Hands-on CNC mill leadership role at Cate Machine & Welding in Belleville, Wisconsin

About Cate Machine & Welding

Cate Machine & Welding is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturing job shop in Belleville, Wisconsin. Founded in 1970 as a repair shop, we have grown into a full-service manufacturing partner offering CNC machining, welding, fabrication, laser cutting, forming, powder coating, assembly, quality control, and repair services. We believe manufacturing is critical to society and to the quality of life people enjoy. Our goal is to manufacture products the right way, exceed customer expectations, and give customers confidence that they chose the right solution.

We also believe a career should support a person’s lifestyle goals, not work against them. We value quality work, practical problem-solving, clear communication, continual learning, and coworkers who take pride in keeping customers running.

Job Summary

We are hiring a Working Lead CNC Mill Machinist to help lead daily activity in our machine shop while staying actively involved in hands-on machining work. This role is ideal for a skilled CNC mill setup machinist who can program in Fusion 360, set up and prove out jobs, troubleshoot issues at the machine, and help other machinists complete work safely, accurately, and efficiently.

This is not a desk-only supervisory role. The right person will lead by example, spend significant time on the shop floor, and help connect production, quality, estimating, shipping, and management so jobs move through the shop with fewer delays and better communication.

What You’ll Do

· Serve as a working lead in the machine shop, with a strong focus on direct labor and hands-on shop-floor support.

· Program, set up, prove out, and troubleshoot CNC mill jobs, with support for lathe work as needed.

· Use Fusion 360 to create, review, adjust, and improve CNC programs and machining strategies.

· Prepare workholding, tooling, offsets, fixturing, jaws, and setup documentation for CNC mill jobs.

· Safely prove out new or revised programs by checking tool clearances, fixture locations, speeds and feeds, part accuracy, and repeatability.

· Act as a technical resource for machinists and operators when setup, machining, tooling, or process questions come up.

· Review prints, travelers, work orders, setup sheets, tool sheets, and routing requirements before and during production.

· Coordinate with quality, production, estimating, shipping, and management to make sure jobs are ready, accurate, and properly handed off.

· Help move materials, parts, setup carts, tooling, fixturing, WIP, and completed jobs through the shop.

· Participate in project handoff conversations and help turn job information into successful shop-floor execution.

· Promote safe work practices, good housekeeping, accurate documentation, and continuous improvement.

What We’re Looking For

· Strong CNC mill setup experience, including tooling, workholding, offsets, fixtures, jaws, and first-part prove-out.

· Proficiency programming CNC mills in Fusion 360.

· Ability to read and interpret prints, tolerances, job travelers, setup sheets, tool sheets, and inspection requirements.

· Strong understanding of CNC machining fundamentals, including speeds and feeds, tool life, work offsets, tool offsets, G-code concepts, and troubleshooting.

· Ability to inspect parts at the machine using calipers, micrometers, indicators, gauges, and related precision measuring tools.

· Experience identifying and correcting setup, tooling, programming, workholding, and quality issues.

· Clear communication with machinists, operators, quality, estimating, shipping, and management.

· A lead-by-example mindset and willingness to remain heavily involved in hands-on production work.

Helpful Experience

· Experience in a job shop or high-mix machining environment.

· Experience with both CNC mills and CNC lathes, with stronger expertise on mills.

· Prior experience as a lead machinist, setup lead, shop lead, or working supervisor.

· Experience improving setup sheets, tool sheets, process documentation, and repeat job performance.

· Familiarity with quality systems, first-part approval, in-process inspection, and documenting process changes.

What Success Looks Like

· Jobs are set up, proven out, and handed off with fewer preventable delays.

· Machinists have clearer answers, better setup information, and stronger technical support on the floor.

· Programs, tooling, fixtures, and documentation improve over time so repeat jobs run more consistently.

· Materials, WIP, finished parts, tooling, and fixturing move through the shop in an organized way.

· Safety, housekeeping, quality, and communication remain strong during busy production work.

Job Setup and Closeout Responsibilities

Before setup begins, you’ll help make sure the job is ready to run.

Before Setup Begins

· Verify the correct revision level, print, traveler, and job documentation are available.

· Confirm stock material is ready and available for the scheduled job.

· Verify CNC programs, setup sheets, tool sheets, and related instructions are accurate, easy to find, and easy to follow.

· Confirm deburring, secondary processing, and special handling requirements are understood.

· Verify required tools, holders, inserts, fixtures, jaws, gauges, and secondary processing tools are ready before the machine is tied up for setup.

· Help gather bins, boxes, pallets, carts, and handling items needed for WIP or finished parts.

· Move required material, tooling, fixturing, documentation, and supplies to the machine before setup begins.

During setup and production, you’ll help ensure the job is proven out correctly, quality requirements are understood, and process changes are communicated and documented.

After the Job Is Complete

· Remove tools from the machine unless they are scheduled and clearly communicated for the next job.

· Confirm whether program, setup, tooling, fixturing, or secondary processing changes were made during production.

· Communicate needed program or process updates so repeat jobs can be run consistently in the future.

· Remove fixturing, jaws, workholding, and unused tooling from the machine.

· Move finished parts to the next operation with the traveler, print, and required documentation.

· Return QC sheets, setup sheets, documentation, fixturing, jaws, tooling, holders, and collets to the proper location.

· Leave the machine, work area, carts, and related supplies organized and ready for the next job.

Why Join Cate Machine & Welding?

You’ll join a family-owned company with deep roots in repair work, manufacturing, and practical problem-solving. Our team takes pride in doing work the right way, learning continuously, investing in equipment and training, and helping customers solve real manufacturing challenges. We offer benefits including Simple IRA matching, health, vision, and dental insurance, PTO, on-the-job training, and opportunities to grow through apprenticeship and career development.

Job Details

· Job Type: Full-time

· Location: Belleville, Wisconsin

· Work Setting: In-person manufacturing job shop environment

· Primary Focus: CNC mill setup, Fusion 360 programming, job prove-out, and shop-floor leadership

· Benefits: Simple IRA matching, health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, PTO, on-the-job training, and career growth opportunities

How to Apply

If this sounds like a good fit, please submit your resume or work history. Be sure to highlight your CNC mill setup experience, Fusion 360 programming experience, leadership or mentoring experience, and examples of successful job prove-outs or process improvements.

Pay: From $28.00 per hour

Benefits:

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

Work Location: In person