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That is Navy Rating MR. Civilian jobs, federal paths, and how the work reads on a resume.
What is in this guide
What the translation looks like
How it reads in service
Fabricated replacement valve and pump components on shipboard lathes and milling machines
How a hiring manager reads it
Manufactured precision replacement components to drawing tolerances of plus or minus 0.001 inch, eliminating multi-week procurement delays
Roles this background maps to
Median pay, BLS OEWS May 2024
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Brad TachiNavy Diver · BMR founder
After the Navy he was hired into six federal career fields and tech sales, and sat on federal hiring panels along the way. The last two years went into rebuilding all of it into BMR, tuned for how resumes get screened today. 75,916 resumes built so far.
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A Machinery Repairman is the Navy's shipboard machinist. When a valve seat, a pump shaft, or a bearing journal fails at sea and the nearest supply depot is a thousand miles away, the MR walks into the machine shop and makes the part. You ran lathes, milling machines, boring mills, grinders, drill presses, and power saws to fabricate and repair components for main propulsion engines, auxiliary systems, deck machinery like winches and hoists, condensers, and heat exchangers. On modern platforms that work increasingly runs through Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines and Computer-Aided Design (CAD), so many MRs leave service fluent in both manual and programmed metalworking.
The pipeline starts with "A" school, where you learned blueprint reading, precision measurement to the thousandth of an inch, metallurgy, and the safe operation of every machine tool in a shipboard shop. From there MRs split roughly half their careers between fleet units and shore repair facilities, including tenders, intermediate maintenance activities, and regional repair centers. It is a small rating, around 770 sailors, which means employers rarely see this exact background, and that scarcity is a selling point once the resume translates it correctly.
Civilian manufacturers value this background because you already work to tolerance, read engineering drawings without hand-holding, and troubleshoot a part failure back to its root cause. Machine shops spend months training a new hire to do what an MR did on a pitching deck with limited material and no second chances. If you are still mapping where this rating leads, start with the military career crosswalk tool, and compare your path to the closely related Machinist's Mate (MM) and Hull Maintenance Technician (HT) ratings, whose veterans compete for many of the same civilian shops.
In more than 60,000 resumes BMR has built, the MRs we see land precision-machining and manufacturing offers fast once the resume names the machines, the tolerances, and the materials instead of burying it under "performed maintenance." The work already speaks for itself. The translation is what gets you in the door. — Brad Tachi, Navy Diver veteran & BMR founder
The number that decides most of this: how does civilian pay compare to what the paycheck looks like now?
Navy mid-career
$58K to $82K
E-5 to E-7 total comp: base plus BAH, BAS and the tax advantage.
Civilian Machinery Repairman
$51K to $64K
BLS median across the direct-match civilian roles on this page.
Federal, GS-9 to GS-13
$58K to $120K
8 matching GS series, plus locality pay and step increases.
About 15% lower on average
Civilian base pay for Machinery Repairmans runs about $11K below mid-career enlisted total comp, though housing comes out of that number on the military side too.
Military comp is approximate and moves with location and dependents. Civilian is the BLS median. Federal includes locality pay. The real number depends on duty station, family status, GS step and overtime.
Machinists and CNC operators are in steady demand, and the precision-machining trades have an aging workforce that manufacturers are actively trying to replace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS, May 2024), machinists earn a median annual wage of $56,150, and tool and die makers, the higher-skilled tier you can grow into, earn a median of $63,180. CNC programming is where formal MR experience with CAD and programmed machines pays off, since shops pay a premium for someone who can write and prove out a toolpath rather than just run one.
Be realistic about geography. Machining jobs cluster around manufacturing corridors, the upper Midwest, the Southeast, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest aerospace belt, more than they cluster in coastal metros. Pay scales with the industry: medical-device and aerospace shops, which demand the tightest tolerances and the most documentation, pay more than general job shops. Your shipboard habit of working to a drawing and signing for your own quality is exactly what those regulated industries screen for.
