CNC Programmer (Mill, Lathe & Swiss)
General Matter · Los Angeles, CA
- Level
- Technician
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level manufacturing role at General Matter (industrial) in Los Angeles, CA. Develop, prove out, and optimize CNC programs for 5-axis machining centers, CNC lathes, and Swiss-type lathes with live/driven tooling and sub-spindle operations.
- They ask for
- 5+ years
- Tools it names
- Lean, SMED, GD&T, ISO 9001, AS9100, Robotics
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
How this role compares
Against 77 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Typical (5+ years)
Typical $85k–$123k, from 12 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ CNC 42%
- ✓ Tooling 41%
- ✓ Machining 38%
- Team leadership 37%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for SMED, ISO 9001, AS9100, MES, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at General Matter
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 on the team. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Eric → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: General Matter in Los Angeles
14 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found on the manufacturing team.
- Design Reliability Engineer · Reliability
- Facilities Maintenance Technician · Reliability · Technician
- Process Engineer (New Grad) · Process
- Motor Controls Engineer · Controls
- Automation and Controls Engineer, Manufacturing · Controls
- Materials & Process Engineer · Process
Full description from General MatterAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Key Responsibilities
Develop, prove out, and optimize CNC programs for 5-axis machining centers, CNC lathes, and Swiss-type lathes with live/driven tooling and sub-spindle operations.
Translate engineering models and drawings (GD&T) into manufacturing processes — selecting tooling, work-holding/fixturing, cutting strategies, and machining sequences.
Generate and maintain CAM programs, post-processors, tool libraries, and setup sheets; verify programs through simulation/verification before floor release.
Lead first-article runs and process prove-out; drive cycle-time reduction, tool-life improvement, and scrap reduction without compromising tolerance or surface finish.
Author and maintain process documentation — setup sheets, work instructions, tooling lists — to a standard that supports traceability and repeatability.
Partner with Manufacturing and Quality Engineering on tolerance feasibility, inspection planning, and first-article inspection (FAI / AS9102) requirements.
Support equipment commissioning and capability studies as new machine tools are installed during facility ramp-up.
Mentor machinists and operators on setup, in-process adjustment, and program intent.
Identify and recommend tooling, software, and process improvements to support the transition from prototype to rate production.
Basic
Qualifications
5+ years of CNC programming experience, including hands-on programming of 5-axis milling and Swiss-type lathes with live tooling.
Proficiency with a major CAM package — Mastercam, Esprit, GibbsCAM, or Fusion 360 — including multi-axis and mill-turn modules.
Strong working knowledge of G-code/M-code, control platforms (e.g., Fanuc, Siemens, Citizen/Star/Tsugami Swiss controls), and post-processor behavior.
Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings and apply GD&T.
Demonstrated experience machining precision components in metals such as stainless steels, titanium, aluminum, and/or high-temperature/superalloys.
Practical knowledge of work-holding, fixturing, tooling selection, and feeds/speeds optimization.
Comfort working in a documented quality environment with full part traceability.
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment — NQA-1, AS9100, or ISO 9001 — preferably nuclear, aerospace, or defense.
Experience supporting prototype-to-production transitions or new-facility/equipment commissioning.
Familiarity with mill-turn machining and macro/parametric (custom macro) programming.
Working knowledge of CMM/inspection processes and first-article inspection (FAI).
Exposure to MES/ERP-driven shop-floor systems and digital process documentation.
Lean manufacturing or continuous-improvement experience (cycle-time reduction, SMED, scrap reduction).
Journeyman machinist background or formal machining/CNC technical credential.
Additional
Requirements
- ✓Physical effort including standing, lifting, and carrying equipment up to 50 lbs. unassisted.
- ✓Must be able to work all required shift hours, overtime and/or weekends as needed
qualifications
and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Pay range: $40.00 - $70.00/hour
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About the Company
General Matter enriches uranium.
We are designing, building, and operating the world’s lowest-cost enrichment services, here in the US.
In the process, we are restoring America’s ability to produce nuclear fuel to power AI, advanced manufacturing and critical industries our country relies on to remain competitive.
Fuel drives the cost of advanced reactor electricity production, and enrichment drives the cost of the fuel that advanced reactors consume. Reliable, low-cost enrichment is the catalyst for the nuclear Renaissance now under way.
Our mission is to make nuclear not only the cleanest and safest source of baseload power, but also the most affordable. We believe abundant nuclear energy will lead to a post-scarcity society.
We were incubated inside Founders Fund, like Anduril and Palantir before us, and are backed by over a dozen of the world's top venture capital firms.
Our lean, world-class team of engineers and operators is applying a first-principles approach to solving the problem of nuclear fuel production.
We are a mission-driven company with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency.
Help us build a high-energy society by making the cleanest, safest form of baseload energy the most affordable.
CNC Programmer (Mill, Lathe & Swiss)
General Matter is seeking a highly skilled CNC Programmer with deep expertise in 5-axis milling, CNC turning, and Swiss-type lathes with live tooling. This role is responsible for developing and optimizing machining programs that support the transition from prototype development to scalable production of high-precision components in a regulated manufacturing environment.
The ideal candidate is both highly technical and process-oriented, capable of translating complex engineering designs into robust machining strategies while driving continuous improvement in cycle time, tooling performance, repeatability, and manufacturing scalability.