CNC Machinist & Manufacturing Engineer (Shop Lead Track)
CO-Innovate LLC — Denver, CO — Full-time, on-site
ABOUT CO-INNOVATE
CO-Innovate is a precision CNC machining and product-engineering company in the Denver area, producing demanding hardware for aerospace customers. We hold tight tolerances on difficult materials, and we're scaling deliberately — currently advancing toward AS9100 / ISO 9001 certification.
We're a small, highly technical team, which means the work you do is visible the day you do it and your decisions actually move the company.
THE ROLE
We're looking for a skilled machinist who thinks like an engineer. Day one, your priority is simple: make excellent, in-tolerance parts on our mills, lathes, and 5-axis Brother Speedio M200X3 mill-turn. This is a full program-to-production role — you'll wear the programmer, setup, and operator hats and own jobs end to end. From there, the role grows. We are building toward a deeply automated shop — robotics, lights-out machining, and AI-driven process control — and that's happening regardless of who fills this seat. The right person makes great parts now and is ready to help build that future, eventually running the machine shop as its own profit center and leading the team that grows with it. If you make solid parts, lift up the people around you, and understand where automated machining is going, this role is built for you.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
-Programming & Process Development- Write, edit, and optimize CNC programs for our mills, lathes/Swiss, and the 5-axis Brother Speedio M200X3 — selecting tooling, speeds, feeds, and machining strategies that balance quality, cycle time, and tool life.- Interpret complex engineering drawings, CAD/CAM models, and GD&T.- Partner with engineering to validate manufacturability and propose design-for-manufacturing improvements.
-Setup, Tooling & Workholding- Perform complete, independent setups — fixtures, tooling, offsets, probing, and first-part validation.- Design or specify custom fixtures and workholding, and drive tooling improvements.- Troubleshoot mechanical, control, and process problems to keep machines performing at their best.
-Machining & Production- Run mills, lathes, and turning centers to produce precision components, adjusting controls to hold or recover tolerance in real time.- Diagnose and correct machining problems on the floor as they happen.
-Inspection & Quality (AS9100)- Inspect parts using calipers, micrometers, height and bore gauges, pin gauges, surface-finish tools, comparator, and CMM as applicable.- Verify against GD&T and our AS9100-driven work instructions; document results and support non-conformance (NCR) investigations and corrective actions.
-Automation & Scale- Help lead the automation roadmap from the floor up: probing, automatic tool-setting, in-process gauging, and unattended/lights-out machining now — building toward robotic part loading and tending, automated cells, and AI-driven process monitoring, inspection, and optimization.
-Ownership & Economics- Estimate cycle times, contribute to quoting, track machine utilization, and drive the cycle-time, scrap-reduction, and cost improvements that move the shop's numbers.- Over time, take ownership of the machine shop as a profit center — scheduling, capacity planning, tooling and capital decisions, and the P&L behind them.
Team & Mentorship- Mentor junior and apprentice machinists in setup, measurement, and machining fundamentals, and bring a help-anyone, whatever-it-takes attitude to the floor.- As the shop scales, help hire and build a small, high-caliber team — then lead it.- Measure success by the team's total output, not just your own parts.
Safety & Compliance- Hold firmly to our safety standards, AS9100 procedures, and ITAR requirements, and keep a clean, organized, safe work area.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Required-
Strong, current hands-on CNC skills across both milling and turning. Making good, in-tolerance parts is the day-one priority of this job, and you can do it.
- 5+ years as a fully qualified machinist doing your own programming, setups, and operation.
- CNC programming proficiency (G-code and/or conversational) and CAM (Fusion 360 preferred).
- Solid machining theory — metal-cutting principles, tool geometry, and machine dynamics — plus confident GD&T and blueprint interpretation.
- Proven setup and operation across multiple machine types, with comfort (or a fast ramp) on 5-axis mill-turn. Direct Brother Speedio / mill-turn experience is a strong plus.
- A working understanding of robotic automation and lights-out machining — how automated loading, automated cells, and process automation come together. This shop is moving toward automation regardless of who fills the role, so you need to be ready to build in that direction.
- A genuine team player who will help anyone on the floor and mentor newer machinists, and who measures success by total output rather than individual performance.
- Associate degree in machining/manufacturing technology, a completed apprenticeship, or equivalent hands-on experience.
- Sharp troubleshooting instincts; able to work independently, prioritize, and hit deadlines.
Preferred-
Aerospace / AS9100 / regulated-environment experience.
- Swiss turning experience.
- Hands-on experience standing up automation cells, robotic loading, or lights-out machining.
- Exposure to AI/ML in manufacturing — vision-based inspection, process monitoring, or data-driven optimization.
- Quoting / estimating, or any P&L or shop-ownership exposure.
- CMM and advanced metrology depth.
WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT
Most shop jobs top out at "senior machinist." This one is designed to keep going. The destination is a person who runs our machine shop like their own business and builds it into something rare: a precision operation where AI and robotics handle the repetitive work, a sharp team handles the hard problems, and the bottom line reflects both. You won't just join the automation effort — you'll help lead it, hire for it, mentor the people who join, and own the outcome. And because you'll be running the shop as a profit center, we back that with profit sharing: as the numbers you're responsible for grow, so does your share of them. Real autonomy, real upside.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT - Shop-floor environment with machining noise, coolant, metal chips, and industrial equipment; PPE required for handling parts and materials with sharp edges or heavy components.- Regular standing and walking; ability to lift up to 50 lbs, with reasonable accommodation.- Must comply with all facility safety protocols and ITAR-access restrictions.- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Pay: We are a growing startup and we know we are asking for a unicorn here, but we have a good compensation plan including STRONG profit sharing, but know that initially you are likely not going to like the pay for the first couple months till parts start rolling off the machines.As you take on the shop's economics, we all share in what you build and a team to help you do it.-
ITAR / WORK AUTHORIZATION CO-Innovate works on ITAR-controlled programs. This position may require access to export-controlled technical data; applicants must be U.S. persons as defined under ITAR (22 CFR 120.62).
Pay: $28.00 - $36.66 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Profit sharing
Work Location: In person