Defense shipbuilders and ship-repair firms are the most natural landing spot because they already understand the rating. Beyond them, contract machine shops, industrial equipment manufacturers, and maintenance-heavy plants hire MRs into machinery and equipment repair roles that overlap with the Coast Guard's machinery rating. If you want a structured before-and-after on translating shop language for non-machining employers, the military terms glossary is a useful companion, and you can build your resume now when you are ready to put it to work.
| Civilian job title | Industry | BLS median salary | Outlook | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MachinistO*NET 51-4041.00 | Manufacturing | $56,150 | 2% (As fast as average) | strong |
| CNC MachinistO*NET 51-4041.00 | Manufacturing | $56,150 | 2% (As fast as average) | strong |
| Tool and Die MakerO*NET 51-4111.00 | Manufacturing | $63,180 | 0% (Little or no change) | strong |
| Industrial Machinery MechanicO*NET 49-9041.00 | Industrial Maintenance | $63,510 | 15% (Much faster than average) | strong |
| Welder, Cutter, Solderer, and BrazerO*NET 51-4121.00 | Manufacturing | $51,000 | 2% (As fast as average) | moderate |
| Sheet Metal WorkerO*NET 47-2211.00 | Manufacturing | $60,850 | 1% (Little or no change) | moderate |
| Production Machinery MechanicO*NET 49-9041.00 | Manufacturing | $63,510 | 15% (Much faster than average) | moderate |
Largest U.S. military shipbuilder; machinists and trades across Newport News and Ingalls yards.
Submarine builder hiring machinists, CNC operators, and outside machinists in Groton and Quonset Point.
Ship repair and manufacturing facilities hiring precision machinists and trades.
Aircraft carrier and submarine machining roles; strong veteran pipeline.
Heavy equipment manufacturer hiring machinists and production machinery mechanics.
Precision aerospace component machining with tight tolerance and documentation standards.
Jet engine component machining and manufacturing roles for precision machinists.
Defense manufacturing roles spanning machining, fabrication, and quality.
Four public naval shipyards hiring WG-3414 machinists and trades; direct federal match.
Engine and power systems manufacturer hiring machinists and machinery mechanics.
Heavy equipment production machining and CNC roles across U.S. plants.
Aerospace structures and component machining with veteran hiring focus.
Pacific Northwest ship repair and fabrication hiring machinists and welders.
Medical-device precision machining demanding the tight tolerances MRs already work to.
BMR rewrites your MR experience for any of the roles above, in the language the people reading actually scan for.
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Industrial machinery mechanic resume example (military to civilian): the whole page, the lines that changed, and the words the posts use. Built from MR work.
“I am wrapping up a 21 year Naval career, all of which was working on fighters. I had picked up a job as a contractor for a company on the same base I’ve been at for the last ten years. I submitted that resume while on deployment and it worked great. Thanks again Brad. Dave ”
David · Chief Petty Officer (E-7) · Navy · Aviation
Federal machining work is concentrated in the Wage Grade trades and the technical GS series that surround them, and veterans who held this rating qualify for several of them with little additional training. The most direct match is WG-3414 Machining, the federal classification for the exact work you did, found in Navy shipyards, Army depots, and Air Force logistics centers. Closely adjacent are WG-5350 Production Machinery Mechanic and WG-3806 Sheet Metal Mechanic, both common in depot-level overhaul shops.
On the General Schedule side, GS-0802 Engineering Technician rewards MRs who moved into work planning, inspection, or quality verification, while GS-0830 Mechanical Engineering and GS-0801 General Engineering become reachable for those who pair shop experience with a degree or completed coursework. MRs who gravitated toward shop scheduling, tooling control, and parts accountability also map to GS-1601 General Facilities and Equipment and GS-1670 Equipment Services.
Veterans' Preference adds 5 or 10 points to your rated score and, in many trades vacancies, lets you compete in a separate category that civilians cannot. Federal shipyard and depot jobs reward continuity, so naval shop experience reads as directly relevant rather than as a career change. For the mechanics of writing to a federal vacancy announcement, the guide on moving into federal employment walks through the format, and you can start your federal resume here. Veterans from the Hull Maintenance Technician rating compete for many of the same shipyard trade slots.
