CNC Applications Engineer

Bolt-On Personnel Ltd; Watford; Remote; GBP 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A precision engineering company in the UK is seeking an Applications Engineer to provide on-site support and training on CNC machines. The ideal candidate should have strong programming skills and experience with CNC lathes. The role involves customer interactions, technical support, and travelling across the UK and Ireland. With a competitive salary and excellent benefits, this opportunity is perfect for someone looking to take ownership in a supportive team environment.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Company pension scheme

Healthcare

Modern working environment

Bonuses available

Qualifications

• Strong practical experience programming and operating CNC lathes.
• Ability to communicate clearly with customers.
• Willingness to travel across the UK & Ireland.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-site applications support to customers.
• Deliver technical and programming support to partners.
• Run customer demonstrations and explain processes.

Skills

Programming CNC lathes

Setting and operating CNC lathes

Problem solving

Metal-cutting knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Apprenticeship in CNC machining

Formal CNC or engineering qualifications

Job description

Applications Engineer

Location: Remote (with regular UK & Ireland travel)

Salary: Up to £55,000 as package

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays – 33 days in total)
• Company Pension – 6% of base salary (salary sacrifice scheme)
• Healthcare
• Medical cover
• Company related profit scheme
• Annual OR Bi-Annual bonuses (dependent on role and company)
• Modern working environment
• Friendly and welcoming team with approachable management
• Continued staff development
• Interesting and challenging work
• Working with leading UK & Irish precision engineering companies / customers
• Great camaraderie throughout the business from hands on Management
• PPE / Company uniform provided (if appropriate)
• IT equipment, workwear & tools provided
• Company car provided (BMW 330 PHEV nominal), company-funded excluding private mileage
• Lots of additional company incentives.

Company Profile

A specialist precision CNC machine tool manufacturer and UK & Ireland sales/support hub for advanced sliding-head and multi-axis mill-turn turning centres.

The business has a long-established presence in British manufacturing, with two UK facilities supporting machine sales, applications engineering, service, spares, and customer training.

Backed by a wider global group, the company continues to invest in next-generation mill-turn technology, automation-ready platforms, and specialist applications support.

Demand is growing steadily across aerospace, medical, automotive, defence, energy, and high-precision subcontract machining - driving further expansion of the engineering team.

This is an engineer-led environment where practical know-how is valued.

You’ll be trusted to take ownership, supported with high-level product training, and surrounded by colleagues who enjoy solving real machining challenges with customers.

Job Profile

As the successful Applications Engineer, you will be working alongside a friendly team of applications and service specialists, responsible for delivering high-quality CNC applications support, programming, prove-outs, demonstrations, and customer/dealer training on advanced sliding-head and fixed-head mill-turn lathes. The goal is simple: help customers and internal teams get the absolute best productivity, accuracy and reliability from these machines.

You will come from a CNC mill-turn or sliding-head background, with strong, practical experience programming, setting and operating CNC lathes with live/driven tooling (MillTurn) and/or CNC sliding-head machines. Because this role supports real production environments and turnkey delivery, you must be confident programming directly at the machine control, not purely offline.

Duties

• Provide on-site applications support to customers across the UK & Ireland, including machine set‑up, prove‑outs, cutting optimisation and operator training.
• Deliver technical and programming support to distribution partners, ensuring successful installations and ongoing performance of new and existing machine platforms.
• Run customer and partner machine demonstrations, setting up and programming machines for test or customer components, explaining processes clearly and professionally.
• Create, prove and refine machining methods and CNC programs that solve customers’ component and process challenges.
• Produce accurate and achievable cycle‑time studies, using full machine capability to maximise productivity.
• Support machine installations in showrooms and at customer sites, checking factory specifications and safe operation.
• Provide telephone/remote technical support on programming and application issues as required.
• Stay current with new machine developments, attending manufacturer training and helping develop internal/external training courses.
• Support exhibitions, open houses and in‑house events where needed.
• You may be asked to perform other duties on occasion.

Skills & Attributes

• Excellent hands‑on knowledge of programming, setting and operating CNC lathes with live/driven tooling (MillTurn) and/or CNC sliding‑head machines.
• Must have excellent knowledge of programming these machines on the controls at the machine.
• Strong metal‑cutting knowledge: tooling selection, cutting data, work holding, and process optimisation.
• A practical problem‑solver who enjoys improving cycle time, stability and part quality.
• Comfortable communicating with customers and training operators/engineers in a clear, supportive way.
• Able to work independently, manage travel, and always represent the business professionally.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly (with occasional overseas trips as experience develops).

Education / Certificates

• Apprenticeship or time‑served background in CNC machining / precision engineering preferred.
• Formal CNC / manufacturing engineering qualifications beneficial but not essential if experience is strong.

Hours of Work

• Theoretical Monday to Friday, 37‑hour week
• Usually based at either the Bushey (Watford) or Brierley Hill facilities, with regular customer‑site work throughout the UK and Ireland
• Occasional trips to other territories supported by the business (typically for more experienced engineers)
• Flexibility required to meet customer needs and travel schedules

Interested?

If you’re the kind of engineer who enjoys getting under the skin of complex mill‑turn and sliding‑head work, this is a role where your skill genuinely matters. You’ll be joining a market‑leading CNC specialist with top‑tier technology, a growing customer base, and a culture that backs its engineers with proper training and respect. In return, you’ll have variety, autonomy, and strong earning potential through commission and bonuses, alongside a high‑quality tools‑and‑car package. You’ll work with some of the best precision manufacturers in the UK and Ireland—helping them push performance further every day.

Equal Opportunity

Bolt‑On Personnel and our clients are equal opportunity employers who seek to recruit and appoint the best available person for a job regardless of marital/civil partnership status, sex, age, religion, belief, race, nationality and ethnic or national origin, colour, sexual orientation or disability.

Privacy & Data Protection

Bolt‑On Personnel and our clients apply all relevant Data Protection laws when processing your Personal Data. If you choose to apply to this opportunity and share your CV or other personal information with Bolt‑On Personnel, these details will be held by us in accordance with our privacy policy used by our recruitment team to contact you regarding this or other relevant opportunities at Bolt‑On Personnel.