Senior CNC Machinist – Milling

1st Shift | Agawam, MA | Medical Device & Aerospace Manufacturing

$36–$45/hour
Monday–Friday | 6:00am–2:30pm

The Opportunity

We're looking for a well-rounded, experienced CNC Machinist who knows what to look for before a machining problem becomes an expensive mistake.

This role is heavily focused on CNC milling of complex components, with much of the work involving expensive castings that are being machined down into finished parts. Because of the complexity and material cost, scrap is extremely expensive.

That's why we're looking for someone who can do more than operate a machine or follow a setup sheet. You need to understand the machining process well enough to read through a program, recognize potential issues, troubleshoot effectively and make the right adjustments while the job is running.

Setup work is part of the position, but the bigger value you bring is your ability to keep complex jobs on track and prevent problems before they happen.

What You'll Be Doing

Complex CNC Milling

Set up and operate CNC milling equipment
Work primarily with complex castings and precision components
Make tooling, offset and process adjustments during production
Monitor cutting conditions, tool wear and machine performance
Troubleshoot machining issues as they arise
Make adjustments to maintain part quality and dimensional accuracy
Recognize potential issues before they result in scrap

Program Review & Process Awareness

A major part of this role is knowing what you're looking at before you hit cycle start.

You'll be expected to:

Read and understand CNC programs
Review programs and identify potential problems
Recognize machining sequences or tool paths that may create issues
Understand how tooling, feeds, speeds and cutting conditions affect the part
Anticipate problems based on the material, geometry and machining process
Communicate concerns before they turn into quality or production issues

You don't need to be the programmer. You do need to be experienced enough to understand what the program is telling the machine and recognize when something doesn't look right.

Quality & Troubleshooting

Perform in-process inspections
Use precision measuring equipment
Read and interpret blueprints and engineering drawings
Monitor critical dimensions throughout the machining process
Troubleshoot tooling, machine and process issues
Make appropriate adjustments to keep parts within specification
Identify root causes rather than simply correcting symptoms
Protect high-value material from unnecessary scrap

What We're Looking For

3+ years of CNC Machinist experience
Strong experience with complex CNC machining operations
Heavy experience with CNC milling
Strong troubleshooting ability
Comfortable making adjustments during the machining process
Ability to read and understand CNC programs
Strong blueprint and drawing interpretation
Experience with precision measurement
Good understanding of tooling, feeds, speeds and machining processes
Ability to recognize potential problems before they affect the part
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality

The Right Mindset

This role is a particularly good fit for a machinist who naturally thinks:

"What could go wrong here, and how do I catch it before it does?"

You're working with expensive material and complex parts. The expectation isn't simply to run the machine and react when something goes wrong. You're expected to use your experience to prevent problems and protect the part.

Setup Experience

This is not a setup-heavy position, but you need to be comfortable with setups when they're required.

You'll need enough setup knowledge to understand:

Tooling and workholding
Tool offsets
Work offsets
Program selection and verification
Tool changes
Basic setup adjustments
How setup decisions affect the machining process

The majority of the value in this role comes from your machining knowledge and ability to troubleshoot and adjust effectively during production.

Equipment & Materials

The operation utilizes modern CNC milling equipment, including:

3-Axis Vertical Machining Centers
Horizontal Machining Centers
4th Axis milling equipment
Johnford
Kitamura
Doosan
Haas

Materials include aluminum, engineering plastics, carbon steels and stainless steels, with opportunities to work on increasingly complex aerospace and medical components.

Why This Role Stands Out

$36–$45/hour
1st shift: 6:00am–2:30pm
Monday–Friday
Senior-level machining responsibility without being a full-time setup role
Heavy focus on complex CNC milling
Work with high-value castings and precision components
Opportunity to use your experience to prevent scrap and improve processes
Medical device and aerospace manufacturing
Modern CNC equipment
Growing operation with advancement opportunities
Overtime available but never mandatory

Benefits

Medical, dental and vision insurance beginning the 1st of the month following hire
8 paid holidays + 3 floating holidays
PTO beginning at 2 weeks annually
Overtime hours count toward PTO accrual, allowing additional PTO during the first year
401(k) with company match
Company-sponsored insurance plans
Annual performance reviews and merit increases

The Bottom Line

This isn't a role for someone who simply wants to run a machine and wait for the next job.

We're looking for a machinist with enough experience to understand the entire machining process — someone who can look at a program, understand what the machine is about to do, recognize potential problems, and make adjustments before an expensive casting becomes scrap.

If you're strong in CNC milling, comfortable troubleshooting complex machining operations, and take pride in catching problems before they happen, this is the level of machinist we're looking for.