| Series | Federal job title | Typical grades | Match | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WG-5350 | Production Machinery Mechanic | WG-8, WG-10, WG-11 | 5 of 5 | View details |
| WG-3414 | Machining | WG-10, WG-11, WG-12 | 5 of 5 | View details |
| WG-5334 | Marine Machinery Mechanic | WG-10, WG-11, WG-12 | 5 of 5 | View details |
| GS-0802 | Engineering Technician | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | 4 of 5 | View details |
| WG-3806 | Sheet Metal Mechanic | WG-8, WG-10 | 4 of 5 | View details |
| GS-1670 | Equipment Services | GS-7, GS-9 | 3 of 5 | View details |
| GS-0830 | Mechanical Engineering | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | 3 of 5 | View details |
| GS-1601 | General Facilities and Equipment | GS-7, GS-9 | 3 of 5 | View details |
Federal raters match your record against the announcement's specialized experience statement. BMR writes the federal format for any GS series above, with the hours per week and supervisor detail a rater looks for.
Free to start. Federal and private sector formats included.
Not everyone stays in a related field. These paths run on the transferable half of the job: leadership, risk, logistics, planning.
Building crowns, bridges, and dentures is precision part-making at small scale, the same hand-eye control and tolerance discipline a machinist uses on a lathe.
Transfers: Precision fabrication to plus or minus 0.001 inch tolerances, Hand and machine forming of small components, Material selection and finishing, Quality verification against a specification.
How to get there: Most start with on-the-job training at a dental lab; a community-college dental-technology program or the Certified Dental Technician (CDT) credential accelerates advancement.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 3% (As fast as average)
Aviation maintenance rewards the same drawing-driven precision and disciplined troubleshooting MRs use shipboard, in an industry that documents every repair.
Transfers: Working to documented engineering tolerances, Mechanical troubleshooting to root cause, Precision measurement and inspection, Repair under deadline and safety pressure.
How to get there: Earn the FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certificate; military mechanical experience can count toward the practical-experience requirement, shortening the path.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 5% (Faster than average)
Installing and servicing lift systems is mechanical work to exacting safety tolerances, a strong fit for someone who already aligns shafts and bearings to spec.
Transfers: Mechanical assembly and precision alignment, Reading mechanical and electrical schematics, Equipment troubleshooting under safety codes, Hand and machine tool proficiency.
How to get there: Enter through a National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) apprenticeship, typically four years, where prior mechanical experience is an advantage.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 6% (Faster than average)
Operating and maintaining building boilers, chillers, and mechanical plant draws on the same auxiliary-machinery and heat-exchanger work MRs do at sea.
Transfers: Mechanical systems operation and monitoring, Pump, valve, and heat-exchanger maintenance, Reading gauges and diagnosing faults, Hands-on equipment repair.
How to get there: A community-college HVAC or stationary-engineering program plus a local operating license; many states require a graded boiler-operator license earned through testing.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 2% (As fast as average)
Crafting and repairing fine metal pieces is precision metalwork at miniature scale, a natural fit for the steady hands and tolerance focus a machinist develops.
Transfers: Fine hand-tool and small-machine work, Working metal to exact dimensions, Finishing, polishing, and inspection, Patience and precision on high-value pieces.
How to get there: Vocational jewelry or metal-arts training, then bench experience; many learn through apprenticeship under an experienced jeweler.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 2% (As fast as average)
Building custom orthotic and prosthetic devices is precision one-off fabrication to an exact spec, the same craft an MR runs at the lathe and mill, applied to a patient instead of a pump shaft.
Transfers: Fabricating custom components to plus or minus a few thousandths of an inch, Reading prescriptions, prints, and dimensional specs, Hand and machine forming, finishing, and fitting, Quality inspection of each finished piece against spec.
How to get there: On-the-job training is common; an ABC-recognized technician program or certificate accelerates the move and is valued by O&P labs.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 6% (As fast as average)
The skills behind the specialty carry further than the specialty. BMR rewrites your bullets for any of the paths above without making it sound like you have never done the work.
Free to start. Try as many angles as you want.
If you are staying in machining, fabrication, or shipyard repair, your terminology already translates. Shop foremen know what a lathe operator and a CNC programmer do, so do not water down your jargon for them. This section is for MRs targeting careers outside the machine shop, where a hiring manager has never set foot on a tender and needs the work framed in business language.
