Machine Shop Manager

Machine Shop Manager

WillowWood Global is seeking an experienced CNC manufacturing leader with a passion for precision, productivity, and developing people. We are looking for a Machine Shop Manager to lead our high-performance machining operation.

The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background in CNC machining and programming, along with proven leadership experience in a production or job shop environment. Experience with HAAS equipment, UMC 5-axis mills, 3- and 4-axis milling, duel spindle CNC lathes with live tooling, Swiss/screw machines, robotic integration, SolidCAM, and SolidWorks is highly valued.

This is a hands‑on leadership position responsible for managing day-to-day machine shop operations, developing employees, coordinating production schedules, maintaining quality standards, improving processes, and ensuring the department operates safely and efficiently.

Core Responsibilities

Shop Management & Leadership

• Manage the daily operations of the machine shop, including scheduling, personnel, equipment, production priorities, and workflow to achieve a high level of equipment utilization.
• Establish and maintain standardized process routing for efficiency, scheduling, and quality.
• Incorporate redundancy into operations through training, mentorship, and the development of CNC programmers, setup personnel, and operators.
• Set and monitor employee performance and provide coaching, feedback, and development opportunities.
• Work with company leadership to establish departmental goals and performance expectations.
• Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Assist with recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and training machine shop personnel.
• Follow and enforce company policy for safety, conformance deviation and change control.

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Coordinate production schedules based on demand requirements and available resources.
• Monitor production progress and adjust priorities as needed to meet demand commitments.
• Coordinate scheduling of people, raw material, tooling, fixtures, programming and other resources required to maintain equipment uptime.
• Identify production bottlenecks and work with engineering and quality to implement solutions to improve throughput.
• Work closely with engineering and quality to resolve quality issues and improve processes.
• Monitor machine utilization, labor efficiency, scrap, rework, and production performance.
• Work with leadership to coordinate and prioritize the support of prototype and development, activities.

CNC Programming & Manufacturing

• Provide technical oversight and optimization of CNC programs and G‑code to improve quality, cycle times, and machine efficiency.
• Support programming of CNC mills, lathes, and Swiss/screw machines using SolidCAM, SolidWorks, or comparable CAD/CAM platforms.
• Provide guidance on tooling, feeds, speeds, work holding, toolpaths, and machining strategies.
• Oversee development and implementation of fixtures, tooling, and machining processes.

Continuous Improvement

• Analyze production data and develop corrective actions as needed to meet performance goals.
• Promote proper 5S practices and maintain an organized, efficient, and professional work environment.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, quality, safety, and machine utilization.
• Identify new tooling, equipment, automation, and machining technologies.

Quality & Inspection

• Ensure all machining operations meet established quality standards, specifications, and tolerances.
• Ensure setup sheets, routings, work instructions, and other manufacturing documentation are accurate and maintained.
• Ensure all tools used for quality assurance are maintained under a defined calibration schedule.
• Work closely with engineering and quality to address any nonconformance parts and corrective actions.
• Ensure machinists and operators properly inspect their work and maintain appropriate inspection and process documentation.
• Ensure employees are properly trained in the use of micrometers, calipers, gauges, and other precision measuring equipment.

Safety & Equipment

• Maintain a safe working environment and enforce all company safety policies and procedures.
• Ensure employees are properly trained in machine operation, PPE, lockout/tagout, and other applicable safety procedures.
• Support preventive maintenance programs and ensure machine issues are addressed promptly.
• Coordinate with maintenance personnel to minimize equipment downtime.
• Monitor machine condition and recommend repairs, replacements, or upgrades when appropriate.
• Maintain proper housekeeping and 5S standards throughout the department.

Materials, Tooling & Inventory

• Coordinate purchasing and availability of cutting tools, workholding, raw materials, and other production supplies.
• Monitor tooling consumption and identify opportunities to reduce costs.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels to support production requirements.
• Work with suppliers and purchasing personnel on tooling and material requirements.
• Evaluate new tooling and manufacturing products to improve performance and reduce operating costs.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of CNC machining experience in a production, job shop, or manufacturing environment.
• Deep understanding of GD&T for print interpretation and precision measuring tools to ensure parts meet required specifications.
• Proven track record of operating within strict quality management systems (QMS), consistently executing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Work Instructions (WIs).
• Demonstrated experience in machine shop leadership or management.
• Strong knowledge of CNC mills, lathes, and Swiss/screw machines.
• Significant experience with 5-axis machining.
• Strong understanding of G‑code, tool