Senior CNC Programmer & Quality LeadHands-On Precision Manufacturing
Company: E-Sector Machining and Fabrication
Location: Sanford, Florida
Job Type: Full-time, on-site
Schedule: Day shift with overtime opportunities
Compensation: Competitive and based on demonstrated programming, setup, inspection, and quality-management capability
Position Overview
E-Sector Machining and Fabrication is seeking an experienced Senior CNC Programmer & Quality Lead to strengthen our machining capabilities, first-time quality, and manufacturing process control.
E-Sector serves customers across space, defense, simulation, energy, medical, amusement, electronics, rigging and lifting, and other advanced industrial markets. Our work includes complex, high-mix, low-volume, prototype, repair, and production manufacturing.
The primary responsibility of this position is hands-on CNC programming, setup, prove-out, troubleshooting, and production support.
The successful candidate must be able to independently take work from drawing and model review through programming, setup, first article inspection, process stabilization, and release to production.
This role also supports final inspection, ISO 9001 compliance, audit readiness, corrective action, controlled documentation, and operator development.
This is a hands-on technical leadership position—not a desk-only quality or supervisory role.
Primary ResponsibilitiesCNC Programming, Setup, and Process Development
- Review customer drawings, models, specifications, purchase orders, and quality requirements.
- Develop complete machining strategies for CNC mills and lathes.
- Create CNC programs using CAM software, conversational controls, or machine-side programming as appropriate.
- Select tooling, workholding, fixtures, feeds, speeds, and operation sequences.
- Identify critical dimensions, tolerance risks, workholding concerns, and inspection requirements before setup.
- Review programs for tool interference, overtravel, clearance, fixture conflicts, and potential crash conditions.
- Independently perform setups, establish work and tool offsets, develop soft jaws or fixtures, and prove out new programs using controlled methods.
- Produce and verify first-piece parts before releasing work for continued production.
- Edit and troubleshoot G-code at the machine when required.
- Diagnose chatter, dimensional drift, poor finish, tool wear, workholding problems, and process instability.
- Optimize programs for quality, repeatability, cycle time, tool life, and machine utilization.
- Maintain organized CNC programs, revisions, setup sheets, tooling information, and process records.
- Step into direct production work when difficult jobs, bottlenecks, or schedule priorities require experienced technical support.
First Article, In-Process, and Final Inspection
- Review drawings, GD&T, specifications, and customer requirements before machining begins.
- Identify critical characteristics and develop practical first article and in-process inspection plans.
- Perform and document first article inspections.
- Verify critical dimensions during setup and production instead of relying only on final inspection.
- Establish inspection frequency and clearly communicate acceptance criteria to operators.
- Use micrometers, calipers, indicators, height gauges, bore gauges, pin gauges, thread gauges, surface plates, and related inspection equipment.
- Support or operate FARO Arm, portable CMM, conventional CMM, or similar inspection systems when qualified.
- Perform or oversee final inspection before shipment.
- Confirm that required manufacturing, inspection, and documentation steps are complete.
- Verify quantity, part identification, drawing revision, workmanship, material certifications, special-process certifications, packaging, and customer-specific requirements.
- Identify, segregate, and control nonconforming or questionable product.
- Ensure deviations, waivers, concessions, or customer approvals are documented before release.
- Maintain complete and traceable inspection and product-release records.
ISO 9001 and Quality Management System Support
- Support continued compliance with E-Sector’s ISO 9001 quality management system.
- Prepare for internal, customer, registrar, surveillance, and recertification audits.
- Organize objective evidence and review quality records for accuracy, completeness, traceability, and compliance.
- Participate in internal audits and support responses to external audit findings.
- Track audit findings and corrective actions through verified closure.
- Write, revise, and maintain the quality manual, procedures, work instructions, forms, inspection records, setup sheets, and controlled templates.
- Ensure controlled documents reflect actual manufacturing and inspection practices.
- Clearly define responsibilities, acceptance criteria, required records, and escalation requirements.
- Maintain document revision, approval, distribution, and obsolete-document controls.
- Support management review by preparing information regarding quality performance, nonconformances, corrective actions, complaints, audit results, and improvement opportunities.
- Assist with calibration records, inspection-equipment control, supplier-quality documentation, and certification requirements.
Root Cause, Corrective Action, and Risk Reduction
- Investigate internal defects, customer complaints, returns, quality escapes, recurring scrap, rework, machine crashes, tooling failures, supplier issues, and audit findings.
