CNC Vertical Turret Lathe Machinist (Large-Format Job Shop)

CNC Vertical Turret Lathe Machinist – (Large-Format Job Shop | Defense, Mining & Aerospace Components) Up to $42/hr • Fox Valley, WI • A debt-free, family-owned job shop with zero layoffs in 15+ years and an average employee tenure of 15 years — this is a shop where precision machinists build careers, not just resumes. Experience 5+ years of independent CNC VTL setup and machining on large-scale components required Comp Up to $42/hr — based on expert-level experience 1st Shift Flexible start (5:00 or 6:00 AM) | Choice of 8-hour days or 4.5-day weeks 2nd Shift Monday–Thursday, 2:00 PM–Midnight | 3-day weekend every week Location Fox Valley, WI — onsite | Must reside within 45 minutes Type Full-time, direct hire | Day-one healthcare benefits Auth U.S. citizen or Green Card holder required — no sponsorship This is a full-time, permanent opportunity with a debt-free, family-owned custom machining operation that has not had a layoff in over 15 years. This is not a production shop. Every job is a custom, non-repetitive component — large-scale work for defense, mining, and aerospace customers that demands real setup skill, G-Code fluency, and the kind of precision judgment that only comes from years on heavy equipment. The facility is clean and growing, running a fleet of newer HNK and Toshiba systems, and the average employee tenure here is 15 years — with several veterans at the 30-year mark. Machinists here work directly with ownership on complex prototype and R&D projects. There is no production floor mentality, no pressure to rush setups, and no one looking over your shoulder on a job you know better than they do. If you have spent years doing serious heavy-metal precision work and want a shop that respects what that takes, this is worth a conversation. What you will be doing Performing complete setups and from-scratch programming (G-Code and GibbsCAM) for Vertical Turret Lathes — boring, drilling, facing, and milling operations Managing large-format machining projects on components weighing several thousand pounds with full accuracy and safety compliance Analyzing blueprints and technical drawings to determine sequence of operations, tolerances, and optimal tooling for custom one-off jobs Monitoring machining processes and adjusting feeds, speeds, and offsets to ensure first-article quality on every run Collaborating directly with ownership and engineering to troubleshoot complex setups and improve processes on critical prototype and R&D work What we are looking for 5+ years of independent setup and machining experience on CNC VTLs or very large CNC lathes — this is a firm requirement Proven job-shop background — candidates from high-volume small-part production environments will not be a fit G-Code programming proficiency and ability to apply shop trigonometry for layout and verification Stable, committed work history — tenure and professionalism matter here U.S. citizen or Green Card holder residing within 45 minutes of the Fox Valley area Strong pluses (not required): GibbsCAM experience Experience on HNK, Toshiba, or similar large-format CNC equipment