Machinist Apprentice

You don't need machining experience. You need to want to learn it.

LAD Engineering builds precision custom parts for aerospace contractors, government clients, and engineering firms in Albuquerque. Prototypes, tight-tolerance components, one-offs — the work other shops pass on. We’re growing, and we need people who want to get genuinely good at something.

We train the right person from scratch.

About The Work

You’ll set up and run CNC machines — programming tool paths, loading material, and making cuts. You’ll check your own parts against spec using micrometers and calipers, read blueprints, and work in tolerances measured in thousandths of an inch.

We're a prototype shop, which means every job is different. No running the same part all day. You'll be solving a new problem on most shifts — and the longer you're here, the harder the problems you'll get to solve.

The shop is clean and organized. You’re on your feet all shift, working with real equipment on real output that ships to real clients.

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

The first 90 days are a real learning curve. Some days you won’t feel like you’re getting it. Setup can take an hour before you make a single cut, and if the setup is wrong, the part is scrapped. You check your own work before it leaves your hands. You say something when something’s off.

If that sounds like a nightmare, this isn't the right fit.

If that sounds like the kind of work most people quit inside 30 days — and you’re someone who gets more stubborn when things get hard — keep reading.

THE PAY AND THE PATH

• Entry (0–90 days): $18/hr. On the clock while you learn. No experience required.
• Machinist (90 days ): $20–$24/hr. Running jobs independently. Your skill drives your rate.
• Experienced Machinist (12 months): $24–$28/hr. Complex setups, multiple machines.
• Lead Machinist: $28–$32/hr. Running the floor.
  
  

Who Fits Here

• You own your mistakes. A bad part doesn't leave your hands because you didn't want to deal with it. Rework costs everybody — so we get it right the first time, and when we don't, we say so and fix it.
• You treat deadlines like they matter. The parts we ship go to clients with their own schedules downstream — a late part from us is a problem at three other companies.
• You say something before it becomes a problem.
• No politics, no drama. You help without being asked.
  
  

Required

WHAT YOU NEED

• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation to our Albuquerque shop
• Background check and drug screening required
• S. work authorization
  
  

You Do NOT Need

• CNC or machining experience — we train from scratch
• A machining degree or certificate
• A mechanical or trade background — any hands-on work history is a plus
• An aerospace or defense background
  
  

What Happens Next

• Apply. Five minutes.
• 15-minute phone call if your background looks like a fit.
• 7 written questions by email — honest answers, not perfect ones.
• 45-minute face-to-face with Kendall.
• Time on the floor with one of our machinists — see it firsthand.
• Offer if it's a fit on both sides.
  
  

Most people stopped reading around the 90-day learning curve. You didn’t. Apply now.

Compensation: $18 - $20 hourly