VP of Machine Shop Operations
manufacturing › Machine Shop · E1 — E1 — Director (Executive) · Executive
Executive responsible for the strategy, performance, and capital investment of all CNC machining and robotic manufacturing operations across the organization.
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What this role is
Executive responsible for the strategy, performance, and capital investment of all CNC machining and robotic manufacturing operations across the organization. At the Director (Executive) (E1) level, the role owns a significant function with strategic authority, strategic and cross-functional, and drives function-wide enterprise impact. Executive leadership of a function.
What this level does
- Leads the complete machine shop function through machining managers/directors, owning shop-wide throughput, tolerance capability, tooling inventory strategy, and on-time delivery of machined parts against production plans
- Sets the standard for CNC/G-code programming practice, fixture design, and speeds-and-feeds optimization across the shop, and mandates continuous-improvement disciplines (lean manufacturing, Six Sigma) as the operating method
- Serves as the ultimate technical escalation authority for the shop — accountable when tolerances are tight, materials are challenging, or production problems threaten committed schedules
- Interfaces with R&D, manufacturing, and fixture-design engineering leadership to translate part specifications and design feedback into manufacturable machining processes
- Owns capital and tooling budgets for the machining sub-function and defends machine-utilization, scrap-rate, and quality-inspection performance to the broader manufacturing organization
- Knowledge applied
- Applies deep machining knowledge — CNC/G-code programming, tooling and fixture design, speeds/feeds, material behavior, and inspection — as functional strategy for a complete machine shop, backed by detailed knowledge of the shop's and company's operations.
- Complexity & problem solving
- Owns functional machining strategy and the shop's hardest process problems; is the final escalation point when tolerances are tight, materials are difficult, or production problems arise, with serious functional and business consequences for delivery.
- Collaboration & interaction
- Interfaces with other executives and major customers, and partners with R&D, manufacturing, and fixture-design engineering leadership on process improvements and design feedback.
- Typical experience
- 12–15+ years across machining and manufacturing leadership, reflecting the 8–10+ year path to expert-level machining plus management experience running shop operations.
Skills at this level
- CNC/CAM Machining Strategy
- — Sets enterprise-level standards for generating and optimizing G-code via CAD/CAM software, governing speeds and feeds, tooling, work holding, and material behavior so machined parts meet spec across shops.
- Fixture and Tooling Portfolio Management
- — Directs tooling-inventory and fixture-design strategy and capital investment across the machining function, ensuring the right cutting tools and work holding are available to hold tight tolerances at scale.
- Manufacturing Process Ownership
- — Owns the machining process chain from blueprint/CAD interpretation through setup, machining, and inspection at the shop or network level, shifting scope from individual machines to the whole process.
- Lean and Six Sigma Program Leadership
- — Institutionalizes continuous-improvement techniques such as lean manufacturing and Six Sigma across machining operations to reset cost, cycle-time, and quality baselines.
- Tolerance and Quality Governance
- — Governs inspection and quality-control systems that verify machined parts meet specifications, using CAPA-driven root-cause analysis to prevent recurrence of tolerance and defect problems.
- Cross-Functional Engineering Collaboration
- — Leads the interface with R&D, manufacturing, and fixture-design engineering teams on troubleshooting, process improvement, and design feedback to keep parts manufacturable.
- Machining Talent Development
- — Builds the machinist and machining-leadership pipeline, accounting for the multi-year apprenticeship and 8–10+ year path to expert level and the transition of experienced machinists into leadership and technical-support roles.
- Manufacturing Capital and Footprint Strategy
- — Allocates multi-year capital for machine tools, automation, and shop network footprint, and makes make-vs-buy and capacity decisions that affect manufacturing competitiveness.
- Executive Stakeholder and Board Engagement
- — Represents machining and manufacturing capability to major customers, boards, investors, and industry partners on precision, quality, continuity, and delivery commitments.
- Precision Machining Technical Judgment
- — Applies detail-focused technical judgment — grounded in blueprint reading, applied machining mathematics, and material knowledge — as the ultimate escalation authority on the shop's hardest machining problems.
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As of · 2026-07-30
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