Jobs and Careers

Lead Lathe Machinist

United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 5 Dec 2025

About the role

About Prototek
Prototek is a leading national provider of digital based manufacturing services including CNC machining, precision sheet metal fabrication, EDM, and additive manufacturing services. Prototek serves a variety of customer end markets, including aerospace, defense, medical, robotics, electronics, consumer, and general industrial. Prototek has manufacturing locations across the United States including facilities in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, California, and Pennsylvania. Prototek is ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D:2016 certified as well as ITAR Registered. For more information, visit www.prototek.com.

Job Summary
The Lead Lathe Machinist works in partnership with the Production Manager to oversee workloads and machining priorities specific to the lathe team. This position provides daily guidance, mentorship, and technical training to lathe machinists, applying strong problem-solving skills to ensure production schedules, quality standards, and departmental goals are consistently met. In addition to leadership responsibilities, the Lead Lathe Machinist actively contributes as a hands-on machinist, utilizing advanced lathe programming, setup, and machining techniques to produce high-precision parts. Success in this role requires clear communication, strong technical expertise, and the ability to positively influence and support team members in a collaborative work environment.

Essential Functions
Lead Responsibilities:

Coordinate daily lathe production needs with the supervisor and help establish machining priorities specific to lathe operations.
Identify and communicate lathe production challenges, successes, and workload status to ensure efficient workflow.
Use sound judgment to make informed decisions related to lathe machining, production schedules, quality, and cost control.
Monitor and assist in overseeing labor data in the ERP system for lathe team members.
Train, coach, and mentor new and existing lathe machinists on department operations, setup procedures, programming, and best practices.
Act as a primary technical resource, providing guidance and solutions to less experienced lathe machinists.
Collaborate with Project Managers to provide accurate time and material estimates for lathe machining in support of quoting.
Work with vendor representatives to maintain lathe tools, chucks, collets, equipment, and supplies.
Research, recommend, and support the purchase of lathe-related tooling and equipment.
Lead and participate in process improvement initiatives focused on increasing efficiency, accuracy, and throughput of lathe machining operations.

Machinist Responsibilities:

Read and interpret prints, specification sheets, and/or 3D files to determine proper lathe program strategy.
Select appropriate lathe machines based on project specifications and requirements.
Open, prepare, and post programs to lathe machines using Surfcam, Mastercam, or similar CAM systems; modify existing programs to optimize cycle times and tool life.
Select and set up proper cutting tools, inserts, and holders needed for turning, boring, threading, and other lathe operations.
Design or recommend custom fixtures and soft jaws for effective work holding.
Calculate cutting speeds, feeds, and depth of cuts specific to lathe operations, considering material type and tooling.
Select, prepare, and stage raw materials for lathe machining jobs.
Set up and operate multiple CNC lathes to complete production and prototype parts per specifications.
Perform dimensional and visual inspections of turned parts using micrometers, calipers, bore gauges, and other precision measuring tools.
Track and record individual labor and machine time in the ERP system.
Collaborate with team members to clarify pr