Machine Shop Manager (Defense Manufacturing)

Location: Huntington Beach, California, United States; onsite machine shop operations

Salary: $140,000–$160,000 USD per year, plus performance incentives and equity eligibility.

Company

Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology startup developing autonomous defense platforms and scalable manufacturing capabilities for the United States and its allies.

What you will do

• Lead machinists, CNC programmers, and manufacturing technicians through hiring, onboarding, training, cross-training, and performance management.
• Own daily shop scheduling, staffing, resource allocation, delivery commitments, and risk escalation.
• Oversee CNC milling, turning, multi-axis machining, and supporting fabrication for engineering development and production.
• Maintain equipment readiness, preventive maintenance, tooling, workholding, setup documentation, material availability, and inspection support.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, and Automation on troubleshooting, manufacturability, corrective actions, equipment commissioning, and production transitions.
• Improve safety, traceability, quality, throughput, setup time, first-pass yield, scrap, rework, and equipment downtime.

Requirements

• 7+ years of CNC machining or precision machine shop operations experience, including 3+ years leading shop-floor teams.
• Hands-on CNC milling and turning experience, including complex multi-axis or mill-turn machining.
• Strong knowledge of cutting parameters, tooling, workholding, setup strategy, tool life, and machining troubleshooting.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and technical specifications.
• Experience with prototype development, production manufacturing, inspection methods, in-process quality controls, and nonconforming hardware.
• Must meet applicable U.S. export-control requirements and be authorized to work in the United States; ITAR eligibility or required authorization is required.

Nice to have

• Experience building or scaling a machine shop in a high-growth, high-mix, or development-focused environment.
• Experience with DMG MORI, Okuma, Mazak, Haas, five-axis, or mill-turn equipment.
• Experience machining titanium, stainless steel, nickel-based superalloys, and aluminum.
• Familiarity with MES, ERP, digital shop-floor scheduling, Manufacturo, automated machine tending, tool presetting, probing, or CAM verification.

Culture & Benefits

• Extended hours and weekends may be required as needed.
• Performance-based incentives and equity participation.
• Healthcare, dental, vision, retirement savings, and paid time off.
• Funding for continuing education, training, and career development.