Job Title: CNC Lathe Lead / Department Lead

Location: Roscoe, IL

Reports To: Shop Foreman / Operations Manager

Role Summary

The CNC Lathe Lead is a master-level machinist responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the turning department. At our client, our turning department creates the foundational blanks for the world’s most sophisticated gears. You will be the "go-to" technical expert, ensuring that our high-precision standards are met while mentoring a team of machinists and optimizing setups for maximum efficiency and quality.

Key Leadership & Technical Responsibilities

• Technical Mentorship: Train and mentor junior and mid-level machinists on setup techniques, tool selection, and troubleshooting complex turning operations.
• Advanced Setups: Execute the most difficult "first-run" setups for new or high-complexity parts, ensuring processes are stable before handing them off to operators.
• Process Optimization: Review cycle times and tooling performance; implement improvements to reduce scrap and increase throughput without sacrificing our "Excellence Without Exception" quality.
• Quality Assurance: Act as the final technical check for the department, ensuring all GD&T requirements and tight tolerances (down to $\pm 0.0001"$) are consistently achieved.
• Tooling & Inventory Management: Oversee the department's tooling needs, coordinating with the tool crib to ensure specialized inserts and holders are available for upcoming jobs.
• Scheduling Support: Collaborate with the Shop Foreman to prioritize jobs, manage machine capacity, and ensure the turning department hits deadlines for the gear-cutting stage.

Required Experience & Skills

• Expertise: 10+ years of CNC Turning experience, with at least 2–3 years in a formal or informal leadership role.
• Machine Proficiency: Expert-level knowledge of multi-axis CNC lathes (e.g., Mori Seiki, Okuma, Hardinge) including Live Tooling and Sub-Spindle operations.
• Programming Mastery: Proficiency in G-code/M-code and experience with CAM software (Mastercam preferred) to make on-the-fly edits and process improvements.
• Materials Specialist: Deep understanding of how to turn diverse materials, from aerospace-grade aluminum and stainless steels to super-alloys and plastics.
• Metrology: Mastery of all precision inspection equipment, including the ability to interpret results from CMM and gear inspection reports.

Leadership Profile

• Problem Solver: You don’t just see a "bad part"; you see a vibration issue, a thermal expansion variable, or a tool geometry mismatch and know how to fix it.
• Standard Setter: You lead by example, maintaining a clean, organized, and highly disciplined workstation.
• Communicator: You can bridge the gap between engineering drawings and shop-floor execution, explaining "the why" behind technical decisions.