Powder Coating Team Leader

LJ Recruitment Limited; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

LJ Recruitment Limited is seeking an experienced Powder Coating Team Leader in Mid-Essex. You will lead a team across pre-treatment, powder application, curing and inspection to maintain exceptional finish quality and safe working practices while driving production efficiency.

The role emphasizes leadership, technical knowledge of powder coating processes, interpretation of specifications, and hands-on coaching to continuously improve performance.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams in manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of powder coating processes and quality standards.
• Ability to read job cards, colour specs and technical data sheets.
• Excellent communication, organisation and problem-solving skills.
• Training in Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Qualifications related to surface pre-treatment or coating technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and motivate a team across pre-treatment, powder application, curing and inspection.
• Plan daily workloads and maintain efficient production flow.
• Oversee pre-treatment, coating, curing and quality inspection activities.
• Ensure products meet thickness, adhesion, gloss and colour standards.
• Check powder types, equipment settings and application parameters.
• Provide coaching, training and performance feedback.
• Be the first point of contact for technical issues and escalate when required.
• Monitor equipment performance and work with engineering to minimise downtime.
• Promote HS, PPE and chemical handling standards.
• Support incident investigations and corrective actions.

Skills

Leadership

Powder coating

Quality standards

Communication

CI/Continuous improvement

Surface preparation or coating tech

Tools

Powder coating equipment

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Powder Coating Team Leader to join a well-established manufacturer in Mid-Essex.

You'll take responsibility for the operation of the powder coating plant, leading a team across pre-treatment, powder application, curing and inspection. You'll play a key role in maintaining exceptional finish quality, ensuring safe working practices and improving production efficiency.

Responsibilities:

• Lead, motivate and support a team of operatives across the powder coating process.
• Plan daily workloads, allocate tasks and maintain an efficient production flow.
• Oversee pre-treatment, coating, curing and quality inspection activities.
• Ensure finished products meet required thickness, adhesion, gloss and colour standards.
• Check powder types, equipment settings and application parameters are correct.
• Provide hands-on coaching, training and performance feedback.
• Act as the first point of contact for technical issues and elevate where required.
• Monitor equipment performance and work closely with engineering to minimise downtime.
• Promote excellent standards of H&S, PPE and chemical handling.
• Support incident investigations and corrective actions.

What We're Looking For:

Essential:

• Previous experience working within a powder coating or finishing environment.
• Proven leadership or supervisory experience within manufacturing.
• Strong technical understanding of powder coating processes, equipment and quality standards.
• Ability to interpret job cards, colour specifications and technical data sheets.
• Excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Training in Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Training or qualifications relating to surface preparation or coating technologies.

Desirable:

• Experience with automated or robotic powder coating systems.
• Knowledge of chemical pre-treatment systems such as phosphate or chemical conversion processes.
• First Aid or safety-related qualifications.

7:00am-4:30pm Monday-Thursday

£35-40k

This is a fantastic opportunity to take a key leadership position within a busy manufacturing environment, helping to develop a strong team while improving quality, efficiency and production performance.