The pattern that wins is to lead with the outcome and the standard, then name the skill. "Operated a lathe" tells a non-technical reader nothing. "Fabricated replacement components to drawing tolerances of plus or minus 0.001 inch, eliminating a 6-week supply lead time" tells them you deliver precision under deadline pressure.
For more before-and-after conversions across categories, the 50 military terms translated to civilian language guide is the fastest reference, and the walkthrough on converting evaluations into resume bullets shows where to mine the specifics. When you are ready to draft, the military resume builder handles the structure.
Before, in service
Fabricated replacement valve and pump components on shipboard lathes and milling machines
After, on the resume
Manufactured precision replacement components to drawing tolerances of plus or minus 0.001 inch, eliminating multi-week procurement delays
Before, in service
Read blueprints and engineering drawings to determine machining sequences
After, on the resume
Interpreted engineering specifications and GD&T callouts to develop build plans for complex assemblies
Before, in service
Programmed and operated CNC machines using CAD to produce shipboard repair parts
After, on the resume
Programmed, proved out, and validated CNC toolpaths from CAD models for automated production
Before, in service
Verified finished parts with micrometers, calipers, and gauges to shipboard standards
After, on the resume
Performed dimensional inspection against documented standards, accepting or rejecting parts to a defined quality threshold
Before, in service
Supervised a shipboard machine shop and a watch of junior machinery repairmen
After, on the resume
Led a production team managing throughput, quality, and training across a skilled-operator shop
Before, in service
Selected appropriate metals and heat treatments for replacement parts based on application
After, on the resume
Applied materials knowledge to select stock and processes matching strength and wear requirements
Before, in service
Restored failed propulsion components during underway casualty situations with limited stock
After, on the resume
Delivered critical equipment repairs under tight deadlines and material constraints, restoring operational capability
Before, in service
Maintained lathes, mills, and grinders and managed shop tooling inventory
After, on the resume
Maintained production equipment and managed tooling inventory to sustain shop uptime and output
BMR turns your MR duties and accomplishments into civilian bullets aimed at the job you are applying for. No manual translation.
Free to start. Tailored to each posting.
Which ones you need depends on where you are headed.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 12-24 monthsGI Bill eligibleFor MRs pivoting into aircraft maintenance; experience can count toward eligibility.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 1-3 monthsGI Bill eligibleFor MRs who cross-train in welding for fabrication and repair work.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 1-2 monthsGI Bill eligibleGeometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing credential that signals advanced blueprint fluency.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 2 yearsGI Bill eligibleGI Bill-fundable path toward GS-0802 Engineering Technician or GS-0830 Mechanical Engineering roles.
RecommendedCost FreeTime 1-2 weeksPreparation for WG-3414 Machining and related federal trades applications.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 12-24 monthsGI Bill eligibleFor MRs pivoting into dental laboratory technology, where precision fabrication transfers.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 2-4 monthsGI Bill eligibleAligns MR repair experience with industrial maintenance career tracks.
Highly RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 3-6 monthsGI Bill eligibleIndustry-recognized proof of machining competency civilian shops trust. GI Bill may fund approved programs.
Highly RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 3-6 monthsGI Bill eligibleValidates CNC setup and operation for MRs moving into programmed machining roles.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 2-4 monthsGI Bill eligibleCovers safety, quality, and production processes valued across manufacturing employers.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 3-6 monthsGI Bill eligibleFor MRs moving toward inspection and quality verification roles.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 2-4 monthsGI Bill eligibleProcess-improvement credential that strengthens a move into manufacturing leadership.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 30 hoursStandard shop-floor safety credential expected by many manufacturing employers.
Placement decides whether a screener ever sees it. BMR knows where each one ranks, what to call it, and how to frame it.
Free to start. Built around your real certs and clearance.
If you are continuing in the trade, your first move is matching civilian credentials to the work you already do. The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) offers competency credentials that civilian shops recognize immediately, and a SkillBridge placement with a manufacturer or shipbuilder lets you start before your separation date. The SkillBridge guide and the list of SkillBridge companies hiring are the places to start. Related ratings worth comparing: Machinist's Mate and the Air Force Aircraft Metals Technology career field.
