CAREERS · JOB ADVERT · REF CNC-01
CNC Operator / Programmer
YOUR WASTE. OUR MATERIALS.
We've got a couple of 3-axis CNC routers and a workshop where the stock is whatever’s been pulled from the waste stream that week, reclaimed timber, recovered plastic, sheets we press ourselves and much more. We want someone to run it properly: take a design, program it, cut it clean, and waste as little as possible getting there. It’s not the same part on repeat, its prototypes, bespoke one-offs, short runs and installations, and you’ll have a real hand in working out how each build comes together.
AT A GLANCE
SALARY
£15–£19 / hour
depending on experience
CONTRACT
Permanent · full-time
6-month probation
REPORTS TO
ReFactory Design & Production Office
HOURS
Mon–Fri, 7:00am–5:00pm
47.5 hrs/week · 30-min lunch
LOCATION
Goole Site - Opus 36, New Potter Grange Rd, DN14 6BZ
· Some work at The Maltings - Turpin Ln, South Milford, Leeds LS25 5FP
own transport required
HOLIDAY
30 days’ leave
rising with service
Holiday in full: 30 days’ annual leave. The site runs on bank holidays, so they’re normal working days, but you’re free to book them off against your allowance. Entitlement rises by one day for each full year of service, up to five extra days (35 after five years).
ABOUT REFACTORY
ReFactory is the in-house design and make function of MyGroup, a Yorkshire based waste management and recycling group that has spent 35 years keeping material out of landfill. Across its sites it recovers just about everything, ocean plastic, beauty and clinical packaging, scrap timber and metal, and ReFactory is the part that closes the loop, turning that recovered waste into new materials and products. Where capability and creativity meet, even ‘unrecyclable’ material becomes something new.
No two projects are the same. Different waste turns up every day, and a lot of the craft is taking it apart and working out what it could become. We've delivered bespoke products and installations for some of the UK's best-known brands, all from material they'd otherwise have thrown away. We care about two things equally: doing right by the planet, and giving materials new life, making things people actually want.
THE ROLE
You’ll run the CNC end to end, taking a design, programming the toolpaths, setting up, and cutting clean. A lot of the job is working things out: how a drawing becomes machine instructions, how parts come off the bed ready to assemble, and how to do it using the least material and time. You’ll also help build and assemble prototypes and CNC-led pieces, feeding back first-hand on how to make each build better from a CNC point of view. We’re here to cut waste, not make it, so nesting tight and running efficient is part of the craft, not an afterthought.
- Program and toolpath designs, then set up and run the machine so it cuts clean
- Nest tight and work efficiently, least material, least wasted time
- Turn detailed drawings (and looser sketches) into finished parts, asking the right questions on the way
- Help work out fixings and assembly so parts go together properly first time
- Build and assemble prototypes and CNC-led pieces, improving each build from a CNC point of view
- Keep the machine maintained correctly, run it safely, and troubleshoot problems as they come
- Work with design and production to make the whole process sharper with every build
- Health and safety is non-negotiable, we work to the rules and regulations every day, and we look out for each other.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
ESSENTIAL
- Hands-on experience on a 3-axis CNC router with an automatic tool changer and vacuum bed, or a comparable machine, we run a 6-tool and a 10-tool ATC
- A solid grasp of machining practice, feeds and speeds, tooling, work holding and fixturing
- Confident on CAM software, we machine in VCarve day to day, with Fusion 360 for the odd 3D file. Experience in any comparable package counts
- Comfortable working from detailed drawings and looser sketches alike, and asking the right questions when one leaves gaps
- An eye for efficiency, the most out of every sheet and every hour, because we’re here to cut waste, not add to it
- A portfolio or examples of past CNC work, we don’t hire without seeing what you’ve made
- You take pride in doing things right, and in doing right by the planet
DESIRABLE
- Hands-on VCarve experience (or Fusion 360 for 3D work)
- A background in sign-making, joinery, furniture or model-making, with a CNC focus
- Experience with sheet materials, plywood, MDF, acrylic, and recycled board (we press our own from plastic waste)
- A relevant Level 2/3 in engineering, machining or CAD/CAM (welcome, but experience matters more)
WHAT YOU’LL GET
- Genuinely varied work, prototypes, bespoke one-offs, short runs and installations, not the same part on repeat
- The satisfaction of giving waste a second life as designer products that genuinely shine
- Room to master your craft, better software, a better machine, a better maker
- A permanent, full-time role with a workplace pension and 30 days’ holiday (rising with service)
- A small, multi-disciplinary team that takes the planet and the craft equally seriously
HOW TO APPLY
Send your CV, a short cover note and examples of your CNC work to joe[email protected]
Closing date: end of August.
Pay: £15.00-£19.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
