Programmer Tech

ProDriven Global Brands•Crystal Lake, IL

9d•$25 - $31•Onsite

About The Position

The Engineering Programmer supports Crystal Lake manufacturing by developing, validating, optimizing, and maintaining programs for automated fabrication and forming equipment. This role converts engineering drawings, CAD/DXF/DWG files, specifications, BOM/routing information, material requirements, and production needs into safe, repeatable, and efficient machine programs. The position supports first-piece validation, tooling readiness, processing documentation, production troubleshooting, operator training, and continuous improvement initiatives while partnering with Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Quality, Maintenance, Materials, Planning, and Product Engineering to improve safety, quality, throughput, equipment utilization, and material yield.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required; equivalent hands-on manufacturing programming experience may be considered.
Experience with fabrication equipment programming, setup support, blueprint reading, dimensions, tolerances, and production troubleshooting.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, CAD/DXF/DWG files, BOMs, routings, material specifications, and manufacturing instructions.
Working knowledge of CAD/CAM, nesting, or machine programming software; AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or equivalent 2D/3D drawing software experience is preferred.
Basic computer proficiency using Windows-based applications and Microsoft Office; intermediate Excel capability is preferred for documentation, data review, and production support.
Good problem-solving, communication, follow-up, and self-checking skills with the ability to work independently and with cross-functional teams.
Understanding of Lean manufacturing, 5S, setup reduction, material yield, standard work, quality validation, and root-cause problem solving.
Familiarity with safety precautions for manufacturing environments, including machine guarding and lock-out/tag-out awareness.
Ability and willingness to seek additional training and obtain required CAD, programming, machine, safety, or process certifications as needed.

Nice To Haves

AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or equivalent 2D/3D drawing software experience is preferred.
Intermediate Excel capability is preferred for documentation, data review, and production support.

Responsibilities

Know, follow, and reinforce all safety rules, machine guarding requirements, lock-out/tag-out expectations, housekeeping standards, and safe material-handling practices. Immediately escalate unsafe machine, tooling, program, or process conditions.
Create, revise, test, post, and maintain machine programs for automated fabrication and forming equipment, including S4, P4, Roboformer, turret, laser, and other assigned current or future fabrication systems.
Interpret blueprints, CAD models, DXF/DWG files, dimensional and tolerance requirements, BOMs, routings, material specifications, and work-center capabilities to determine feasible and repeatable manufacturing methods.
Develop and maintain nesting and programming strategies that improve material utilization, minimize scrap, reduce unnecessary handling, support correct sheet-size selection, and improve throughput without overproducing parts.
Support assigned machine setup and production launch activities; make necessary program or setup adjustments in coordination with operators, leads, Manufacturing Engineering, and Production supervision.
Support production trials, first-piece validation, and controlled rollout of new or revised programs; verify that programs, tooling, setup documentation, and inspection expectations are clear before regular production release.
Check parts for accuracy against blueprints and specifications; support inspection handoff, dimensional verification, and corrective actions when parts do not meet requirements.
Troubleshoot programs, tooling, drawing, material, equipment, and method-related issues that affect quality, cycle time, fit, machine performance, or production flow; coordinate resolution with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, and Product Engineering.
Identify tooling requirements, review existing tooling, support tooling procurement or redesign, update tool drawings and records, and help justify tooling decisions based on volume, quality risk, setup time, safety, and cost impact.
Support engineering changes, deviations, process alerts, drawing updates, and new product launches by reviewing manufacturability and confirming program readiness before production use.
Maintain accurate program records, revision history, setup information, tooling data, validation notes, and related documentation to support repeatability, audits, training, and production continuity.
Provide technical direction, coaching, and training to operators, leads, and production support personnel on program setup, safe operation, part handling, and program-related troubleshooting.
Use Lean manufacturing principles to improve work-center efficiency, reduce variation, eliminate waste, support standard work, improve flow, and strengthen daily management routines.
Support OEE, hour-by-hour production visibility, work-center data integrity, and escalation routines by helping ensure programming, routing, setup, and production assumptions are accurate and usable.
Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering on new equipment, automation improvements, offline programming, digital manufacturing readiness, and future automation cell launches.
Maintain a clean, organized, and professional work area and support the cleanliness and organization of associated equipment, shared files, and programming workspaces.