MACHINIST — LAD ENGINEERING | LANSING, MI | $19–$32/HR

Machining is one of the few jobs left where you can hold your work in your hand at the end of the day and know it's right. Not "the meeting went well," right? Measurably, provably right... down to a tenth.

There's a feeling that comes from mastering that. From taking a print that somebody else couldn't figure out and shipping the part anyway. From knowing something you made is riding in a system that has to work. Most people go their whole careers without ever feeling it.

Plenty of machinists never feel it either... because plenty of shops never ask for it. They hire you to hit the green button and watch the clock. That's not this job.

LAD Engineering is a precision CNC job shop, ISO 9001:2015. We make parts for government contractors and manufacturers... and the programs our parts go into can't absorb a bad one. If we ship junk, somebody downstream eats it. So we don't ship junk. The machinists who thrive here are the ones who catch the bad tolerance before QC does... and eventually get asked to look at the quote before it goes out the door.

That's what we're offering. Not just a paycheck... a craft you get better at every year, and the kind of self-respect that comes with it.

THE WORK

• Set up, operate, and program CNC mills and lathes to customer spec... correct the first time.

• Read customer blueprints without hand-holding.

• Measure with micrometers, calipers, and gauges... and catch your own errors before they run.

• Follow shop travelers, ISO 9001:2015 documentation, and safety protocols without being reminded.

• Speak up the minute something's off. A problem caught early is manageable. One buried until shipping is a crisis.

• Keep your machine and your area clean. A messy bench tells us everything.

• (Lead) Review quotes and jobs for technical accuracy before they hit the customer or the floor.

THE PATH

Here's the comp, the timeline, and what you have to do to move.

• Machinist – Training (Months 1–3): $22–$24/hr. You're learning how we do things. How we set up. How we document. What a finished part looks like when it leaves a bench here.

• Machinist – Performing (Month 3+): $24–$26/hr plus performance incentives. You're running jobs on your own. The incentives pay out on parts that ship on time and don't come back.

• Machinist – Senior (Month 12+): $27–$29/hr plus incentives. Top earners at this level clear $28–$30/hr.

• Lead Machinist (when you've earned it): $30–$34/hr plus incentives. Reviewing quotes. Owning the schedule. Training the newer machinists. And still on a machine when the work demands it.

Benefits:

• Health insurance completely paid for by LAD Engineering after probationary period

• Optional employee-paid dental and vision coverage

This is a ladder, not a job. If you're not climbing it, we're not the right shop for you... And we'd rather say that now than two years from now when you're stuck, and we're both frustrated.

HOW TO APPLY

Don't send a generic resume blast. Reply with your resume and one sentence about the hardest part you've ever made... what it was, and what made it hard. That one sentence tells us more than the rest of the application.

$22 - $34 hourly

• Set up, operate, and program CNC mills and lathes to produce parts to customer specifications — correct the first time.
• Read and interpret customer blueprints accurately and independently, without hand-holding.
• Measure precisely using micrometers, calipers, gauges, and other instruments — catch your own errors before they run.
• Follow shop travelers, ISO 9001:2015 QMS documentation, and safety protocols without reminders.
• Communicate immediately when something is off — a problem caught early is manageable; one buried until shipping is a crisis.
• Maintain a clean, organized machine and work area that reflects your standards.
• (Lead) Review quotes and jobs for technical accuracy before they go to the customer or hit the production floor.

Required:

• Experience in a CNC machine shop (mills, lathes, or similar) OR close to completing a machining program at CNM or equivalent trade school.

• Ability to read and interpret engineering blueprints.

• Reliable transportation — 7 am start is consistent.

• Ability to lift 80 lbs unassisted.

You do NOT need:

• Years of experience — we'll train the right mechanically sharp person.

• GibbsCAM specifically — other CAM system experience is acceptable.

• A degree of any kind.

LAD Engineering is a precision CNC machine shop built around one idea: we solve complexity. When engineers need parts that are hard to manufacture — tight tolerances, unusual geometries, materials that fight back — they come to us. We prototype. We go to production. We ship custom parts and assemblies to customers across the United States. ISO 9001:2015 certified.

We're a small team with high standards and a clear direction. The people here give a shit about the work, communicate directly, and hold each other accountable in a way that makes the shop better. We're in the process of building a team and a reputation that will precede us — and every hire right now is part of that foundation.