Machinist - Physics and Astronomy

Position Summary

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico invites applications for a full-time, benefits-eligible Machinist position within the department’s multi-discipline research and development toolroom machine shop.

The machine shop fabricates prototype parts and assemblies to serve experimenters, researchers, and scientists in the department as well as many other departments across Main Campus and the Health Sciences Center, as well as occasionally providing services for national labs, research facilities, museums, and other universities.

Notable cooperating institutions include Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs, the Albuquerque Museum of Natural History, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Center for High Tech Materials, UNM Rainforest Innovations, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and many others.

The machine shop has provided design and fabrication services for several observatories, including UNM’s own campus observatory and the Long Wavelength Array.

The machine shop’s services and customers are diverse, dynamic, and involved in some of the most cutting-edge research in STEM today and the shop has a 60-year history of operations within the department.

It is a conventional manual toolroom machine shop with some limited CNC capability, and houses and oversees a student shop where occasional machining classes, demonstrations, or student research work takes place.

The Machinist position will form a team with the shop’s Senior Machinist and mainly work on conventional manual machine tools to fabricate, repair, and / or modify parts, assemblies and scientific research equipment as directed by the Senior Machinist in support of ongoing research activities.

• Required skills and qualifications
• The successful candidate will have very strong skills as a conventional manual machinist and must be able to plan, set up, and efficiently operate conventional manual milling machines, lathes, grinders, light sheet metal equipment, drill presses, and other machine tools and equipment as required to fabricate parts, often to a high degree of accuracy.

The machinist must be familiar with the use and operation of conventional manual machine tools and be able to rapidly generate setups and plan machining processes that are safe, efficient, highly accurate, and repeatable.

• The machinist must possess a general, basic understanding of tolerancing, fit, and dimensioning, with the ability to read, interpret and use 2D orthographic engineering prints, sketches, or other specifications which will be supplied by the Senior Machinist and / or researchers.
• A successful candidate will possess the ability to accurately use and understand a variety of measuring and inspection equipment such as conventional micrometers, dial indicators, height gauges, and travel indicators to fabricate and check their work and make sure parts and assemblies fit together per supplied specifications and as required by design documents.

Conditions of Employment

Successful candidate must submit to post-offer, pre-employment physical examination and medical history check.

Minimum Qualifications

Technical certificate, or equivalent coursework or training in a directly related area; at least 6 months of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

In addition to the minimum requirements in the job description, preference will be given to applicants with the following skills and traits :

• At least one year of experience directly related to the duties and skills in the job description and position summary.
• A strong work ethic and willingness to further scientific research and their own intellectual curiosity about machine work, trade skills and manual machining techniques, many of which are becoming less common in modern machine tool industry.
• The qualities of a true craftsman; a person who takes great pride and satisfaction in their work, is extremely detail oriented, and is willing to rework designs and fabricate parts and assemblies so they match the research needs of faculty, scientists, and engineers.
• The machinist must have strong interpersonal skills and be able to present set up, machining, and measuring techniques to students, either in the occasional machining lab class, or lab demonstration as required.
• The machinist must be able to clearly and effectively document each job and keep organized labor time records and material records.
• Experience machining and working with a wide variety of materials including plastics, thermoplastics, stainless steels, copper alloys, aluminum alloys, carbon and tool steels, and occasional exotic materials.
• Basic CAD experience and / or the ability to learn 2D and 3D CAD programs as needed
• Basic computer experience and proficiency with programs such as Word, Excel, and the ability to maintain and / or update a work order and material database.
• The ability and willingness to learn additional skills as required, such as basic welding, brazing, and soldering techniques for various metal joining procedures, as well as limited CNC machining set up, programming, and operation on a 2.

5 axis milling machine or enclosed CNC lathe.

• The ability to pivot between sometimes unpredictable and variable job assignments, with an open attitude towards experimental setups and occasional unusual machining processes.
• Finesse handling sensitive research equipment and materials with the ability to fabricate the appropriate fixtures, jigs, or tooling as required to work with, repair, or modify this equipment as required.
• The ability to work unsupervised safely and efficiently for periods of time as required.

Additional Requirements CampusMain - Albuquerque, NM DepartmentPhysics Astronomy Department (707A) Employment TypeStaff Staff TypeRegular - Full-Time Term End Date StatusNon-Exempt PayHourly : $18.

26 to $22.19 DOE Benefits EligibleThis is a benefits eligible position. The University of New Mexico provides a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.

In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. See the home page for a more information.