CNC Turning Department Manager

Company Summary

Our client is a family-owned precision machining company. Over the years it has grown from a small start-up shop into a modern, clean, temperature-controlled facility. It serves aerospace customers and is expanding into higher-volume work for technology and electronics markets. The company plans to stay family-owned, with the next generation expected to take over. The culture is relaxed, collaborative, and team-oriented.

Job Summary

The company is looking for a technical, hands-on leader to take ownership of its CNC turning department, which includes multiple turning centers and mill-turn equipment and has significant room to grow. You will be the technical bridge between company leadership and the shop floor. You’ll own the department’s priorities, programming, and performance, and you’ll be responsible for efficiency, quality, profitability, and throughput. This is not an administrative role. Expect to spend roughly 20-30% of your time on the machines and the rest on programming, leadership, troubleshooting, and planning.

Responsibilities

• Walk the department each morning, review the prior day’s output, and identify machines that are behind plan
• Determine why performance issues occurred and implement practical solutions quickly
• Prioritize upcoming jobs and assign them to the right machines
• Check, order, and prepare tooling
• Program, set up, and troubleshoot parts, then support others in running them
• Lead and support machinists and setup personnel, and help train newer employees
• Communicate department status, performance, and recommendations to company leadership
• Support quality and inspection standards as the company works toward ISO 9001

Requirements

• Hands-on CNC turning experience, with strong lathe skills
• Strong CAM programming experience. GibbsCAM is strongly preferred. Experience with Mastercam, Fusion, or another CAM system is acceptable if you are confident and willing to self-learn GibbsCAM.
• Ability to program and set up a part independently, then support others running it
• Tight-tolerance machining experience (total tolerances around five tenths) and aerospace-style profiles
• Strong GD&T knowledge and accurate print interpretation
• Strong inspection skills with standard hand-held measuring tools
• Ability to evaluate machine and job performance, make timely decisions, and avoid overanalyzing
• Confident, decisive, and approachable, and someone who offers solutions rather than only identifying problems
• Stable work history showing long-term commitment
• Willingness to work on-site

Preferred Requirements

• 5 years of CAM experience (exceptional capability may outweigh years of experience)
• Mill-turn and/or Swiss experience
• Aerospace machining experience. ISO 9001, medical, or other quality-focused manufacturing experience is also valued.
• Experience with stainless steels (303, 304, 316) and aerospace materials (17-4, 455, 9310, 13-8)
• Leadership experience as a lead machinist, senior machinist, small-shop supervisor, or department manager. An expert machinist without formal leadership experience may be considered if they can take technical ownership of the area.
• A genuine passion for machining and a desire to take ownership of a department and improve it long term

Compensation/Benefits

• Salary: $115,000-$145,000, depending on experience and fit
• Company-paid medical (80% employee / 60% dependent)
• 401(k) with 100% match up to 5%
• Three weeks of vacation to start, increasing to four weeks after five years
• Holiday bonus
• Flexible start and end times and a flexible lunch window
• Regular team events and a dog-friendly workplace
• Schedule: Monday-Thursday 6:00 AM-4:30 PM plus a half day on Friday (salaried, approximately 45 hours/week). No second shift.

Location

On-site at the company’s facility near Anoka, Minnesota.

Salary : $115,000 - $145,000