Newport News Shipbuilding

🔎At a Glance

• Company Name: Newport News Shipbuilding
• Location: Newport News, Virginia
• Shop Type: Large-Scale Job Shop / Defense Manufacturing
• Industries Served: Naval Defense, Nuclear Shipbuilding, Heavy Industrial Manufacturing
• Typical Work: High-Mix, Large-Part Custom Machining
• Machining Capabilities: Horizontal Boring Mills, Vertical Turning Lathes, 3-Axis Milling, 5-Axis Machining, Mill-Turn, HMCs, Conventional Machining
• Materials: Steel, Weldments, Castings, Alloy Materials, Heavy Industrial Components
• Certifications: Defense Manufacturing Environment
• Shift Environment: Multiple Shifts Available | Overtime Available

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About Newport News Shipbuilding

Newport News Shipbuilding is one of the largest and most advanced manufacturing operations in the United States, supporting the construction and maintenance of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy.

Located in Newport News, Virginia, the facility operates more like a small industrial city than a traditional machine shop. Machinists here work on massive, highly complex components in a true job shop environment where setups, alignment, problem-solving, and adaptability matter far more than repetitive cycle-start production work.

The company supports some of the most critical long-term defense manufacturing programs in the country, providing exceptional stability, consistent workload, and career growth opportunities for skilled machinists. Many employees build long-term careers here while advancing into leadership, programming, and foreman-level roles.

This is an environment built for machinists who enjoy large-part machining, heavy setups, changing geometries, and hands-on technical work.

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The Work You’ll Be Doing

Machinists at Newport News Shipbuilding work on:

• Large structural components for aircraft carriers and submarines
• Weldments, castings, and heavy industrial assemblies
• High-mix custom machining projects with constantly changing part geometries
• Setup-heavy machining operations with minimal fixturing
• Precision alignment and large-part manipulation
• Horizontal boring mills, VTLs, mill-turn machines, and large CNC equipment

Production Style

• True job shop atmosphere
• Heavy setup work
• Non-repetitive machining
• Constant variety in part size and geometry

Programming & Setup

• Strong emphasis on setup capability and understanding CNC programs
• Operators are expected to make real-world adjustments based on material variation and machining conditions
• No programming experience required, but technical understanding is highly valued

Materials Machined

• Steel
• Alloy materials
• Weldments
• Castings
• Large naval manufacturing components

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Machining Capabilities

• Horizontal Boring Mills (HBM)
• Vertical Turning Lathes (VTL)
• CNC Milling (3-Axis & 5-Axis)
• CNC Turning & Mill-Turn
• Horizontal Machining Centers (HMCs)
• Large-Part Machining
• Prototype & Custom Manufacturing
• Conventional / Manual Machining

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CNC Equipment

Multi-Axis & Large-Part Equipment

• Horizontal Boring Mills with 8–10” spindles
• Multi-spindle machining systems
• 5-Axis Mills
• 5-Axis Gantry Mills
• Large Vertical Turning Lathes
• Large 60-foot bed lathes
• Mill-Turn Lathes

CNC Machine Brands

• DMG Mori
• Mazak
• Doosan
• Weiler
• Mitsubishi
• G&L
• Sheets

Controls

• Fanuc
• Siemens
• Mazatrol

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Software & Programming

• CAM Software: Siemens NX
• Programming: Conversational and CNC program interpretation
• Controls Experience: Fanuc, Siemens, Mazatrol

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Quality, Inspection & Manufacturing Standards

Newport News Shipbuilding operates within a highly process-driven defense manufacturing environment where precision, consistency, and safety are critical.

Machinists regularly work from:

• Blueprints and technical drawings
• CNC programs and setup documentation
• Precision inspection processes
• Large-part alignment and dimensional verification procedures

The environment demands machinists who can think critically, troubleshoot setups, and maintain high-quality standards on complex components.

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Why Machinists Choose to Work at Newport News Shipbuilding

Machinists here value:

• Long-term stability tied to decades-long naval manufacturing programs
• Extremely large and technically advanced manufacturing environment
• Opportunity to work on massive, complex machining projects
• True custom machining work — not repetitive production machining
• Exposure to a huge range of machine tools and equipment
• Strong upward mobility into:
  • Foreman positions
  • Leadership roles
  • Programming opportunities
• Apprenticeship-style learning environment
• Overtime opportunities with strong pay structure
• Union-supported manufacturing environment
• Relocation assistance and sign-on incentives available

For many machinists, this is the type of environment where “no two days are the same.”

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Shift & Schedule Information

Available Shifts

• 1st Shift: 6:00am – 2:00pm
• 2nd Shift: 2:00pm – 10:00pm (+7% differential)
• 3rd Shift: 10:00pm – 6:00am (+7% differential)

Schedule

• Monday – Friday
• Weekend work is voluntary
• Overtime available as needed

Overtime Structure

• 1.5x pay after 40 hours
• 2x pay after 48 hours and Sundays

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Pay & Career Growth

Pay Ranges

• 0–2 Years: $27.54 – $30.83/hr
• 2–4 Years: $32.21 – $35.72/hr
• 4–10 Years: $36.68 – $38.75/hr
• 10+ Years: $40.14 – $40.96/hr

Additional premiums available for machinists operating large equipment.

Additional Compensation

• +$3/hr large equipment premium
• Relocation assistance available
• $10,000 sign-on/relocation bonus

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Open CNC Machinist Jobs

Newport News Shipbuilding is currently hiring for:

• CNC Machinists
• Horizontal Boring Mill Machinists
• Vertical Turning Lathe (VTL) Machinists
• Large-Part CNC Machinists
• Conventional / Manual Machinists

👉 View current CNC machining jobs at Newport News Shipbuilding on hireCNC.