What a machine operator does
Machine operators run the equipment that turns raw material into product: injection moulding machines, CNC lathes and mills, presses, extruders, filling lines or packaging machinery. Depending on your plant, they may set up jobs, change dies or moulds, adjust parameters, measure parts and log production counts. They are often the first to notice tool wear, a drifting dimension or an unusual sound, and that early warning is what separates a good operator from someone who simply presses start.
Because every plant runs different equipment, the right hire depends on matching real experience to your machines. Finch asks about specific machine types, controls and materials, and confirms how much setup and troubleshooting a candidate has actually done rather than watched. You get a shortlist of operators whose skills match the job, which shortens their training period and protects your equipment, your tooling and your delivery commitments.
Typical responsibilities
- Set up, start and run production machinery according to job instructions
- Adjust speeds, temperatures, pressures or offsets to keep parts within specification
- Measure parts with calipers, micrometers and gauges and record the results
- Change tooling, moulds or dies as the production schedule requires
- Perform routine cleaning, lubrication and basic preventive maintenance
- Follow lockout procedures and report faults to maintenance
Qualifications and credentials
- No licence is required for most operator roles; employers look for documented experience on comparable machines
- Ability to read work orders, basic drawings and measuring tools
- CNC roles often call for familiarity with controls such as Fanuc or Haas and basic offset or program edits
- Health and safety awareness training, WHMIS and lockout training
- Mechanical aptitude and the basic math needed for measurements and tolerances
Who hires a machine operator
- Plastics and injection moulding companies
- Precision machining and CNC shops
- Metal stamping and fabrication plants
- Food and beverage processing plants
- Printing and packaging manufacturers
Where we recruit machine operator candidates
We fill machine operator roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Machine types, controls and materials the candidate has run
- Depth of setup, changeover and troubleshooting experience
- Measurement skills and familiarity with quality records
- Safety habits, including lockout and machine guarding
- References on output, scrap and attendance
Interview questions to ask
- Walk me through how you set up a new job on the last machine you ran.
- A part starts measuring close to the edge of tolerance. What do you check first?
- Tell me about a breakdown you helped diagnose. What was the cause, and how was it fixed?