Waterjet / CNC Cutting Operator

Takt Engineering is looking for a Waterjet / CNC Cutting Operator to provide hands-on contract support: nesting, setup, and getting thick, hard-to-cut plate off the table clean and on schedule. We work alongside advanced manufacturing teams on their toughest production problems, and this placement supports a client scaling up a Santa Ana shop floor.

This is an onsite role in Santa Ana. The shop is scaling toward round-the-clock operation, so the schedule may include a mix of day and night shifts.

Job Responsibilities

• Set up and run abrasive waterjet cutting jobs from DXF or CAD files, including nesting to get the most out of each plate.
• Cut thick, hard-to-machine alloy plate without blowing through tolerance or wasting material.
• Keep the job queue moving: prioritize, stage material, and hand off clean parts to the next station.
• Maintain and troubleshoot the waterjet, pump, nozzle, abrasive feed, to keep downtime low.
• Catch material or program problems before they turn into scrap.

Required Qualifications

• Hands-on experience running an abrasive waterjet (OMAX or similar) in a production environment.
• Comfortable nesting and cutting from DXF or CAD files.
• Experience cutting thick plate in high-strength steels and exotic alloys, not just mild steel or aluminum.
• Reads and interprets drawings and cut specs without hand-holding.
• Can own a backlog, not just the cut in front of them. This role runs the queue.
• Understands kerf compensation, taper control, and pierce points well enough to hold tolerance on thick material, not just run a pre-built program.

Preferred Qualifications

• CNC plasma or oxy-fuel table experience.
• Experience with machine maintenance or troubleshooting beyond day-to-day operation.

Pay: $40.00 - $60.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 – 60.0 per week

Work Location: In person