ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Associate Machine Shop Lead Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

TryApplyNow

Head of Machine Shop

Emeryville, CA · On-site

$150 - $225/hr

Lead the Emeryville Machine Shop Own day‑to‑day shop operations, priorities, staffing, and execution. Build, manage, and develop a strong team of machinists and shop personnel. Create a safe ...

alu

CNC Machinist Lead - 2nd Shift

Santa Ana, CA

$23.76 - $32.68/hr

We are looking for a CNC Machine Shop Lead who will oversee all operations performed by the personnel under their supervision. Job Requirements: * Work safe and maintain an organized, lean work ...

Joby Aviation

Reactive Shop Coordinator

Santa Cruz, CA

$30 - $44/hr

Will also be responsible for equipment maintenance schedule and repair, as well as material and tool inventory, working under the direction of the machine shop lead. Responsibilities * Assists ...

Joby Aviation

Reactive Shop Coordinator

Santa Cruz, CA · On-site

$30 - $44/hr

Will also be responsible for equipment maintenance schedule and repair, as well as material and tool inventory, working under the direction of the machine shop lead. Responsibilities * Assists ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsAssociate Machine Shop Lead JobsAssociate Machine Shop Lead Jobs in California

Associate Machine Shop Lead information

What is the difference between Associate Machine Shop Lead vs Machine Shop Technician?

AspectAssociate Machine Shop LeadMachine Shop Technician
CredentialsHigh school diploma or equivalent; some certifications preferredHigh school diploma or equivalent; technical certifications often required
Work EnvironmentLead role in a machine shop, overseeing operationsHands-on work in machining and equipment maintenance
Employer UsageSupervises and coordinates shop activitiesPerforms machining tasks and equipment troubleshooting
Common Search IntentLeadership, oversight, and coordinationTechnical skills, machining, and maintenance

The Associate Machine Shop Lead typically oversees shop operations, coordinating team activities and ensuring quality. In contrast, the Machine Shop Technician focuses on hands-on machining, equipment maintenance, and technical tasks. Both roles require technical skills and certifications, but the lead position emphasizes supervision and coordination, while the technician role emphasizes technical proficiency and operational support.

What are the most commonly searched types of Machine Shop Lead jobs in California? The most popular types of Machine Shop Lead jobs in California are:
Associate Machine Shop Lead jobs near you
Senior Manager, Machine Shop

Senior Manager, Machine Shop

Atomic Machines

Emeryville, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 16 days ago

Job description

Atomic Machines is ushering in a new era of micromanufacturing with its Matter Compiler™ technology platform. This platform enables new classes of micromachines to be designed and built by providing manufacturing processes and a materials library that are inaccessible to semiconductor manufacturing methods. It unlocks MEMS manufacturing not only for device classes that could never be produced by semiconductor methods, but also for entirely new categories. Furthermore, this digital platform is fully programmable in the way 3D printing is digital-but whereas 3D printing produces parts of a single material using a single process, the Matter Compiler™ technology platform is a multi-process, multi-material system: bits and raw materials go in, and complete, functional micromachines come out. The Atomic Machines team has also created an exciting first device-made possible only through the Matter Compiler™ technology platform-that we will be unveiling to the world soon.
Our offices are in Emeryville and Santa Clara, California.
About the role
The Senior Manager, Machine Shop is accountable for building, scaling, and continuously improving Atomic Machines' prototype machining capability as a strategic engineering asset. This role owns the shop operating model, leadership structure, safety and compliance system, capacity planning, capital roadmap, vendor strategy, and cross-site coordination required to support rapid hardware iteration. The Director should be technically credible with machining, CAM, DFM, metrology, and fabrication processes, but the primary expectation is organizational leadership, systems design, budget ownership, and executive-level communication - not default hands-on machining.
What You'll Do
  • Lead the Emeryville Machine Shop
    • Own day-to-day shop operations, priorities, staffing, and execution.
    • Build, manage, and develop a strong team of machinists and shop personnel.
    • Create a safe, organized, high-quality prototype shop environment.
    • Partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Facilities, Safety, Finance, and leadership.

  • Build the Systems to Run the Shop
    • Put clear systems in place for job intake, planning, scheduling, execution, and real-time communication.
    • Create metrics and forecasting tools to understand capacity, demand, throughput, quality, and bottlenecks.
    • Use data to make trade-offs, set priorities, and communicate shop performance.
    • Standardize workflows across machining, CAM, inspection, tooling, inventory, maintenance, and vendor work.

  • Improve Shop Capability and Throughput
    • Visualize how the shop should operate and identify layout, process, staffing, and equipment improvements.
    • Improve turnaround time, quality, reliability, and engineering support.
    • Decide when work should be done in-house versus outsourced based on urgency, capability, cost, and risk.
    • Plan for future shop growth, including tools, equipment, staffing, and capital needs.

  • Institutionalize DFM and Technical Quality
    • Build a culture where machinists and engineers work together early and regularly on DFM.
    • Create lightweight DFM processes that improve designs without slowing down the shop.
    • Ensure the team understands machining risk, GD&T, inspection strategy, workholding, and manufacturability.
    • Capture lessons learned and turn them into standards, templates, and training for the shop.

  • Develop People and Culture
    • Hire, coach, and develop machinists and shop leaders.
    • Set clear expectations, provide feedback, and hold the team accountable.
    • Build a culture of ownership, craftsmanship, safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
    • Make sure the shop operates as a high-quality internal prototype shop, not a transactional job shop.

What You'll Need
  • 10+ years in machining, prototype manufacturing, or advanced hardware operations, including 5+ years leading teams or managers in a technical shop environment.
  • Demonstrated experience scaling a prototype shop, production-adjacent manufacturing function, or technical operations group through systems, staffing, and capital planning.
  • Technical credibility across CNC machining, CAM, tooling, DFM, GD&T, metrology, fabrication, post-processing, and maintenance programs.
  • Experience owning operating metrics, budgets, equipment procurement, vendor strategy, and cross-functional execution with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, Facilities, and Safety.
  • Ability to communicate from shop floor detail to executive-level strategy, including written business cases and operational reviews.
  • Strong people leadership: hiring, performance management, coaching, succession planning, conflict resolution, and culture building.
  • Deep people-management experience, including handling underperformance, developing leads/managers, creating accountability systems, resolving conflict, and building trust across technical teams.
  • Proven experience operating or scaling a high-quality prototype shop or advanced R&D manufacturing environment, not only a transactional job shop.
  • Demonstrated ability to institutionalize DFM and engineer-shop collaboration across a team without creating meeting overload or slowing urgent prototype work.
  • Executive maturity and experience communicating with VP+ level leadership
  • Education in engineering, manufacturing, machining, or a related technical discipline preferred; equivalent experience considered.

The compensation for this position also includes equity and benefits.
Salary Range
$150,000-$225,000 USD

Apply