Job Title: Fitter and Turner (Job-Shop Engineering)

Ref: 5255

Location: Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

Position Type: Full-Time (with overtime/weekend flexibility as required)

Industry: Automotive Tooling and Consumables Manufacturing

Salary: R100 – R150 per hour, commensurate with experience

Email your CV to recruit@onlinepersonnel.co.za

We are looking for a highly skilled Manual Machinist / Fitter and Turner to join our custom engineering team. This is a specialised job-shop role, focused on manufacturing precision consumables and component tooling for the automotive and welding industries.

Unlike a Production-Line Operator, this role requires a true craftsman who can work entirely from engineering drawings or existing master parts to fabricate low-volume, high-tolerance components from scratch.

Experience and Qualifications

  • Minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience working as a machinist, specifically within an engineering job-shop or toolroom environment
  • Note: Applicants with strictly high-volume production or mass assembly line experience will not be considered
  • A recognized Red Seal Trade Certificate (Fitter and Turner, Machinist, or Toolmaker)
  • Mechanical engineering diplomas (N2–N6) is highly advantageous

Key Responsibilities and Duties

  • Multi-Machine Operation: Set up and safely operate a variety of engineering workshop machinery, including:

o             Manual Lathes and Milling Machines

o             Surface Grinders

o             Blocking Mills

o             Drill Arms and Auto-Tapping Machines

  • Execute accurate thread cutting and taper turning on manual lathes and milling machines
  • Interpret complex mechanical blueprints and manufacturing drawings to determine exact job specifications
  • Create accurate freehand sketches and practical drawings directly from a sample master part
  • Machine complex parts to strict, fine-limit hole and thread tolerances
  • Utilise deep knowledge of diverse engineering materials to calculate and set the exact cutting speeds, feeds, and appropriate tooling setups for each distinct metal
  • Accommodate fluctuating manufacturing volumes by working overtime and weekends when urgent automotive supply chain deadlines arise

Required Skills and Competencies

  • Proven ability to work comfortably to high-tolerance engineering specifications.
  • Capability to adapt immediately to unique, non-repetitive custom jobs daily.
  • Fully independent in calculating their own feeds, speeds, and machine offsets without relying on automated pre-sets
  • Exceptional focus on component inspection, utilizing precision micrometres and verniers to avoid scrap production