If you want a clean break from the shop floor, lean on the credentials that signal you can manage process and quality anywhere. NIMS, an OSHA 30 card, and a quality certification open manufacturing-adjacent roles, and American Corporate Partners (ACP) provides free one-on-one veteran mentorship to help you map a new field. For broad career exploration, the military-to-civilian career hub lets you scan paths by skill rather than by rating. Plan the timeline early using the SFL-TAP transition checklist.
Whichever direction you choose, the military resume builder and the federal resume builder are built for exactly this translation work. When you are ready to start, build your resume now. See also the related Engineman career path for veterans weighing engine-room versus machine-shop routes.
Most people do this backwards: wait for terminal leave, then panic. This is the sequence that works. Already out? Same plan, day one is today.
Days 0 to 30
Days 30 to 60
Days 60 to 90
The most direct matches are machinist, CNC machinist, CNC programmer, tool and die maker, and production machinery mechanic. Per BLS (OEWS, May 2024), machinists earn a median of $56,150 and tool and die makers a median of $63,180. Shipbuilders, contract machine shops, and aerospace and medical-device manufacturers all hire this background. You can map your specific path on our <a href='/military-to-civilian-jobs' class='text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-400 font-medium no-underline hover:underline'>career crosswalk tool</a>.
BLS OEWS (May 2024) reports a national median of $56,150 for machinists and $63,180 for tool and die makers. Pay runs higher in regulated industries like aerospace and medical devices, which demand the tightest tolerances and the most documentation, and lower in general job shops. Geography matters more than in many trades because the work clusters in manufacturing regions.
Your precision, blueprint reading, and quality-verification habits transfer to several different industries. Veterans from this rating move into dental laboratory technology, aircraft maintenance, elevator and escalator repair, stationary engineering, and jewelry and precious-metal work, among others. See the Want to Change Careers Entirely section above for BLS salary data and the retraining each path takes.
You do not need one to start, but National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials are recognized across civilian shops and can shortcut the conversation in an interview. For roles outside the shop, an OSHA 30 card and a quality certification carry more weight. Different commands and billets produce different in-service quals, so list what you actually earned rather than assuming a standard set.
For most commercial machining work a clearance is not required, so it is a tiebreaker rather than a gate. It becomes a real advantage at defense shipbuilders, naval shipyards, and classified-program contractors, where an active clearance lets an employer put you to work immediately instead of waiting months. List the level and status if it is current.
Veterans' Preference adds 5 or 10 points to your rated score on a federal application, and for many Wage Grade trades vacancies it lets you compete in a separate category. The WG-3414 Machining classification is the federal version of your rating, and naval shop experience reads as directly relevant. Our <a href='/blog/federal-resumes/contractor-to-federal-employee-veteran-switch' class='text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-400 font-medium no-underline hover:underline'>guide to federal employment</a> covers how to claim it.
Yes. The GI Bill can fund NIMS-aligned programs, a community-college machining or manufacturing-technology certificate, or an associate or bachelor's degree if you want to move from the shop floor toward GS-0830 Mechanical Engineering or GS-0802 Engineering Technician roles. Pairing shop experience with a credential is what unlocks the higher GS series.
Lead with the tolerance, the material, and the outcome, not the machine. Instead of 'operated a lathe,' write 'fabricated replacement components to plus or minus 0.001 inch tolerances, eliminating a multi-week supply delay.' The <a href='/blog/career-transition/50-military-terms-civilian-equivalents-glossary' class='text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-400 font-medium no-underline hover:underline'>military terms glossary</a> has more before-and-after examples, and our <a href='/military-resume-builder' class='text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-400 font-medium no-underline hover:underline'>military resume builder</a> structures it for you.
The work clusters in manufacturing corridors more than in coastal metros: the upper Midwest, the Southeast, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest aerospace belt. Naval shipyard and depot machining jobs follow the fleet's homeports and major repair facilities. If relocation is an option, widening your search to a manufacturing region usually shortens the job hunt.
Yes. A SkillBridge placement with a manufacturer or shipbuilder lets you begin civilian work in your last months of service, and the network and credentials you build carry into the offer. Use the <a href='/military-transition/sfl-tap' class='text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-400 font-medium no-underline hover:underline'>SFL-TAP timeline</a> to start early, since machining employers hire on availability and rarely wait.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. Career data from O*NET OnLine.
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