Senior CNC Applications Lead, 5-Axis Machining

Location: Scarborough, Ontario
Positions Available: 2 to 3
Travel: Occasional travel to the United States for customer meetings

About the Opportunity

We are seeking 2 to 3 experienced Senior CNC Applications Leads specializing in five-axis precision machining to support complex manufacturing projects and strengthen our technical engagement with customers.

This is a hands-on, customer-facing technical leadership opportunity for an experienced machining professional who can translate intricate engineering designs into practical, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing solutions.

You will work directly with customers and their engineering teams to review CAD models, engineering drawings, and challenging component requirements. You will identify manufacturing risks, recommend design improvements, and explain how components can be machined, inspected, and produced successfully.

Our focus is on intricate, small-to-medium precision components requiring advanced five-axis CNC machining. The ideal candidate combines deep practical machining experience with robust CAM programming, design for manufacturability (DFM), and customer communication skills.

This role is suited to a senior CNC programmer, machining applications specialist, manufacturing engineer, or technical lead who enjoys solving complex manufacturing challenges, influencing component design, and taking ownership of projects from initial drawing review through successful first-article inspection.

Key Responsibilities1. CNC Applications and Machining Process Development

- Review customer CAD models, engineering drawings, technical specifications, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T;) requirements to assess manufacturability.
- Develop machining strategies for intricate precision components using advanced five-axis CNC machining.
- Determine machining sequences, setups, workholding and fixturing requirements, tooling selections, and cutting strategies.
- Develop, simulate, verify, and optimize CAM programs to support successful machine prove-out and production readiness.
- Personally contribute to programming, setup planning, and prove-out of complex five-axis components.
- Troubleshoot machining challenges involving tool access, part distortion, vibration, material removal, surface finish, dimensional accuracy, and repeatability.
- Support components through first-article inspection and resolve manufacturing issues before production release.
- Collaborate with CNC programmers, machinists, manufacturing engineers, and quality personnel to establish reliable, repeatable manufacturing processes.

2. Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

- Lead technical reviews of customer designs to identify manufacturing challenges, cost drivers, and opportunities for improvement.
- Recommend practical design changes involving internal radii, deep pockets, thin walls, tool accessibility, tolerances, datums, surface finishes, and workholding.
- Explain the manufacturing implications of design changes while preserving functional and performance requirements.
- Evaluate alternative manufacturing approaches to balance precision, quality, machining complexity,



lead time, and cost.
- Identify opportunities to reduce setup time, cycle time, tooling costs, inspection complexity, and scrap risk.
- Document DFM recommendations, including the rationale, expected benefits, and potential trade-offs.
- Work collaboratively with customer engineering teams to resolve design challenges before production begins.

3. Customer Technical Engagement

- Represent the organization's machining expertise during customer design reviews, manufacturing discussions, and new product introduction meetings.
- Travel to customer sites in the United States as required to review components, discuss manufacturing challenges, and recommend appropriate production approaches.
- Lead technical discussions with customer design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and other stakeholders.
- Ask informed questions, clarify design intent, and constructively challenge requirements that introduce unnecessary manufacturing complexity or risk.
- Clearly explain machining strategies, manufacturing limitations, inspection requirements, and design recommendations to technical and commercial audiences.
- Build customer confidence through sound technical judgment, practical recommendations, and professional communication.

4. Quoting, Cost Analysis and New Product Introduction

- Support estimating and quoting by evaluating machining complexity, setup requirements, cycle times, tooling costs, material considerations, and inspection requirements.
- Identify cost, lead-time, and scrap-risk drivers during the initial drawing review.
- Recommend appropriate manufacturing approaches for prototypes, first articles, and repeat production quantities.
- Collaborate with estimating, engineering, operations, and quality teams to assess project feasibility and establish realistic manufacturing plans.
- Provide technical input to ensure quoted manufacturing approaches are practical, achievable, and commercially competitive.
- Support new product introduction from initial drawing review through successful first production runs.

5. Technical Leadership and Continuous Improvement

- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to CNC programmers, machinists, and other team members.
- Share machining best practices and strengthen internal programming and manufacturing capabilities.
- Establish and maintain clear documentation of machining strategies, DFM recommendations, and process decisions.
- Identify opportunities to improve programming methods, tooling strategies, process consistency, and manufacturing efficiency.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance quality, productivity, and manufacturing reliability.
- Help establish consistent technical standards for complex five-axis machining projects.

Qualifications and Experience





- Approximately 10 or more years of hands-on experience in precision CNC machining, advanced manufacturing, machining applications, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience programming, setting up, and proving out complex five-axis CNC-machined components.
- Proven ability to take challenging components from engineering drawing review through programming, machining, troubleshooting, and first-article inspection.
- Strong understanding of engineering drawings, GD&T;, datum structures, tolerances, surface finishes, and inspection methods.
- Practical knowledge of DFM principles and the ability to recommend changes that improve manufacturability, cost, quality, or lead time.
- Strong CAM programming capability, with Mastercam preferred. Experience with hyperMILL, Siemens NX, or comparable CAM systems will also be considered.
- Experience with Fanuc and/or Heidenhain CNC controls.
- Familiarity with advanced five-axis machine tools, ideally including DMG MORI and/or Matsuura equipment.
- Strong knowledge of tooling selection, workholding, fixturing, cutting parameters, machining sequences, and process optimization.
- Experience supporting cost estimation, quoting, prototype development, or new product introduction is an asset.
- Excellent communication skills and confidence leading technical discussions with customers and engineering teams.
- Willingness and ability to travel to the United States for customer meetings as required.

Education and Technical Background

A degree or diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, CNC Machining, or a related technical field is an asset.

Candidates with a skilled-trades background and extensive, demonstrable five-axis machining expertise are equally encouraged to apply. Practical machining capability, CAM proficiency, problem-solving skills, and customer communication are more important than academic credentials alone.

What Success Looks Like

- Independently evaluating complex components and determining an effective manufacturing approach.
- Successfully programming and proving out challenging five-axis components.
- Identifying design improvements that reduce machining time, cost, and manufacturing risk.
- Leading customer design reviews with technical credibility, confidence, and professionalism.
- Establishing reliable manufacturing processes that meet demanding quality and dimensional requirements.
- Supporting accurate, competitive quotations and successful new product introduction.
- Strengthening internal machining capabilities through technical leadership and knowledge sharing.

Pay: $85,000.00-$95,000.00 per year

Application question(s):

- How many years of hands-on experience do you have programming and proving out 5-axis CNC-machined components?
- Which CAM software have you used professionally?
- Have you personally programmed, set up, and proved out complex 5-axis components?
- Which CNC controls have you worked with?
- Have you worked with advanced 5-axis machines such as DMG MORI or Matsuura?
- Are you comfortable participating in technical design reviews directly with customers and their engineering teams?

Work Location: In person

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