NC Programmer - Electron Beam Welding Operator

Jefferson Lab; Newport News (VA); Hybrid; USD 69,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

Flexible Spending Accounts

Paid Time-off & Leave Programs

Tuition Assistance & Professional Dev

Job summary

Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia seeks an experienced NC Programmer to operate an electron beam welding cell and develop CNC/NC programs from engineering drawings and CAD models. The role involves fixtures, beam parameter control, and real-time calibration to optimize welds.

Candidates should have 9+ years of machining/CNC programming, CAM experience, and the ability to read complex prints. Education requires a High School Diploma or GED, with DOE safety awareness a plus.

Qualifications

• Requires high school diploma or GED.
• 9+ years of expert machinist or CNC programming background; welding experience desirable.
• Experience with CAM software for multi-axis toolpaths including 5-axis strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop CNC/NC programs for electron-beam welding cell.
• Translate engineering drawings and CAD models into code and weld sequences.
• Plan fixtures, workholding, and tool paths for each job.
• Manage vacuum chamber pump-down and beam parameter settings.
• Maintain weld logs and traceability per safety and customer standards.
• Support prototype and first-article verification with engineering teams.

Skills

CAM software

CAD/CAM translation

CNC programming

Multi-axis toolpaths

5-axis strategies

Machining (mill/lathe)

Reading prints/drawings

CMM inspection

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

CAM software

CNC/NC machines

Job description

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Title: NC Programmer - Electron Beam Welding Operator

Location: Newport News, Virginia, US, 23606

Category: Craft and Skilled Technicians

At Jefferson Lab,you’llchampioncutting-edgescience and operational excellence while shaping the future of discovery. Join us and make your mark – where excellence meets purpose, andgreat mindstrulymatter.

The good-faith pay range for this role is $68,500.00 - $98,100.00 per year. Actual compensation may vary and may be above the posted range based on factors such as a candidate's skills, experience, education, certifications, and work location.

What your job will be like:

This role trains under electron beam engineering support to develop the skills needed to independently operate an e-beam welding cell, translating engineering drawings, CAD models, and customer specifications into CNC/NC programs while designing fixtures, tool paths, and weld parameters for each job. Responsibilities include managing vacuum chamber pump-down, positioning workpieces and configuring beam voltage, current, focus, and travel speed to match material and joint requirements. The role requires first-article prove-out, real-time beam programming and calibration adjustments and process optimization to reduce weld defects. Maintaining weld logs and traceability documentation in compliance with customer, industry, and radiation safety standards is normal practice.

In this job you will:

• Work under SRF Engineering to develop skills to operate e-beam welding cell independently.
• Program development & CAD/CAM translation — Converts engineering drawings, CAD & customer specs into CNC/NC code for electron-beam welding cell, selecting appropriate tool paths, process parameters, and weld sequences for each job.
• Tooling and fixture planning — Participates in determining fixtures and workholding setups needed to run each program efficiently and safely.
• Vacuum system operation — Manages chamber pump-down cycles, monitors vacuum levels, and troubleshoots leaks or seal failures to maintain the environment required for a stable, contamination-free electron beam.
• Weld setup, fixturing — Positions/secures workpieces in vacuum chambers & fixtures, aligns parts to precise tolerances, configures beam parameters (voltage, current, focus, travel speed) to match material type, thickness, and joint design.
• Prototype & first-article verification — Work with engineering teams on design and fab strategy of prototypes, pre-production and first articles in support of SRF operations at JLab and other nuclear research labs around the world.
• Beam programming & process control — Sets or adjusts CNC-driven beam paths and oscillation patterns, performs test welds and beam calibration checks, and fine-tunes parameters to achieve proper penetration, fusion, and minimal distortion.

Experience

• Required: 9 or more years Expert level machinist and/or CNC programming background, welding experience desirable.

Education

• Required: High School Diploma or GED

Experience and Education Exchange

Education above the minimum may be substituted for experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience with CAM software for generating and optimizing multi-axis toolpaths including simultaneous 5-axis strategies.
• Machining experience across mill/lathe and mill/turn, including manual setup and the ability to run/troubleshoot programs at the machine level highly desirable but not required.
• Ability to read complex part and assembly prints and translate tolerance requirements into programming strategy.
• Familiarity with CMM in-process inspection feedback loops for successful part and assembly production.
• Ability to design or specify fixturing that maintains part accessibility and rigidity across multi-axis toolpaths.

About Jefferson Lab

Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time. The Jefferson Lab campusis located insoutheasternVirginiaamidst a vibrant and growing technology community.

A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of “big science” and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by SURATech, LLC, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.

Total Rewards at Jefferson Lab

At Jefferson Lab, we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Our benefits program includes, but is not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Care Plans
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Time-off and Leave Programs (Paid Parental, vacation, holidays, and sick leave)
• Tuition Assistance, Training and Professional Development Programs
• Live near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region with access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers on the East Coast

SURATech, LLC manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). SURATech is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

SURATech is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities (unless doing so will result in an undue hardship). If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to [e-mail] or contact Human Resources by calling [phone] and selecting option 1 between 8 am – 5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.

Employment with SURATech is conditional upon DOE approval if at any time during your employment you are participating in a Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program or Affiliated activity. Generally, such programs/activities include any foreign-state-sponsored attempt to acquire U.S.-funded scientific research through programs run or funded by the government that target scientists, engineers, students, academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs of all nationalities working or educated in the United States. This includes positions or appointments, both domestic and foreign, titled academic, professional, or institutional appointments whether or not remuneration is received and whether full-time, part-time or voluntary.

THOMAS JEFFERSON NATIONAL ACCELERATOR FACILITY IS MANAGED BY SURATech, LLC FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY | jlab.org | 12000 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA