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