Lead Machinist
Departments: Engineering
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
About Us
We're on a mission to revolutionize the CAD industry by developing the world's most advanced hardware design infrastructure and tools. Mechanical CAD is in the dark ages, and hardware demands have outpaced today’s hardware design infrastructure. The industry is due for a refresh, and we're laying the foundation for a modern hardware design toolkit so that you can create new design tools never before possible.
We are headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with both a local and remote team. We were founded and incubated by Embedded Ventures in 2021.
About You
We’re looking for curious, innovative, and ambitious self-starters to join our lean and growing team to help us bring our mission to life. We think you’ll thrive on our team if you’re:
- Curious at your core, with an eagerness to learn and do things differently
- Customer-focused, always thinking about ways to improve the user experience
- Able to operate autonomously and work asynchronously, while also being an effective team player
About The Role
As a Lead Machinist at Zoo, you will own day-to-day operations of our machine shop and help build the physical hardware systems that power the future of engineering design. You will lead machining efforts across CNC mills, lathes, prototype equipment, and fabrication tools to produce high-quality parts used in product development, testing, fixtures, and production programs.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives on precision, process improvement, and execution. You will program, set up, machine, inspect, and troubleshoot parts while helping establish shop standards, workflows, and operational excellence. You will work closely with mechanical engineers, software engineers, and leadership to translate digital designs into world-class manufactured components. You will play a critical role in bridging software-driven hardware design with real-world manufacturing.
What You’ll Do
- Oversee daily operations of the machine shop, including scheduling, prioritization, workflow management, and equipment readiness
- Lead machining across CNC mills, CNC lathes, manual mills, manual lathes, and other fabrication equipment
- Set up, program, and operate machines to manufacture precision components, fixtures, prototypes, and production parts
- Interpret engineering drawings, CAD models, GD&T callouts, and technical specifications to produce accurate parts
- Partner closely with engineering teams to review manufacturability, tolerances, materials, and machining strategies
- Develop tooling, fixturing, workholding, and repeatable shop processes that improve throughput and quality
- Inspect finished parts using calipers, micrometers, indicators, CMM tools, or other metrology equipment
- Troubleshoot dimensional issues, machine problems, tooling wear, and process inefficiencies
- Maintain a safe, clean, and highly organized shop environment with strong operational discipline
- Track inventory of tooling, consumables, raw materials, and replacement components
- Support vendor coordination and overflow manufacturing when external shops are needed
- Help hire, train, mentor, and develop future machinists or shop technicians as the team grows
- Drive continuous improvement across cycle times, scrap reduction, uptime, and overall shop capability
What You’ll Need
- 5+ years of machining experience with significant hands-on CNC experience
- Experience leading or supervising a machine shop, production cell, or manufacturing floor
- Strong expertise with CNC mills, lathes, tooling, setups, offsets, feeds, speeds, and machine optimization
- Experience programming using CAM software and editing machine code at the controller
- Ability to read engineering drawings and interpret GD&T and tolerance requirements
- Experience working from CAD models and collaborating with mechanical engineering teams
- Strong inspection and quality control skills using precision measurement tools
- Strong troubleshooting mindset with the ability to solve machining and process challenges quickly
- High attention to detail, craftsmanship, and pride in producing quality hardware
- Ability to balance prototype urgency with production consistency
Nice to Have
- Experience in aerospace, automotive, hardware startup, or precision manufacturing environments
- Experience machining aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, plastics, and specialty materials
- Familiarity with modern CAD/CAM workflows and digital manufacturing systems
- Experience with Haas, Okuma, Mazak, DMG Mori, or similar equipment
- Knowledge of additive manufacturing, fixtures, or hybrid prototyping environments
- Experience building shop processes in a fast-growing startup setting
The salary range for this role is provided below. The final offer will depend on multiple factors including candidate experience, skills, expertise, and market data. Compensation may vary by geography. In addition to salary, we offer competitive equity as well as a full benefits package which may vary by geography as well.
Zoo is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Zoo team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals from across the globe. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, Veteran status, age, or any other trait that unfairly targets a group of people. We encourage everyone interested in our mission to apply!