Skilled Trades

Senior LevelMachinist Resume Example

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Machinist Resume Template (senior level)

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Professional Summary

Senior Lead Machinist with 12 years of precision CNC experience across aerospace and medical work. Leads a multi-machine cell, programs 5-axis, owns PPAP and first-article, and trains apprentices.

Professional Experience

Lead MachinistFeb 2020 - Present
Apex Aerospace Machining, Wichita, KS
  • Led a 6-machine CNC cell, scheduling jobs and first-articles and raising on-time delivery from 88% to 97%.
  • Programmed and ran 5-axis milling on a Mazak for titanium and Inconel parts to profile tolerance within 0.001 inch.
  • Completed first-article inspections and PPAP submissions for 12 new part numbers with first-submission approval each time.
CNC MachinistJun 2015 - Jan 2020
Meridian Medical Components, Denver, CO
  • Set up and ran Swiss-type CNC lathes producing medical micro-components to plus or minus 0.0002 inch with full lot traceability.
  • Cut scrap from 5% to 1.2% on a stainless-valve run by dialing in coolant, tool wear, and in-process gauging.
  • Wrote setup sheets and tool lists for 15 recurring part numbers, reducing operator changeover time by a third.
CNC MachinistJul 2013 - May 2015
Summit Gear & Machine, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Completed full 3- and 4-axis setups from blueprint to first-article across high-mix aluminum and steel work.
  • Held tolerances to plus or minus 0.0001 inch on ground components, verifying with a CMM and gage blocks.
  • Led a 5S initiative that reduced average tool-search time from 10 minutes to under 2 per setup.

Skills

Lead / Cell Supervision, 5-Axis CNC Programming, PPAP & First-Article, GD&T, CMM Inspection, Tooling & Setup Sheets, Lean / 5S, Apprentice Training

Education

Registered Machinist Apprenticeship (DOL, 4-Year)May 2013
Grand Rapids Community College

Certifications

  • NIMS Certified - Milling, Turning & CNC Programming
  • NIMS Certified - CMM & Metrology
  • AS9100 Awareness Training
  • Lean Manufacturing / 5S Certification

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Key Skills for Machinist

Lead / Cell Supervision5-Axis CNC ProgrammingPPAP & First-ArticleGD&TCMM InspectionTooling & Setup SheetsLean / 5SApprentice Training

ATS Keywords for Machinist

Use these naturally in your summary, skills, and experience when they reflect your background.

Machinistlead machinist5-axis CNCMastercamPPAPfirst-article inspectionGD&TCMMLean5Sapprentice trainingAS9100

How to Write a Senior Level Machinist Resume

At the senior level, a machinist resume must prove leadership beyond your own spindle: a cell you lead, 5-axis work you program, PPAP and first-article you own, apprentices you train, and Lean improvements you drive. Show you raise the whole floor's quality, delivery, and throughput, not just the parts on your machine.

Resume Writing Tips

Lead with cell and delivery metrics

Describe the cell or team you lead, the number of machines, and an on-time-delivery or throughput gain, since senior work is judged by how the whole floor performs, not one spindle.

Show quality-system ownership

Feature first-article, PPAP, and control-plan work with first-submission approval rates, and any AS9100 or ISO 13485 context, to prove you own quality at the system level.

Quantify training and Lean impact

State how many apprentices you trained and a Lean or 5S result, like reduced setup or tool-search time, framing yourself as a leader who makes the shop faster and more capable.

Skills to Highlight

Lead / Cell Supervision

Detail how you schedule jobs, prioritize first-articles, and support operators across a multi-machine cell, and the delivery or throughput outcome that resulted.

5-Axis CNC Programming

Describe complex multi-axis parts you programmed and proved out, the materials and tolerances, and how you reduced proveout time or scrap on new work.

PPAP & First-Article

Cite first-article and PPAP submissions you own, the documentation standard, and your first-submission approval rate, showing you drive customer quality approval.

Lean / 5S

Explain a Lean or 5S initiative you led across the shop and the setup-time, tool-search, or scrap reduction it produced once the team adopted it.

Common Questions

How do I position myself for a lead or shop-supervisor role?

Demonstrate scope beyond your machine: a cell you lead, setup sheets and control plans you write, first-article and PPAP you own, apprentices you train, and delivery metrics you moved. Frame these as leadership competencies already in practice, since shops promote machinists who visibly raise floor-wide quality and throughput rather than only running their own parts well.

Do I still need hands-on machining bullets at this level?

Yes. Include recent 5-axis or tight-tolerance work you programmed and ran so you read as technically current and credible, then weight the rest toward leadership. Senior and lead roles expect both hands-on mastery and the ability to improve the team's setups, quality systems, and delivery, so show you still cut chips while you lead.

How do I highlight quality and Lean credentials?

Feature AS9100 or ISO 13485 experience, PPAP and first-article ownership, and any Lean or 5S certification near the top, and tie each to a result, such as first-submission PPAP approval or reduced setup time. Employers screen senior machinists for quality-system and continuous-improvement leadership, so connect the credential to a floor-level outcome rather than listing it alone.

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