- Establish containment and determine whether other parts, jobs, or shipments may be affected.
- Identify the actual root cause instead of only correcting the immediate symptom.
- Use structured methods such as 5 Whys, cause-and-effect analysis, process review, or fault isolation.
- Develop corrective actions with assigned responsibility and completion dates.
- Verify that corrective actions were implemented and effectively prevent recurrence.
- Revise actions that do not produce the intended result.
- Identify manufacturing, quality, equipment, training, and documentation risks before they affect cost, delivery, or customer satisfaction.
- Incorporate lessons learned into CNC programs, inspection plans, procedures, work instructions, training, and future job planning.
Operator Development and Production Support
- Train operators on safe machine operation, tooling, offsets, inspection, workholding, part loading, and proven setup methods.
- Explain drawings, tolerances, GD&T, and critical part features.
- Establish limits on operator adjustments and confirm competency before assigning higher-risk work.
- Monitor initial production and correct unsafe, uncontrolled, or inconsistent practices.
- Help determine whether low output is caused by programming, setup, tooling, machine condition, unclear direction, or operator performance.
- Review upcoming CNC work for programming, tooling, fixtures, material, inspection, and capacity requirements.
- Identify long-lead needs and schedule risks early.
- Prepare jobs before they reach the machine.
- Provide clear status updates and realistic completion forecasts.
- Help prioritize work across machines and operators so jobs move efficiently through production and inspection.
Required Qualifications
- Significant hands-on CNC machining experience in a job-shop, prototype, or high-mix manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated ability to independently program, set up, prove out, and run CNC equipment.
- Strong CNC milling experience.
- Strong blueprint-reading and GD&T knowledge.
- Experience producing close-tolerance components.
- Ability to develop complete machining processes from drawings and models.
- Strong understanding of G-code, offsets, cutter compensation, machine coordinate systems, tooling, feeds, speeds, and workholding.
- Practical first article, in-process, and final-inspection experience.
- Ability to diagnose machining, dimensional, tooling, and process problems.
- Experience with nonconformance, root-cause, and corrective-action processes.
- Ability to create clear setup sheets, work instructions, inspection plans, and quality records.
- Strong organization, communication, accountability, and attention to detail.
- Ability to train and support less-experienced operators.
Preferred Qualifications
- CNC turning and live-tooling experience.
- Experience with Fusion 360, Mastercam, or similar CAM software.
- Experience with Fanuc controls, probing systems, fixtures, and soft-jaw development.
- FARO Arm, portable CMM, or conventional CMM experience.
- ISO 9001 audit preparation, internal-audit, document-control, calibration, or quality-system experience.
- Experience writing or revising quality manuals, procedures, and work instructions.
- Experience machining aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, tool steel, plastics, nickel alloys, and other difficult materials.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, energy, medical, amusement, simulation, or similarly demanding industries.
- Previous senior machinist, CNC programmer, setup lead, manufacturing lead, or quality-lead experience.
Demonstrated Technical Capability
Qualified candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their ability to:
- Interpret a complex manufacturing drawing.
- Identify critical dimensions and process risks.
- Develop a machining and inspection strategy.
- Program and set up CNC equipment.
- Safely prove out a new program.
- Diagnose a machining or dimensional problem.
- Produce and verify a conforming first article.
- Explain methods used to protect machines, tooling, and workpieces.
A practical skills assessment may be included in the interview process.
Measures of Success
Success in this role will include:
- Strong first-time quality
- Accurate first article and final inspections
- Safe and reliable program prove-outs
- Stable and repeatable machining processes
- Reduced scrap, rework, crashes, and tooling damage
- Improved setup repeatability and machine utilization
- Effective operator training
- Clear and current setup and quality documentation
- Successful ISO 9001 and customer audit preparation
- Timely and effective corrective-action closure
- Consistent delivery of conforming parts
Benefits
- 401(k)
- Company matching
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Air-conditioned manufacturing environment
- Overtime opportunities
- Diverse and technically challenging projects
- Opportunity to help strengthen E-Sector’s CNC and quality systems
Application Requirements
Applicants should submit a resume describing:
- CNC machines and controls operated
- CAM systems used
- Milling and turning experience
- Materials machined and typical tolerances held
- Inspection equipment used
- ISO 9001 or quality-system experience
- Corrective-action and root-cause experience
- Operator training or technical leadership experience
- Examples of difficult machining or quality problems personally resolved
Work Location: In person
Pay: $70,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Experience:
- CNC programming: 5 years (Required)
Work Location: In person
