Machinist Job Description: Template, Duties, Skills & Pay (2026)
A machinist sets up and operates machine tools — CNC mills and lathes, manual lathes, grinders, EDM — to cut precision metal parts to a print, typically to tolerances of a few thousandths of an inch. This page has a copy-paste machinist job description template (CNC and manual variants), the skills that actually separate candidates, and what machinist applicants cost on social media, from Boostpoint's manufacturing campaigns.
What a machinist does
A machinist turns a drawing into a part. The CNC version of the job is reading a print and a program, setting up fixtures and tooling, proving out the first piece, checking it with micrometers, calipers and CMM, and adjusting offsets to hold tolerance across the run. The manual version is the same problem solved by hand on a Bridgeport or an engine lathe, and it's the skill that keeps job shops and maintenance departments running. Most shops want someone who can do both, and most postings don't say which they need.
The BLS counts about 299,500 machinists with flat projected growth and roughly 29,500 openings a year — almost all replacement, as an older workforce retires faster than apprenticeships refill it. Fabricated metal product manufacturing employs a third of them, machinery manufacturing a fifth. It is one of the few frontline roles where the shortage is real and the applicant pool is small, which makes every unnecessary requirement in a posting expensive.
Machinist job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and cut anything that doesn't apply. It's written the way applicants read — pay, schedule and location first — because those are the three things people screen on before they read a duty list.
Job title
[CNC] Machinist — [1st / 2nd / Weekend] Shift, [Job Shop / Production]
Summary
[Company] is hiring a [CNC / manual / CNC and manual] machinist for [shift] at our [job shop / production facility] in [city, state]. Pay is $[XX.XX]–$[XX.XX]/hour based on skill, [+ $X.XX shift differential], with overtime available. You'll run [Haas / Mazak / DMG Mori / Okuma] [mills / lathes / mill-turn] on [prototype and short-run / high-volume] work in [aerospace / medical / automotive / general industrial] parts. [Climate-controlled shop, tools provided.]
Responsibilities
- Read blueprints, GD&T and work orders; plan setups and select tooling
- Set up and operate [CNC mills / lathes / manual equipment]; load programs and prove out first articles
- Inspect parts with micrometers, calipers, gauges and [CMM]; hold tolerances to [±0.0005"]
- Adjust offsets, speeds and feeds to maintain quality and cycle time
- Perform basic program edits at the control [and/or write programs in Mastercam/Fusion]
- Deburr, finish and document parts; complete inspection records
- Maintain equipment and keep the work area clean and safe
Requirements
- [2+] years of machining experience in a [job shop / production] environment, or completion of a machining program or apprenticeship
- Able to read and interpret blueprints and GD&T
- Proficient with precision measuring instruments
- Basic G-code understanding; able to edit at the control
- Able to lift [50] lbs and stand for the shift
- Reliable attendance on [shift]
Preferred
- [Fanuc / Haas / Mazatrol / Siemens] control experience
- CAM programming ([Mastercam / Fusion 360 / Esprit])
- 5-axis or mill-turn experience
- NIMS credentials or journeyman card
- Experience with [aerospace / medical / ITAR] quality requirements
Schedule and pay
- $[XX.XX]–$[XX.XX]/hour depending on skill level; [+$X.XX] differential for [2nd / weekend] shift
- [4x10 / 5x8 / weekend 3x12] schedule; overtime available
- [Skill-based pay progression with defined levels]
Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision after [30/60] days
- [401(k) with X% match]
- Paid time off and [X] holidays
- [Tool allowance / PPE provided]
- [Tuition or apprenticeship sponsorship]
Requirements: what's required, what's preferred, and what kills applications
Machinist postings tend to describe the ideal candidate the shop wishes existed. Given the size of the pool, the better question is what the job genuinely needs on day one and what you can grow.
