Lead Fabricator - Metal Fabrication

Job Description

Fargo Woodworks builds heirloom-quality furniture by hand — conference tables, executive desks, reception desks and sideboards that ship to offices across the country. Every piece is made to order right here in Fargo. Nothing is mass-produced, nothing is outsourced, and nothing leaves this shop that we wouldn't put in our own homes.

We're growing, and we're building the kind of shop people want to stay at: clear standards, real ownership of your area, and the equipment and system to do the job right the first time. If you take pride in your work and want to get better at it, you'll do well here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Hands-on working lead for Fargo Woodworks’ two-person Metal Fab team. This role fabricates custom

furniture components while owning daily priorities, deadlines, quality, problem-solving, teammate development, and the systems, tooling, and capacity the department needs to grow.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Perform hands-on fabrication for custom furniture components and related metalwork from start to finish.
• Read and work from drawings, dimensions, specifications, and project requirements.
• Lay out, cut, fit, MIG weld, grind, finish, and inspect work with a high standard for quality and appearance.
• Own the Metal Fab production schedule and meet the internal handoff dates that downstream departments and customer commitments depend on.
• Plan and coordinate daily priorities for a two-person department, balancing urgent needs with upcoming work so deadlines do not become last-minute surprises.
• Train, coach, and share practical fabrication knowledge with your teammate and future hires.
• Take ownership of jobs through completion, including identifying schedule risks, resolving issues, communicating status early and accurately, and creating a recovery plan when work is at risk.
• Develop practical shop standards, repeatable processes, fixtures, documentation, and quality checks that support greater capacity and consistency.
• Troubleshoot unfamiliar or one-off fabrication challenges and recommend solutions that balance design intent, strength, appearance, time, and cost.
• Collaborate closely with woodworking, design, engineering, production, and leadership to prevent handoff issues and keep the entire shop moving.
• Maintain an organized, safe, and production-ready work area, equipment, and material flow.
• Help evaluate and prioritize equipment, tooling, workflow, staffing, and department investments as the company grows.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Strong professional experience in metal fabrication and MIG welding, with the ability to produce accurate, clean, high-quality work independently.
• Demonstrated experience leading, training, mentoring, or directing the work of at least one other fabricator or tradesperson.
• Proficiency in layout, cutting, fitting, welding, grinding, and finishing.
• Ability to read fabrication drawings and translate dimensions and specifications into completed work.
• Excellent mechanical reasoning and a practical, resourceful approach to problem-solving.
• A demonstrated ability to plan work, manage priorities, and consistently meet production or project
• deadlines.
• A strong ownership mentality: anticipate needs, communicate risks early, follow through on commitments, and understand how the work affects coworkers and customers.
• Ability to balance hands-on production with day-to-day coordination, schedule management, and process improvement.
• Resourcefulness and sound judgment when producing custom work with a practical, evolving set of shop tools.
• Consistent attention to safety, quality, organization, and on-time delivery.
• Willingness to work full-time on-site in Fargo, North Dakota.
• Ability to perform the essential physical functions of a fabrication role, with or without reasonable
• accommodation.
• Preferred:
  Experience fabricating furniture, architectural metalwork, fixtures, railings, or other appearance critical custom products.
• Preferred:
  Experience working with steel tubing, plate, and other furniture-grade materials and profiles.
• Preferred:
  Experience building jigs or fixtures and improving repeatability in a custom or low-volume
• production environment.
• Preferred:
  Experience with quality-control…