Born in São Pedro, Rio Grande do Norte, Zé Welison joined Vitória's youth setup in 2011, from ABC.

Zé Welison made his senior debut on 23 January 2014, starting and scoring his team's third in a 3–1 Copa do Nordeste away win against Confiança.

[5] Zé Welison scored his first goal in the top tier on 27 April 2014, netting his team's second in a 2–2 home draw against Atlético Paranaense.

[7] On 28 June 2018, Zé Welison joined Atlético Mineiro on loan for the remainder of the season.

[9] Regularly used during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, Zé Welison was deemed surplus to requirements at Galo after the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli.