Job Title: Lead CNC Programmer and Machinist
Department: Manufacturing / Machine Shop
Reports To: Operations Manager / Plant Manager
You’re the person who can take a print, open Mastercam, pick the tools, set up the Haas or Okuma, and get good parts out without hand-holding. You like owning the process, not just “pushing cycle start.”
Programming & Process (You’re the go-to Mastercam person)
Create and optimize CNC programs in Mastercam for HAAS mills and Okuma lathes.
Choose tooling, holders, and cutting data that actually make sense on the floor (not just on paper).
Design machining strategies, workholding, and process flows that are fast, stable, and repeatable.
Keep driving cycle times down and quality up — you’re allowed (and expected) to improve things.
Setups & Hands-On Machining
Lead complex setups on HAAS mills and Okuma lathes — fixtures, offsets, probing, the whole thing.
Prove out first articles, dial in dimensions, and walk away with a stable, documented process.
Troubleshoot problems: chatter, finish issues, tolerance stack-ups, tool wear, chip control, etc.
Keep the machines in top shape: clean, organized, and ready to run.
Leadership & Building the Team
Be the technical leader that other machinists come to for help.
Train and mentor others on setups, tool selection, and basic program edits.
Help define standard work, best practices, and safety rules that everyone follows.
Building the Shop Itself
Help decide what equipment, tooling, and inspection gear we invest in.
Give input on shop layout, workflow, and priorities as we grow.
Work directly with management on schedule, capacity, and delivery commitments.
Quality & Documentation
Work with Quality to make sure parts hit print and customer specs — no surprises.
Create setup sheets, tooling lists, and process notes so jobs are repeatable by the team.
Help dig into root causes when there’s an issue and put solid fixes in place.
5+ years of CNC machining experience in a job shop or production environment.
Strong Mastercam programming experience (mills and lathes).
Proven experience setting up and running HAAS mills (e.g. VF series) and Okuma lathes.
Real-world experience with setups and tooling selection across different materials and part types.
Comfortable reading and working from prints and GD&T.
Strong understanding of speeds/feeds, tooling, workholding, and machining best practices.
Hands-on troubleshooting skills — you don’t freeze when something goes wrong.
Desire to lead, teach, and raise the level of the whole shop.
U.S. citizenship is required due to contract requirements for this position.
Experience helping launch or significantly expand a machine shop.
Familiarity with DNC, tool presetters, probing, and in-machine inspection.
Exposure to lean/5S/continuous improvement.
Experience working within an ERP/MRP system (job routing, tracking, etc.).
