A welding system is provided for welding a first work piece to a second work piece at a joint having a weld face and a root face. The welding system includes a weld face sensor configured to determine first joint characteristics at the weld face; a root face sensor configured to determine second joint characteristics at the root face; a controller coupled to the weld face sensor and the root face sensor and configured to generate positioning signals based on the first joint characteristics and the second joint characteristics; and a welding gun coupled to the controller and positioned proximate to the weld face, the welding gun configured to generate a welding beam for welding the joint based on the positioning signals from the controller.