CNC Operating Lead

Job Description

Job Description

HIGHLINE COMMERCE ×   GOB.EARTH

JOB DESCRIPTION  

CNC Operating Lead

Manufacturing as a Service  ·  Industry City, Brooklyn  ·  Full-time, hourly  ·  Immediate start

Role at a glance

Highline Commerce and Gob.Earth are hiring a hands-on CNC Operating Lead to run CNC production and own machine upkeep, quality control, and packing for Gob.Earth's earplug line. This is the first full-time hire in Highline's new Manufacturing as a Service division, and you'll help us build the department from the ground up and scale it.

Title

CNC Operating Lead

Hiring companies

Highline Commerce, in partnership with Gob.Earth

Location

On-site at Highline's dedicated manufacturing space on the Industry City campus, Brooklyn, NY (separate from our main warehouse)

Start date

Immediate

Employment type

Full-time, hourly

Schedule

Monday–Friday, day shift, about 40 hours per week; occasional extra hours during production pushes

Pay

$30–$35 per hour, based on experience

Reports to

Gob.Earth's lead of Manufacturing / COO for production; Highline Operations for site matters

About us

Gob.Earth makes earplugs cut from a natural material, designed for comfort and made with care. Every unit goes directly into someone's ear, so craftsmanship and consistency matter as much as volume.

Highline Commerce is a tech-forward logistics company founded in 2020 to serve small and emerging consumer brands, with facilities in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Alpharetta, and Dayton, Ohio. Highline runs warehouse operations, fulfillment, and shipping for brands like Gob.Earth.

With this role, Highline is launching a new business line: Manufacturing as a Service , built alongside our 3PL offering. We're making a significant investment because we believe this is the future of manufacturing: made in the city, right next to logistics and the customers it serves. Gob.Earth is the first brand in the program.

You'll be employee one of this division. We want someone fully brought in who will help us create the department, bring it to life, and then scale it, first to multiple locations and eventually to new manufacturing clients beyond Gob.Earth.

About the role

We're looking for someone with a maker's mindset: a background in a home shop, maker space, small custom-woodworking operation, or hobbyist CNC work, rather than a certified industrial machinist. You're comfortable being the only one troubleshooting when something goes wrong. You keep the workspace cleaner than shop culture usually demands. You've built an intuitive feel for the tools through hands-on repetition, not formal certification.

We run Carbide 3D machines, which are well-regarded among makers and small shops for being approachable and well-supported, but they are not industrial-grade equipment. That's by design. We need someone genuinely comfortable at this scale, not someone overqualified on heavy machinery and impatient with a desktop-class setup's quirks and limitations.

Because we cut a natural material into a product that goes directly into someone's ear, good judgment is essential. You'll develop a discerning eye and a practiced feel for the process: catching a dulling bit before it deforms product, sensing when a run has drifted out of spec before the numbers confirm it, and knowing when to stop and adjust rather than push through. That pattern recognition comes from time spent paying close attention to a machine, so we expect it to build over time.

The cutting system's stages are integrated, so this role also covers quality control and packing finished product. Our roles overlap by design; on a small team, you may help with receiving or fulfillment when production needs it.

What you'll do

CNC OPERATION

• Set up and run production cuts on Carbide 3D machines using CNC software
• Prep raw material, including cutting down sheet stock to size
• Change bits and monitor tool wear, swapping bits before they affect product
• Watch runs closely and stop to adjust when output drifts from spec

MACHINE MAINTENANCE

• Perform routine upkeep: oiling, tightening bolts, cleaning, and basic mechanical adjustments
• Troubleshoot issues on the fly and get machines back to running
• Keep a clean, organized workspace and log maintenance and issues

QUALITY CONTROL AND PACKING

• Inspect finished earplugs against quality standards and pull anything out of spec
• Pack finished product to Gob.Earth's packaging standards
• Flag recurring quality issues to the manufacturing lead

TEAM SUPPORT (AS NEEDED)

• Help with receiving raw materials, inventory counts, and order fulfillment when production allows

BUILDING THE DIVISION

• Help shape how the department runs: workflows, workspace setup, and production standards
• Turn what works into repeatable processes we can take to new locations
• Help plan the expansion to multiple sites and the onboarding of new manufacturing clients

What you need

HARD SKILLS

• Operating CNC software
• Changing bits
• Basic mechanical maintenance (oiling, tightening bolts)
• Material prep and cutting down sheet stock
• Standing at a machine for extended periods

SOFT SKILLS

• Ability to develop, through training, a strong feel for the qualitative side of our manufacturing process
• Detail-oriented and naturally careful
• Troubleshooting on the fly
• Comfortable with routine, hands-on machine upkeep

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with Carbide 3D (Shapeoko, Nomad) or similar desktop/hobbyist CNC machines
• Experience cutting natural or soft materials such as wood, cork, or foam
• A portfolio or photos of things you've made
• Experience in a production or batch-making setting, even small-scale
• Familiarity with basic quality checks using calipers or similar measuring tools

Training and support

We provide thorough training, step-by-step SOPs, and on-site onboarding. What we're hiring for is the foundation: comfort with hands-on machinery, mechanical curiosity, and a careful, detail-oriented working style.

Physical requirements

• Stand at a machine for most of a shift
• Lift and move material and boxes up to 50 lbs
• Work around machine noise and dust using provided PPE (eye and hearing protection, dust mask)
• Perform repetitive, fine-detail handwork during inspection and packing

What we offer

• $30–$35 per hour
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• A ground-floor role as the first employee in Highline's Manufacturing as a Service division, with a real hand in building and scaling it
• Hands-on training and room to grow as the division expands to new locations and clients
• A product you can be proud of, made with care

Equal opportunity

Highline Commerce and Gob.Earth are equal opportunity employers. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Company Description