CNC Vertical Turret Lathe Machinist – (Large-Format Job Shop)

CNC Vertical Turret Lathe Machinist – (Large-Format Job Shop | Defense, Mining & Aerospace Components)

Up to $42/hr · Fox Valley, WI · A debt-free, family-owned job shop with zero layoffs in 15 years and an average employee tenure of 15 years — this is a shop where precision machinists build careers, not just resumes.

• Experience 5 years of independent CNC VTL setup and machining on large-scale components required
• Comp Up to $42/hr — based on expert-level experience
• 1st Shift Flexible start (5:00 or 6:00 AM) | Choice of 8-hour days or 4.5-day weeks
• 2nd Shift Monday–Thursday, 2:00 PM–Midnight | 3-day weekend every week
• Location Fox Valley, WI — onsite | Must reside within 45 minutes
• Type Full-time, direct hire | Day-one healthcare benefits
• Auth U.S. citizen or Green Card holder required — no sponsorship

This is a full-time, permanent opportunity with a debt-free, family-owned custom machining operation that has not had a layoff in over 15 years. This is not a production shop. Every job is a custom, non-repetitive component — large-scale work for defense, mining, and aerospace customers that demands real setup skill, G-Code fluency, and the kind of precision judgment that only comes from years on heavy equipment. The facility is clean and growing, running a fleet of newer HNK and Toshiba systems, and the average employee tenure here is 15 years — with several veterans at the 30-year mark.

Machinists here work directly with ownership on complex prototype and R&D projects. There is no production floor mentality, no pressure to rush setups, and no one looking over your shoulder on a job you know better than they do. If you have spent years doing serious heavy-metal precision work and want a shop that respects what that takes, this is worth a conversation.

What you will be doing

• Performing complete setups and from-scratch programming (G-Code and GibbsCAM) for Vertical Turret Lathes — boring, drilling, facing, and milling operations
• Managing large-format machining projects on components weighing several thousand pounds with full accuracy and safety compliance
• Analyzing blueprints and technical drawings to determine sequence of operations, tolerances, and optimal tooling for custom one-off jobs
• Monitoring machining processes and adjusting feeds, speeds, and offsets to ensure first-article quality on every run
• Collaborating directly with ownership and engineering to troubleshoot complex setups and improve processes on critical prototype and R&D work

What we are looking for

• 5 years of independent setup and machining experience on CNC VTLs or very large CNC lathes — this is a firm requirement
• Proven job-shop background — candidates from high-volume small-part production environments will not be a fit
• G-Code programming proficiency and ability to apply shop trigonometry for layout and verification
• Stable, committed work history — tenure and professionalism matter here
• U.S. citizen or Green Card holder residing within 45 minutes of the Fox Valley area