Job Description
Machine Shop Manager
Dakota Digital
Sioux Falls, SD
Full-Time
Position Summary
Dakota Digital is looking for an experienced Machine Shop Manager to oversee the day-to-day operation of our in-house machine shop in Sioux Falls. This position is responsible for leading the machinists and operators in the department, managing priorities, and helping ensure work moves efficiently through the shop. We are looking for someone who can provide strong day-to-day leadership while also understanding the practical realities of machining, setups, equipment capacity, scheduling, and production flow. The right person will be visible and involved in the shop, working closely with machinists, programmers, scheduling, engineering, and operations to identify bottlenecks, establish priorities, resolve issues, and keep production moving.
What You'll Do
• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction for machine shop employees
• Manage machinists, setup personnel, operators, and other shop employees
• Establish daily and weekly priorities based on production needs
• Monitor product flow through the shop and identify bottlenecks or delays
• Coordinate with Scheduling to establish realistic production priorities
• Balance workload across available machines and work centers
• Help ensure jobs are set up, run, and completed in the proper sequence
• Monitor machine capacity, backlog, and upcoming workload
• Address personnel, attendance, performance, and accountability issues
• Provide coaching, training, and development for shop employees
• Work with machinists and programmers to resolve setup, tooling, quality, and production issues
• Help improve setup times, cycle times, scheduling, and overall shop efficiency
• Ensure accurate setup, routing, and production information is maintained
• Coordinate outsourcing or alternate production options when internal capacity is limited
• Support hiring and onboarding of machinists and other shop personnel
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work environment
• Help develop processes that improve visibility between the machine shop, scheduling, and production planning
What We're Looking For
• Previous experience in CNC machining, manufacturing, or machine shop operations
• Previous leadership, supervisory, or management experience
• Strong understanding of machining processes and CNC equipment
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving manufacturing environment
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Ability to evaluate workload, capacity, and production priorities
• Ability to communicate effectively with machinists, programmers, scheduling, engineering, and management
• Willingness to address personnel and performance issues directly and consistently
• Ability to take ownership of department performance and follow through on commitments
Preferred Experience
• Previous Machine Shop Manager or Supervisor experience
• CNC turning and milling experience
• Experience with production scheduling or capacity planning
• Experience managing a high-mix manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of tooling, setups, workholding, and machining processes
• Experience improving workflow, setup time, cycle time, and machine utilization
• Experience coordinating outside machining or overflow work
The Role
This is a hands-on management position.
We are not looking for someone who simply manages reports and paperwork from an office. The Machine Shop Manager will spend significant time in the shop, working directly with employees and understanding what is happening at the machines. A major part of this role is maintaining visibility of the workload and making sure the right work is moving through the right equipment at the right time. The manager will be expected to understand where jobs are in the process, what is holding them up, which machines are overloaded or underutilized, and what actions are needed to keep production moving.
The Shop
Dakota Digital operates an in-house machine shop producing components used directly in our automotive and motorcycle instrumentation products. Our shop includes CNC mills, lathes, turning centers, and other manufacturing equipment. We machine a high mix of parts, primarily aluminum and mild steel, supporting our own production requirements.
Benefits
• Health insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Bonuses
• Air-conditioned, well-lit manufacturing environment
About Dakota Digital
Dakota Digital designs and manufactures instrumentation and electronics for the automotive and motorcycle aftermarket. Our products are used in everything from classic cars and hot rods to custom trucks and motorcycles. Much of our manufacturing is performed in-house, making the machine shop an important part of our overall production operation. Dakota Digital is continuing to grow, with a new manufacturing facility planned for our machine shop.
If you have a strong machining background, enjoy leading people, and are comfortable taking ownership of workflow and production through a busy machine shop, we would like to hear from you.