Society, Certified Welding Inspector program.
Requirements vary with assigned work and governing documents. Have the organization’s quality-program owner verify role-specific technical requirements before use.
