Job Overview

Supervise and lead a team of CNC machinists, setup technicians, and apprentices to ensure daily production targets, quality standards, and safety requirements are met.

Job Requirements

Supervise and lead a team of CNC machinists, setup technicians, and apprentices to ensure daily production targets, quality standards, and safety requirements are met.

• Plan, assign, and prioritize work orders, machine schedules, and labor resources to optimize throughput and minimize downtime.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex machining, programming, tooling, and quality issues.
• Review and approve CNC programs, setups, and first-article inspections before release to production.
• Monitor production performance, scrap rates, rework, and machine utilization; implement corrective actions as needed.
• Coordinate with engineering to support new product introductions (NPI), process development, tooling validation, and production readiness.
• Ensure compliance with quality systems, GD&T interpretation, and inspection requirements; partner with Quality on root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, tooling optimization, cost savings, and process standardization.
• Develop, document, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs), setup sheets, and best practices.
• Train, mentor, and evaluate machinists; provide coaching, technical guidance, and performance feedback.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, skills assessments, and succession planning for the machining team.
• Ensure machines, tooling, and fixtures are maintained properly; coordinate preventive maintenance and repairs with maintenance teams.
• Enforce safety policies, conduct safety audits, and lead incident investigations and corrective actions.
• Communicate production status, risks, and resource needs to management and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Support inventory management of tooling, inserts, gauges, and consumables to ensure availability and cost control.
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What your background should look like

• 7+ years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or team-lead capacity within a CNC machining environment.
• Strong leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to balance hands-on machining with supervisory and administrative responsibilities.
• Experience with production planning, labor scheduling, and KPI tracking.
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, or continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Basic computer proficiency for reporting, documentation, and ERP/MES systems.
• Demonstrated ability to drive accountability, quality, and safety culture on the shop floor.

Competencies