Assistant Shop Lead at CNC Machine Shop

Job Description

Job Description

About Us

We are a small family owned CNC machine shop focused on quality, precision, and reliability. We are a mix of a production and job shop, and are experiencing steady growth. We take pride in delivering accurate parts on time while maintaining a collaborative and improvement-driven work environment. We are looking for a hands-on Assistant Shop Lead to help support daily operations and production flow.

Position Overview

The Assistant Shop Lead will work closely with the Shop Lead/Owner to help coordinate workflow, support machinists, maintain quality standards, and ensure jobs move efficiently through the shop. This is a working leadership role — you will be expected to operate equipment as needed while helping guide production and support the team.

• Assist in coordinating daily production and job scheduling
• Support machinists with setup questions, tooling, and process improvements
• Help ensure parts meet quality and tolerance requirements
• Review job travelers and drawings for accuracy
• Maintain workflow between CNC machining, inspection, and finishing
• Assist with troubleshooting machining issues
• Promote safety and organization in the shop
• Help train and mentor junior employees when needed
• Communicate progress and potential delays to management

Qualifications

• Experience operating CNC mills and/or lathes
• Strong blueprint reading and GD&T knowledge
• Understanding of machining practices, tooling, and setups
• Ability to work independently and lead by example
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Good communication and organizational abilities
• Commitment to quality and continuous improvement

Preferred (but not required):

• Prior leadership or supervisory experience
• Experience in a small shop environment
• Familiarity with CAM software
• Experience with process improvement or workflow optimization

What We Offer

• Competitive pay based on experience
• Opportunity for growth into full Shop Lead role
• Supportive work environment
• Long-term stability
• Several options for career paths within the company. i.e. programming, fixture design, admin, etc.
• 4 day work week

What This Job Is NOT

• A place where you are expected to run broken programs and “just make it work”
• A place where your suggestions for system improvements will be ignored
• An environment where you are forced to do things just one way
• A production line environment with no problem-solving
• A shop where quality is sacrificed for speed
• A role where management is disconnected from the machines

We are a small shop that values precision, communication, and continuous improvement . We are looking for someone who wants to help build better processes.