Find & Apply For Manufacturing Machine Operator Jobs in Asbury Park, New Jersey

DIGITAL FABRICATION MANAGER

Full Time | On-Site | Asbury Park, NJ | Hiring Immediately Time & Space Scenic, a unique experiential design and build company, is seeking an experienced, hands-on Digital Fabrication Manager to lead our digital fabrication department. This is a hands-on production management position in a scenic fabrication shop. The primary focus is on managing a growing FDM 3D-print farm and laser-cutting operation. This is NOT a general management position and is not a design-only position. Candidates must have meaningful hands-on experience operating and troubleshooting FDM 3D printers and preparing files for production.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 3D

Printing Manage our growing FDM 3D print farm and all print production. Review models and determine the best strategy for orientation, segmentation, supports, material use and machine allocation. Slice and prepare production-ready files. Build and maintain a machine-by-machine print schedule. Track print durations, completion times and overall production capacity. Monitor active prints and identify failures or problems early. Troubleshoot print quality, adhesion, mechanical and slicing issues. Optimize parts for speed, strength, material efficiency and downstream assembly. Maintain printers and keep machines production-ready. Manage filament inventory and material requirements. Scale print capacity appropriately when project schedules require outside vendors or additional equipment. Laser Cutting Own day-to-day operation and scheduling of our laser cutting equipment. Prepare and optimize files for laser production. Understand materials, settings, kerf, nesting and efficient sheet utilization. Troubleshoot equipment and production issues. Maintain laser equipment and associated exhaust/air systems. Coordinate laser work with drafting, fabrication and project schedules.

ADDITIONAL DIGITAL FABRICATION

The department also supports: CNC routing Plasma cutting Vacuum forming Digital model/file preparation Prototyping and specialty fabrication The Digital Fabrication Manager should understand these processes and be able to coordinate work across them. Deep CNC machining experience is helpful but not the primary focus of this position; our CNC/machining function has dedicated support.

DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT

Own the digital fabrication production schedule. Work directly with Project Management, Drafting and Fabrication to understand deadlines and priorities. Review upcoming projects before they hit production and identify digital fabrication requirements early. Accurately estimate machine time and flag capacity problems before they become schedule problems. Assign work across available machines based on capacity, compatibility and deadlines. Keep production schedules current as conditions change. Communicate immediately when equipment, files or production issues threaten a deadline. Coordinate outsourcing when internal capacity is insufficient. Maintain an organized digital file and production workflow. Develop and document standards for repeatable production. Train and oversee additional digital fabrication staff as the department grows. Maintain a clean, safe and organized work area.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The right person is highly organized, technically capable and comfortable working in a fast-moving custom fabrication environment.

Strong candidates will have:

Significant hands-on FDM 3D printing experience. Strong laser cutting experience. Experience operating and troubleshooting multiple printers simultaneously. Strong understanding of slicing software and print optimization. Ability to evaluate a model and develop a practical production strategy—not simply hit "print." CAD/modeling and file-preparation experience. Strong mechanical troubleshooting ability. Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and changing priorities. Accurate production planning and time estimation skills. Strong communication with project managers, designers and fabricators. A willingness to jump in personally when production gets difficult. Experience in scenic fabrication, exhibits, experiential marketing, props, theater, events, museums or other custom fabrication environments is a major plus.

THE ROLE

This department has become an increasingly important part of how Time & Space builds projects. We are investing heavily in large-format 3D printing, laser cutting and digital manufacturing, and we're looking for someone who wants to take ownership of that capability and continue building it with us.

The expectation is straightforward:

know what needs to be made, know how we're going to make it, know how long it's going to take, keep the machines moving, and communicate problems before they become emergencies.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This role offers a competitive salary in the $65,000-$80,000 range, depending on experience.

We also provide:

Health insurance (medical, dental, vision) 401(k) retirement plan PTO plan including 15 flex vacation days plus holidays

Pay:

$65,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Application Question(s): What FDM printers have you personally operated? List the manufacturers/models and approximately how many machines you were responsible for at one time. What laser cutters have you personally operated? Include machine type/manufacturer and materials you've cut. You have 15 printers, 40 remaining parts with different print durations, and a hard delivery deadline. Briefly explain how you would decide what runs on which machine and how you would track the schedule.

Experience:

FDM 3D printing: 2 years (Required) CNC laser cutting: 2 years (Required) operating digital fabrication equipment: 1 year (Required) Ability to

Commute:

Asbury Park, NJ 07712 (Required)

Work Location:

In person