Aluminum Fitter

St Johns Ship Building, Inc. is a full-service shipbuilding and marine repair company that specializes in new construction and repair of commercial aluminum and steel vessels. Operations are conducted in a storm‑protected 100‑acre inland campus in the city of Palatka just 30 miles southwest of Jacksonville on the St. Johns River that provides direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. We are committed to providing top quality craftsmanship and personalized service by delivering vessels on time and on budget.

Aluminum Fitter – responsible for fabricating, laying out, positioning, aligning, and fitting of aluminum components for both new construction and repair projects. The role involves interpreting blueprints and specifications to assemble various aluminum structures accurately and efficiently, while maintaining high standards of safety and quality throughout the process.

• Position, align, fit parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
• Verify conformance of work pieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
• Tack‑weld fitted parts together.
• Layout and examine aluminum stock or work pieces to ensure specifications are met.
• Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers.
• Mark work‑piece bending and cutting lines, accounting for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications.
• Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts into position for welding or riveting.
• Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine material requirements and task sequences.
• Set up and operate fabricating machines such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise assemble metal components.
• Hammer, chip, and grind work pieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal.
• Smooth work‑piece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves.
• Design and construct templates and fixtures using hand tools.
• Straighten warped or bent parts using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers.
• Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures.
• Remove high spots and cut bevels using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches.
• Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld.
• Lift or move materials and finished products using large cranes.
• Heat‑treat parts using acetylene torches.
• Preheat work pieces to make them malleable, using hand torches or furnaces.
• Install boilers, containers, and other structures.
• Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies.
• Miscellaneous duties may be required.

• Six months to one year related experience.
• Must pass AWS certification within the first 60 days on the job.
• High school graduate or General Education Degree (GED).
• Accountability – ability to accept responsibility and account for actions.
• Accuracy – ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly.
• Autonomy – ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Detail oriented – ability to pay attention to minute details.
• Organized – trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Resource management (people & equipment) – ability to obtain and appropriate usage of equipment, facilities, materials, and personnel.
• Safety awareness – ability to identify and correct conditions affecting employee safety.
• Technical aptitude – ability to comprehend complex technical topics and specialized information.
• Applied learning – ability to participate in learning activities effectively.
• Communication, oral – ability to communicate effectively with others.
• Judgment – ability to formulate sound decisions.
• Reliability – trait of being dependable and trustworthy.

• Starting pay is $18+ per hour, based on experience.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision.
• Cost savings and worksite benefits.
• Company‑paid medical gap insurance.
• Company‑paid short‑term disability.
• Company‑paid basic life and AD&D.
• Company match 401(k).
• Paid holidays.
• Personal and vacation time.

Lift/Carry: 10 lbs or less frequently, 11‑20 lbs frequently, 21‑50 lbs frequently, 51‑100 lbs not applicable.

Push/Pull: 12 lbs or less frequently, 13‑25 lbs frequently, 26‑40 lbs frequently, 41‑100 lbs frequently.

Other physical requirements: vision (near, distance, peripheral, depth perception); sense of sound (hear alarms and radios); sense of touch; ability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses, hard hats, steel‑toed shoes, gloves.

St Johns Ship Building is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.