Coatings Application Specialist

Gemini Industries, Inc.; El Reno (OK); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Gemini Industries, Inc. in El Reno, Oklahoma is seeking an experienced Application Specialist – Industrial Wood Coatings to join our team.

This hands-on role focuses on spray booth and production-floor performance, translating coating technology into reliable application results. Responsibilities include testing, evaluating sprayability and finish quality, setting up equipment, and supporting Product Management, R&D, Technical Service, and Sales with practical application insights.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with industrial wood coatings.
• Experience translating coating tech into production performance.

Responsibilities

• Conduct spray application testing for new products and improvements.
• Evaluate sprayability, film build, and appearance of coatings.
• Set up, operate, and troubleshoot finishing equipment.
• Support Product Management, R&D, Technical Service, and Sales with app insights.

Skills

Industrial coatings

Spray equipment

Technical communication

Team collaboration

Tools

HVLP equipment

Airless spray systems

Conventional spray systems

Job description

Salary: $60,000–$85,000 annually, commensurate with industrial coatings spray application experience

The Opportunity

Gemini Industries is seeking an experienced Application Specialist – Industrial Wood Coatings to join our team at our El Reno, Oklahoma facility.

This is a highly hands-on position for someone who understands how industrial coatings perform where it matters most — in the spray booth and on the production floor.

The Application Specialist will serve as a technical bridge between Product Management, Laboratory/R&D, Technical Service, and Sales, helping translate coating technology into reliable, real-world application performance.

We're looking for someone who knows industrial finishing equipment, understands coating behavior, can diagnose application problems, and is comfortable working spray equipment and evaluating a coating firsthand.

What You'll Do

Application Testing & Product Evaluation

Conduct spray application testing for new products, reformulations, and product improvements.

Evaluate industrial wood coatings for sprayability, atomization, flow and leveling, film build, appearance, sanding characteristics, feel, slip, and defect resistance.

Measure and document dry-to-handle, dry-to-sand, and dry-to-stack performance.

Evaluate stain systems for color development, wipe characteristics, spray/no-wipe application, and dry time.

Conduct competitive benchmarking and compare Gemini coating systems against competitive technologies.

Partner with Product Management and Laboratory/R&D to translate formulations into practical production performance.

Spray Equipment & Application Support

Set up, operate, maintain, and troubleshoot industrial finishing equipment, including:

• Airless spray systems
• HVLP equipment
• Conventional spray systems
• Pumps and pressure pots
• Fluid delivery and circulation systems

You'll also help establish application parameters and recommended equipment settings while maintaining spray booths, finishing equipment, filtration systems, sanding areas, and application-testing facilities.

Product Development & Technical Support

Support coating system validation and new product launches.

Troubleshoot application challenges during internal evaluations, field trials, and customer testing.

Provide practical application feedback to Product Management and Laboratory teams to improve formulations and product performance.

Develop recommended spray parameters, application guidelines, and finishing best practices.

Support Technical Service, Sales, and OEM teams with application expertise when required.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking candidates with strong, hands‑on industrial coatings spray application experience.

Experience with industrial wood coatings is strongly preferred, including:

• Stains and color systems
• Lacquers and pre-catalyzed lacquers
• Conversion varnishes

You should understand coating behavior in production environments and be comfortable identifying and correcting application issues such as orange peel, dry spray, poor atomization, inconsistent film build, flow and leveling problems, and other finish defects.

Strong mechanical aptitude and the ability to maintain and troubleshoot spray equipment and fluid delivery systems are important to success in this position.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of industrial coatings, wood finishing, or spray application experience.
• Hands‑on experience with industrial spray equipment and fluid delivery systems.
• Experience in OEM wood manufacturing or production finishing environments is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of coating evaluation, competitive testing, or product validation.
• Strong mechanical and troubleshooting ability.
• Strong observational and documentation skills.
• Ability to communicate technical findings effectively with both technical and commercial teams.
• Ability to work collaboratively across Product Management, Laboratory/R&D, Technical Service, and Sales.

What Success Looks Like

Our ideal Application Specialist is a hands‑on technical problem solver who can move comfortably between the laboratory, spray booth, production floor, and customer environment.

You'll help us answer the practical questions that ultimately determine whether a coating succeeds:

• How does it spray?
• How does it look and feel?
• How quickly can it move through production?
• What equipment settings produce the best result?
• What's causing an application defect?
• How does our system perform against the competition?

Your observations and recommendations will directly influence product development, product launches, technical documentation, and how Gemini supports customers in the field.

Work Arrangement: On-site

Salary Range: $60,000–$85,000 annually, commensurate with relevant industrial coatings spray application experience

Travel: Occasional travel to customer locations, suppliers, and Gemini facilities as required

The position involves work in office, laboratory, spray-booth, manufacturing, and customer environments. Candidates must be comfortable working around industrial finishing equipment and coating materials and following established environmental, health, and safety procedures.

The position may require lifting or moving materials up to 50 pounds.

This is an opportunity to have a direct impact on the development and commercialization of Gemini's industrial wood coatings portfolio.

You'll work alongside the people who develop, test, launch, sell, and support our coating technologies while helping ensure that what we develop in the laboratory delivers the performance our customers expect in real-world production.