CNC Programming Lead, Precision Machining Operations

Job Description

Job Description

About the Role

Picture the start of your shift: you walk the machining cell, check spindle warm-ups on Fanuc-controlled lathes and mills, review an engineering print with tight GD&T callouts, and huddle briefly with your crew to set priorities. By mid-morning you’re refining a CAM toolpath, adjusting fixtures for a switch from plastics to aluminum, and verifying a first-article with micrometers, bore gauges, and the CMM. In the afternoon, you’re coaching a machinist on best practices, troubleshooting a surface finish issue, documenting a process tweak, and lining up the next job so the team hits quality and delivery targets—safely and efficiently.

• Lead and mentor a team of machinists—set expectations, coach, train, and provide performance feedback.
• Program and operate CNC lathes and milling machines, primarily on Fanuc controls; develop and optimize CAM programs and adjust existing ones as needed.
• Interpret complex blueprints and technical drawings using GD translate requirements into reliable machining processes.
• Set up tooling, fixtures, and offsets across metals and plastics; make on-the-fly corrections to ensure dimensional accuracy.
• Verify parts with precision instruments (calipers, micrometers, bore gauges) and coordinate measuring machines to confirm specifications.
• Maintain calibration practices, perform routine machine maintenance, and troubleshoot machining issues to minimize downtime.
• Apply lean manufacturing principles to boost throughput, reduce waste, and standardize best practices.
• Promote and enforce safety protocols; safely operate forklifts and power tools during material handling.
• Partner with engineering on new product development, influencing CNC machining and assembly process decisions.
• Support continuous improvement via clear documentation and thoughtful process refinement.

• Hands-on CNC machining background with programming, setup, and operation of both lathes and mills.
• Strong mechanical understanding across manufacturing methods, including exposure to plastics injection molding and welding.
• Fluency in GD&T and complex blueprint reading; solid basic math for conversions and calculations.
• Experience reviewing part designs with CAD tools (SolidWorks or similar) to inform manufacturability.
• Proficiency with precision metrology (micrometers, calipers, bore gauges) and CMM usage.
• Comfort with Fanuc control systems or comparable CNC controls; CAM programming experience strongly preferred.
• Proven leadership abilities; prior experience supervising or leading a machining team is a plus.
• Forklift certification or demonstrated safe forklift operation in a production setting.
• Working knowledge of lean manufacturing to drive quality and efficiency.