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Blueprint and GD&T reading | Required. It's the core skill and a fair screening question (“Can you read a print with GD&T callouts?”). |
| Experience | Specify CNC vs. manual and setup vs. operate. A “CNC machinist” who only loads parts on a proven program is a different hire from one who does setups; be clear which you're paying for. |
| Specific control | Preferred, not required. An experienced machinist moves between Fanuc and Haas in weeks. Listing one brand as a requirement filters out people who'd be productive in a month. |
| Programming | Depends on the shop. Job shops often need it; production cells usually have a programmer. Put it in preferred unless the role is actually a programmer/machinist. |
| Credentials (NIMS, journeyman) | Preferred. Strong signal, small share of the workforce. Requiring them shrinks an already small pool. |
| Own tools | Say whether you require them and, if so, what a starter set costs. It's a real barrier for career changers and apprentices. |
| Degree | Not needed. High school or equivalent plus training is the BLS-standard entry; an associate degree is a plus, not a filter. |
How to customize it for your setting
Job shop
Variety is the selling point: prototypes, short runs, different materials every week. Say it. Job-shop machinists choose shops for the work, not just the pay. See our data on hiring CNC operators and machinists.
Production and cell work
Be honest that the work is repetitive and sell the stability, the schedule and the equipment. Production machinists value newer machines and predictable overtime.
Maintenance machinist
Different pool: manual skills, one-off repair parts, plant environment. Post it as “maintenance machinist” or “toolroom machinist,” not “CNC machinist.”
Apprentice and entry-level
If you'll train, lead with the pathway: hours, wage progression, who mentors. Apprenticeship postings draw a younger applicant profile than any other machining ad we run. The industry picture is on our manufacturing recruiting page.
What it costs to reach machinists on social
Machinists are one of the cheapest skilled roles to reach on social and one of the hardest to hire — those two facts aren't in conflict. Across our manufacturing campaigns in the 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, a CNC machinist applicant cost $3.95, less than a CNA and a third of a maintenance technician, and manufacturing overall converts 17.2% of clicks to applications. Machinists are on Facebook; almost none of them are refreshing Indeed, which is why job boards feel empty for this role.
Cheap applicants don't mean easy hires. The pool is small and largely employed, so the second half of the job is screening quickly and getting the right people into the shop for a working interview. Our production recruiting page covers filling floor roles without job boards, and manufacturing staffing agency costs sets these figures against agency markups.
Writing the ad version
The ad for a machinist is about the work and the money: “CNC machinists — $28–$36/hr, 1st shift, Haas and Mazak mill-turn, aerospace short-run work. [Shop], [City]. 4x10 schedule. Apply in 60 seconds.” Knockout questions: years of machining experience, setup vs. operate, print reading, shift. If you can show the machines and the parts in a 15-second video, do it — machinists judge a shop by its equipment and its floor.
Then move fast. A machinist who applies on Tuesday and hears nothing until Friday has already been to another shop's working interview.
Frequently asked questions
What does a machinist do?
Reads blueprints and sets up and operates machine tools — CNC mills and lathes, manual lathes, grinders — to produce precision metal parts to specification, inspecting the parts with precision instruments and adjusting the machine to hold tolerance.
What skills does a machinist need?
Blueprint and GD&T reading, precision measurement (micrometers, calipers, gauges, CMM), machine setup, knowledge of speeds and feeds and cutting tools, basic G-code, and attention to detail. CAM programming and multi-axis experience are valuable extras.
How much do machinists make?
The 2025 national median was $28.24 an hour, or $58,750 a year, per O*NET/BLS. Experienced CNC setup machinists, programmers and those in aerospace and medical shops commonly earn $70,000–$85,000+ with overtime.
What's the difference between a machinist and a CNC operator?
A CNC operator loads parts and runs a proven program, monitoring quality; a machinist sets up the machine, proves out the first part, adjusts offsets and tooling, and often edits or writes programs. Machinists are paid more and are much scarcer. Postings should say which one they mean.
Pay, employment and outlook figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (Machinists and Tool and Die Makers) and O*NET OnLine, 2025 wage data. Cost-per-applicant figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark and Boostpoint-managed manufacturing campaigns 2025–2026. Last updated August 2026.