Machinist 2

What We Offer:

• Yearly profit sharing
• Clean, climate-controlled work environment
• Job relocation assistance
• Opportunities for job advancement
• A small shop where your work is visible and your contribution matters
• Be part of a small team, with a fast-growing department

About Big Sky Engineering:
Big Sky Engineering builds custom automation equipment for manufacturers who can't buy what they need off the shelf. Robotic assembly systems, material handling and packaging lines, custom robot work cells, inspection systems, and closure lining and stacking machinery, all designed and built in-house in Verona, WI for customers in medical, food, packaging, and industrial markets.
Our machine shop makes the precision parts that go into those builds. It isn't a job shop running the same part for months. Every machine is different, so the work is too. The parts you cut end up in real equipment that ships and runs. That's the job.

Machinist 2 Position:

We’re growing our machining department and looking for an experienced machinist who can both program and run our machines. You’ll work directly alongside our Lead Machinist producing precision components for custom machine builds. Parts are one-offs or small batches, pulled from engineering prints and held to tight tolerances. High-mix, low-volume work, rarely the same job twice, and you’ll see a job through from setup to first article.
You’ll start on our conversational-controlled bed mill, knee mills, and manual lathe, then expand from there. Over time you’ll learn to run and program every machine in the shop: the Mazak VCEZ-26, the new Haas VM-9 large-format mill, the Haas SL-20 turning center, and the rest. We’re building a team where everyone can move from machine to machine, working wherever the shop needs it most. There’s real room to grow into more complex work, Fusion 360 CAM, and more of the programming side.
It’s a small, hands-on team, and we work together to keep the machines running. There’s always a next thing to move on to, whether that’s setting up the next job or prepping material. If you like staying busy and taking ownership of your work, you’ll fit right in.

Essential Job Functions:

• Programming and running CNC and manual machine tools — Acu-Rite and Mazatrol conversational, CAM, or G-code depending on the job
• Operating a range of equipment: Clausing CNC Bed Mill and Knee Mill (Acu-Rite controls), Mazak VCEZ-26, Haas VM-9 large-format VMC, Haas SL-20, manual lathes, drill press, arbor press, bench grinder, surface grinders, tapping arms, band saws, and a Mitutoyo CMM
• Cutting and prepping material across a wide range of materials — aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, hardened tool steels, and engineering plastics like Delrin and UHMW
• Setting up jobs independently: fixturing, tooling, offsets, first-article inspection
• Reading engineering drawings and GD&T callouts
• Maintaining quality — you inspect your own work
• Deburring and finishing components
• Performing daily machine maintenance: coolant, lubrication, chip cleanout, and keeping your machine and work area clean

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:
We will consider candidates from a machine tool technology program or manufacturing/mechanical engineering background in place of the experience requirement — the right foundation matters more than years on a resume.

• 5+ years operating machine tools — manual, CNC, or both
• 2+ years programming experience — CAM software, conversational control, or G-code
• Confident reading engineering drawings: tolerances, GD&T, multi-view prints
• Ability to run a job completely independently — material prep through final inspection
• Efficiency mindset — you think about what comes next, not just what’s in front of you
• Comfortable running multiple machines simultaneously without losing quality or focus
• Strong attention to detail and ownership of your own work

A plus, not required:

• CNC lathe / turning center experience (Haas or similar)
• Fusion 360 CAM or other CAM software
• Mazak or similar VMC experience
• Familiarity with Autodesk Inventor or AutoCAD

Other Requirements:

• Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude
• Lift raw materials, final products, and items packed for shipment, manually up to 50 lbs.

Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance