CNC machinist jobs in the UK
A CNC machinist sets up and runs computer-controlled mills and lathes to cut parts to a drawing, and may write the programs. CNC technician is the same job under another name. The board lists CNC jobs that also name maintenance, automation or controls, so the count below is smaller than on a general job board.
23 jobs live right now. Free to browse and free to apply; we never charge candidates, and we never promise a job.
The role
What a CNC machinist does, and what is on this page
A CNC machinist sets up and runs computer-controlled mills and lathes to cut metal parts to a drawing, and may also write the programs. Adverts often ask for an apprenticeship or NVQ Level 3 in machining and experience with a named control, such as Fanuc or Siemens.
People search for CNC machinist and CNC operator jobs far more often than for CNC technician, so this page uses that wording. The board keeps CNC adverts that also name maintenance, automation or controls, so it shows fewer jobs than a general job board.
23 jobs: CNC machinist
3 of these are from a licensed visa sponsor or say sponsorship is offered. A licence does not mean a particular job is sponsored: ask the employer. How the tags work.
CNC Commissioning Engineer, CV Technical, UK, £40,000 to £70,000 a year
CNC Field Service Engineer – Electrical / Controls, Thomas Lee Recruitment, UK, £40,000 to £45,000 a year
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
CNC Field Service Engineer – Electrical / Controls, Thomas Lee Recruitment Limited, Chorley, £40,000 to £45,000 a year
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
Maintenance Technician - Machine Shop, Renishaw PLC, UK, Up to £5 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Field Service Engineer – Electrical/Electronic CNC experience, Candidate Source, UK
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV Technical, UK
Maintenance Technician - Machine Shop, Renishaw, Miskin, Mountain Ash, £44,000 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV Technical, UK, £40,000 a year
Maintenance Technician - Machine Shop, Renishaw PLC, Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taff, £44,000 a year
- Licensed visa sponsor. This employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. That does not mean this job is sponsored. Ask the employer.
Field Service Engineer – Electrical/Electronic CNC experience, Candidate Source Ltd, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, £50,000 to £55,000 a year
Field Service Engineer Electrical/Electronic CNC experience, Candidate Source, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, £55,000 a year
Field Service Engineer – Electrical/Electronic CNC experience, Candidate Source, Loudwater, High Wycombe, £50,000 to £55,000 a year
Field Service Engineer – Electrical/Electronic CNC experience, Candidate Source, Hughenden, High Wycombe, £55,000 a year
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV Technical Ltd, UK, £35,000 to £40,000 a year
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV Technical Ltd, UK, £35,000 to £40,000 a year
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV Technical, Stanley, Chippenham, £40,000 a year
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV Technical, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, £35,000 to £40,000 a year
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV TECHNICAL LTD, Swindon, £35,000 to £40,000 a year
Field Service Engineer - CNC Woodcutting, CV TECHNICAL LTD, Birmingham, £35,000 to £40,000 a year
Production Support Technician (Maintenance / CNC), Ernest Gordon Recruitment Limited, Southampton, £35,000 to £42,000 a year
- Agency. This advert was placed by a recruitment agency, not by the employer.
CNC Controls Engineer, Shillito Group, Heeley, Sheffield, £40,000 to £65,000 a year
CNC Controls Engineer, Shillito Group, Sheffield, £40,000 to £65,000 a year
Field Service Engineer (CNC), CV TECHNICAL LTD, Manchester, £40,000 to £60,000 a year
Where the CNC machinist jobs are
- High Wycombe (2)
- Balsall Heath (1)
- Birmingham (1)
- Chorley (1)
- Heeley (1)
- Hughenden (1)
- Loudwater (1)
- Manchester (1)
- Miskin (1)
- Pontyclun (1)
Places named in today's adverts. A city link opens all automation and maintenance jobs within about 25 miles.
Employers hiring
- CV Technical (5)
- Candidate Source (4)
- CV TECHNICAL LTD (3)
- CV Technical Ltd (2)
- Renishaw PLC (2)
- Shillito Group (2)
- Candidate Source Ltd (1)
- Renishaw (1)
Employers with the most live jobs here, not counting recruitment agencies. 3 of the 23 adverts were placed by agencies.
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Checked 28 October 2026
Pay and demand, with sources and dates
Median gross annual pay for full-time cnc setters and setter-operators was £36,342 in April 2026. Provisional.
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026, table 14.7a (SOC) (opens in a new tab), 22 October 2026
Half of manufacturers say skills shortages are their biggest barrier to growth, and 99% say access to skills will shape their growth plans.
Make UK, The Shape of British Industry (opens in a new tab), 9 March 2026
The electrical workforce is down 26% since 2018, and 36% of science, engineering and production technicians are 55 or over.
Royal Academy of Engineering, response to the Migration Advisory Committee shortage list review (opens in a new tab), 18 May 2026
FAQ
Questions people ask
What does a CNC machinist do?
A CNC machinist loads material, sets tools and offsets, runs the program and checks the parts against the drawing. Many also edit or write programs and keep the machine maintained.
What qualifications do CNC machinists need?
Adverts commonly ask for a machining or engineering apprenticeship or NVQ Level 3, drawing reading, measuring tools and experience on a named control. Read each advert.
CNC machinist, CNC operator or CNC technician?
Titles vary by employer. Operator usually means running a set-up machine, machinist or setter means setting it up too, and technician is sometimes used for a setter who also maintains the machine.
What is the salary of a CNC machinist in the UK?
Median gross annual pay for full-time cnc setters and setter-operators was £36,342 in April 2026. Provisional. (ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026, table 14.7a (SOC), 22 October 2026.) Pay varies with sector, shift pattern and region, and a job card on this page shows pay only when the advert states it: we never estimate it.
Can a CNC machinist get a Skilled Worker visa?
5221 cnc setters and setter-operators is a medium-skilled occupation that is not on the Temporary Shortage List, although the Migration Advisory Committee recommended adding it for 18 months (23 July 2026). A medium-skilled job qualifies only if it is on that list or the Immigration Salary List. A sponsor licence is not a promise of sponsorship for this job, and whether a particular job qualifies depends on its duties, its occupation code and its pay, which the employer and the Home Office decide. You should never pay an employer or agent for a job or for sponsorship. This is not immigration advice (rules checked 28 October 2026).
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Related searches and ways to prepare
Next steps
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