Lead Application Engineer, Flexible Packaging

Henkel; Elgin (IL); On-site; USD 105,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Work‑Life Balance

Financial benefits (bonus, 401k)

Family Support

Career Growth

Job summary

Henkel in the United States seeks an experienced coatings technical advisor to lead demonstrations, trials, and troubleshooting at customer sites. You will bridge customers with product development, manufacturing, supply chain, sales, and marketing to tailor coating solutions for substrates and processes.

The role emphasizes hands-on coating methods, problem-solving, and strong communication, with up to 60% travel in the USA and occasional international assignments, supporting growth in Adhesive

Qualifications

• This role requires a coatings-focused background and hands-on experience with coating methods and equipment.
• Strong problem-solving skills to troubleshoot coating performance and process variability.
• Ability to translate customer needs into practical coating recommendations and trial plans.
• Willingness to travel up to ~60% in USA and occasional MX/CAN with planning for work-life balance.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted technical partner by leading coatings demonstrations, trials, troubleshooting, and training at customer sites.
• Serve as liaison between customers and internal teams to translate needs into actionable requirements.
• Provide timely technical support including product recommendations and substrate evaluations.
• Plan and communicate laboratory and pilot-scale requests to support customer projects.
• Prepare reports summarizing trial results and communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Contribute coatings expertise through customer engagement and professional networks.
• Lead by example in safety and complete site safety requirements.
• Develop technical and professional skills through ongoing learning and mentoring.

Skills

Hands-on coating methods

People skills

Organization skills

Travel readiness

Education

BS in Chemical Engineering / Materials Science / Chemistry / Polymer Science / Mechanical Engineering or related

Tools

Gravure

Slot die

Roll coating

Mayer rod

Laminator/coater

Drying & curing conditions

Job description

About this Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow.

This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.

Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

What You´ll Do

• Acts as a trusted technical partner for customers by leading coatings-focused product and technology demonstrations, coating trials, troubleshooting, and training at customer sites, using pre- and post-trial documentation and visit reports to help customers succeed.
• Serves as the technical liaison between customers and internal teams—including product development, manufacturing, supply chain, sales, and marketing—to translate application needs into actionable product, process, and customer support requirements.
• Provides timely technical support for assigned regional customers, including product recommendations, substrate evaluations, complaint investigations, line issue diagnosis, and application-based problem solving.
• Plans, executes, and communicates laboratory and pilot-scale requests to support customer and market projects, including coating weight, appearance, adhesion, performance, and processability assessments.
• Prepares reports that summarize trial results, technical findings, conclusions, and recommended next steps, and communicates this information effectively to internal and external stakeholders.
• Provides market‑specific coatings expertise through customer engagement, competitive and industry awareness, and involvement in professional societies, technical networks, and industry associations.
• Leads by example in Safety, completing all necessary site and field safety requirements.
• Develops technical and professional skills through ongoing learning, mentoring, and participation in internal and external technical communities.

What makes you a good fit

• BS in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or similar degree/experience required; coatings‑related technical background strongly preferred.
• Typically, 5–10+ years of technical service, application engineering, process engineering, product development, or industry experience, with direct experience in coatings, coated substrates, converting, or flexible packaging strongly preferred.
• Willing to travel up to ~60%, primarily in the USA and occasionally MX/CAN; with advance planning and support to enable sustainable work‑life balance.
• Hands‑on experience with coating application methods and equipment, such as gravure, slot die, roll coating, rod coating, Mayer rod, reverse roll, pilot coater, laminator/coater, drying/curing conditions, coating weight control, and defect troubleshooting is highly valued.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot coatings performance and application issues, including adhesion, wet‑out, film formation, blocking, curl, appearance defects, coat weight variation, viscosity/rheology, drying, curing, and substrate compatibility.
• Experience translating customer process conditions, substrate structures, and end‑use requirements into practical coatings recommendations and trial plans.
• Excellent people skills; able to work effectively with a range of individuals from manufacturing operators and laboratory technicians through senior management both at customers and within Henkel.
• Strong organization skills with the ability to manage multiple customer coating trials, technical requests, and follow‑up actions while maintaining clear documentation and communication.

Some benefits of joining Henkel

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work‑Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12‑week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

The salary range for this role is $105,000.00 and $125,000.00. This range represents the good‑faith minimum and maximum wages the Company reasonably expects to offer for this role at the time of posting. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for incentive pay or other forms of compensation, as applicable. The Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package as described above. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, experience, education, training, and work location. This posting is intended to comply with all applicable state and local pay transparency laws.

Henkel does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Henkel property and therefore, Henkel will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral.

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.