Mechanic

We're looking for mechanics who are looking to change careers.

Mechanic. Tired of doing this? You want something new?

You want to work in a clean shop? Not getting greasy every day. Less hard on your body. More fulfilling.

We are looking for mechanics. We're just not going to hire you as a mechanic.

We will train you. We train the right person.

ABOUT LAD ENGINEERING

LAD Engineering builds precision custom parts in Albuquerque, NM -- prototypes, one-offs, tight-tolerance components for aerospace contractors, government clients, and engineering firms. The parts we make end up in things that matter. We're growing, and we need good people.

WHY MECHANICS

The skill sets we need are already in other parallel industries -- and mechanics have them.

Think about what you already do. You think through a sequence before you start. You are precise. You know when something is off before anyone tells you. You own your tools and your workspace. You finish the job.

That is exactly what this work requires. The machines are different. The software is different. The material is metal stock instead of an engine. But the instinct -- that is the same.

Mechanics who have made this move say it clicked faster than they expected. Because the mindset is already there.

WHAT THE WORK ACTUALLY IS

You will be setting up and running CNC machines. Programming tool paths. Loading material. Making cuts. Checking parts against spec with micrometers and calipers. Reading blueprints. Thinking in thousandths of an inch.

Every job here is different. We are a prototype shop. That means every part is unique -- there is no running the same job all day on repeat. You will be solving a new problem on most shifts.

You will be on your feet. The shop is clean and organized. Real equipment, real output, real standards.

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

The first 90 days are a learning curve. There will be days you feel like you are not getting it. Setup can take an hour before you make a single cut. If your setup is wrong, the part is scrap. You check your own work before it leaves your hands. You speak up when something is off before it becomes someone else's problem.

If that sounds like a nightmare, this is not the right fit. No hard feelings.

If that sounds like the kind of work that most people can't handle -- and you are the kind of person who takes pride in being better than most -- keep reading.

THE PAY AND THE PATH

• Trainee (0-90 days): $18-20/hr. You are on the clock while you learn. No experience required.
• Machinist (90 days ): $20-24/hr. Running jobs on your own. Your skill drives your pay.
• Experienced Machinist (12 months): $24-28/hr. Complex setups, multiple machines.
• Lead Machinist: $28-32/hr. Running the floor. This is the ceiling -- and it is worth reaching.

WHO FITS HERE

You own your mistakes. You do not let a bad part go because you do not 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 because they do. The parts we ship go to clients who have schedules downstream. Your work is someone else's input.

You say something before it becomes a problem. Not after.

You help without being asked. No politics. No drama.

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.
• Time on the floor with one of our machinists -- see it firsthand.
• Offer if it is a fit on both sides.

If you have read this far, you are already different from most people who saw this posting. Apply now.

Salary : $18 - $32