CNC Setup Machinist Mills Lathes

Job Description

Job Description

The Role

Complete Metal Design is hiring a CNC Setup Machinist for our mill and lathe departments. This is a setup-first role. Your main job is getting machines dialed in: our programmer hands you a proven job with a setup sheet, tool list, and program notes, and you build the setup, verify the first piece is on print, and get the job running clean.

Most of the time, once a job is proven and stable, an operator takes it from there and you move to the next setup. But this isn't a setup-only seat — when the schedule calls for it, you'll run production too. Short runs, hot jobs, or days when setups are caught up, you're on a machine making parts.

If you take pride in a tight, fast setup and don't mind running the job you just dialed in when the shop needs it, this is your seat.

What You'll Do

Setup (the main job):

• Read the setup sheet, tool list, and program notes from the programmer and execute the setup as proven.
• Build the workholding — vises, chucks, soft jaws, fixtures — and dial it in accurately.
• Load tools, touch off, set tool and work offsets, and stage the program.
• Run the first piece, measure it against the print, and confirm dimensions before the job goes into production.
• Hand off cleanly to the operator running the job — walk them through anything that isn't in the paperwork.
• Flag anything that doesn't match the proveout and pull the programmer back in when the process needs a real fix.
• Keep tooling, workholding, and staging areas organized so setups don't waste time.

Running production (the smaller part):

• Run short jobs, hot jobs, and production when setups are caught up.
• Manage tool wear, swap inserts, and adjust offsets to hold tolerance through the run.
• Inspect in-process with calipers, micrometers, indicators, and height gauges.

Across both:

• Move between the mill and lathe side as the schedule demands.
• Document process notes that help the next person on the job.
• Help train operators and newer setup people.

Who Fits

• 3+ years of hands-on CNC experience with real setup time on both mills and lathes — not just running parts someone else set up.
• Strong on workholding fundamentals and confident dialing in a first piece from a setup sheet.
• Comfortable at the control: touching off tools, setting offsets, making small edits at the machine.
• Solid grasp of speeds, feeds, tool selection, and how aluminum, steel, stainless, and non-ferrous metals behave.
• Read prints and interpret GD&T well enough to verify a first piece matches spec.
• Fast without being sloppy — this seat is measured on setup quality and turnaround.
• Reliable, organized, and communicates cleanly with programmers and operators.

Even Better If You've Got

• CNC lathe live tooling setup experience.
• Multi-axis (4-axis or 5-axis) setup experience.
• Aerospace or other tight-tolerance production background.
• Experience training operators or junior setup people.
• Bilingual English / Spanish.

What We Offer

• Competitive pay based on experience
• Health and dental
• Paid time off and holidays
• 401(k) / CalSavers
• Stable, growing shop with a mix of prototype, production, and aerospace work
• A team that treats setup as a real trade and gives you ownership of your work