CNC Programmer

About the role

• Department
• Machine Shop / Operations
• Reports To
• Machine Shop Manager or Production Manager
• FLSA Status
• TBD
• Location
• Port Arthur / Machine Shop
• Document Type

About the role

• Status
• Draft for Review
• Prepared By
• Human Resources

Position Summary

The CNC Programmer owns CNC programming, setup support, machining method development, and controlled release of accurate programs to the machine shop. This role helps convert drawings, reverse-engineered components, repair requirements, and production priorities into safe, repeatable, and efficient CNC machining processes that support quality, throughput, and on-time delivery.

Primary Responsibilities

• Create, revise, and maintain CNC programs for assigned machines, parts, repair scopes, and production work orders.
• Review drawings, models, reverse-engineering data, specifications, tolerances, materials, and work-order requirements before programming or releasing work.
• Develop machining methods, tooling approaches, fixture needs, setup sheets, and program notes that support safe and repeatable execution.
• Support CNC machinists during setup, first-piece prove-out, troubleshooting, offsets, tooling questions, and process adjustments.
• Partner with Engineering, Reverse Engineering, Quality, Planning, and shop leadership to resolve drawing, tolerance, material, or manufacturability issues.
• Maintain controlled program files, revision history, setup documentation, and programming standards to prevent outdated or incorrect program use.
• Identify opportunities to reduce cycle time, rework, scrap, setup delays, and machining variation while protecting quality and safety requirements.

Decision Rights / Authority

• May hold program release when drawing, model, material, tolerance, tooling, fixture, or work-order information is incomplete or inconsistent.
• May request clarification from Engineering, Reverse Engineering, Quality, Planning, or shop leadership before program release or setup execution.
• May recommend machining method changes, tooling changes, fixture needs, or process improvements to improve quality, safety, cycle time, or repeatability.
• Does not independently approve drawing changes, customer specification changes, quality acceptance deviations, material substitutions, or major schedule/customer-commitment changes outside defined authority.

Handoff Responsibilities

• Receives drawings, models, reverse-engineering data, repair scopes, material information, and work-order requirements from Engineering, RE, Planning, or shop leadership.
• Confirms that CNC programs, setup sheets, tooling requirements, fixture notes, inspection checkpoints, and revision information are complete before release to the floor.
• Hands released programs and setup documentation to CNC machinists or shop leadership with clear machine, setup, tooling, tolerance, and first-piece expectations.
• Escalates unclear drawings, missing models, tolerance conflicts, tooling gaps, fixture issues, or manufacturability risks before the work reaches late-stage execution.
• Documents programming changes, recurring setup issues, and process lessons learned to support training, standard work, and future repeatability.

Communication Ownership

• Owns communication related to CNC program readiness, programming status, setup documentation, revision control, and machining-method questions.
• Keeps Machine Shop leadership, CNC machinists, Engineering, RE, Quality, and Planning informed when programming issues may affect quality, schedule, or OTD risk.
• Communicates drawing, model, tolerance, tooling, fixture, or manufacturability conflicts before release to machining.
• Provides clear status visibility on program completion, prove-out needs, setup support requirements, and recurring programming defects.

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Strong CNC programming knowledge, including machining strategy, toolpath development, tooling selection, offsets, feeds and speeds, and setup documentation.
• Ability to read and interpret drawings, tolerances, GD&T, material requirements, reverse-engineering data, and inspection requirements.
• Understanding of machine shop workflow, work orders, routing, quality controls, first-piece prove-out, and program revision control.
• Strong communication and troubleshooting skills with CNC machinists, Engineering, RE, Quality, Planning, and shop leadership.

Success Measures / KPIs

• Accurate CNC program release with complete setup documentation and revision control.
• Reduced setup delays, program defects, rework, scrap, and machining variation caused by programming or handoff issues.
• Improved first-piece prove-out success, cycle-time consistency, and repeatable machining performance.
• Clear visibility to programming status, programming constraints, and CNC-related OTD risks.
• Stronger standard work, training support, and continuous improvement in CNC machining methods.

Additional information

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. KSB makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

We value employees who take the initiative and are committed to our company; Employees who take responsibility and for whom business success is the focus of their actions. In return, we offer fair framework conditions for collective wages and pensions, flexible working time models, individual training opportunities and the best career prospects.