R&D- Chemist II

The Sherwin-Williams Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sherwin-Williams Company seeks a Chemist II for the General Industrial Liquid Laboratory to support formulation development, qualification, commercialization, and technical service for heavy equipment liquid coatings. The role emphasizes polymer chemistry, formulation principles, and application testing to meet performance, regulatory, and customer requirements.

You will work closely with leadership, sales, operations, quality, analytical, and manufacturing teams to develop robust coating

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering or math.
• 3+ years of coatings formulation, coatings application, materials testing, or related industrial laboratory work.
• Knowledge of formulation inputs including resins, pigments, additives, solvents, crosslinkers, and rheology modifiers.
• Ability to design experiments, interpret laboratory and application data, and translate results into actionable technical recommendations.
• Ability to manage multiple technical assignments and meet project timelines.

Responsibilities

• Build technical expertise in Heavy Equipment liquid coating platforms, qualification requirements, application methods, and end-use performance expectations.
• Formulate, evaluate, and optimize solventborne and/or waterborne liquid coating systems using sound principles of chemistry, materials science, and coating formulation.
• Plan and execute laboratory experiments, application trials, and performance testing to support line maintenance, raw material approvals, and customer-specific technical requests.
• Analyze test results, raw data-based conclusions, and communicate technical findings, risks, and recommendations to project teams and technical management.
• Support product commercialization by partnering with operations, quality, manufacturing, analytical, and supply chain teams to ensure formulas are scalable, manufacturable, and aligned with specification requirements.
• Serve as a technical resource for questions from plants, quality control, technical service, sales, customers, and other stakeholders regarding liquid coating performance, application, and troubleshooting.
• Identify customer and manufacturing issues, evaluate potential root causes, and recommend practical corrective actions using structured problem-solving and scientific reasoning.
• Manage assigned project work effectively, balancing timelines, priorities, experimental rigor, documentation, and follow-up to ensure commitments are met.
• Maintain accurate technical records, formulation data, test results, and project documentation in accordance with laboratory expectations and business needs.
• Contribute to a collaborative laboratory environment by sharing technical knowledge and engaging with team members and stakeholders.

Skills

Coatings formulation

Coatings application

Materials testing

Experimental design

Data interpretation

Project management

Technical communication

Laboratory work

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM field

Job description

The General Industrial Liquid Laboratory is seeking a Chemist II to support formulation development, product qualification, commercialization, and technical service for liquid coatings used in the Heavy Equipment market segment. This role is ideal for a science-minded coatings professional who enjoys applying polymer chemistry, formulation principles, application testing, and structure-property relationships to solve practical customer and manufacturing challenges. The Chemist II will work closely with technical leadership, sales, marketing, operations, quality, analytical, and manufacturing teams to develop robust coating solutions that meet performance, application, regulatory, and customer-specific requirements.

Job duties include contact with other employees and access confidential and proprietary information and/or other items of value, and such access may be supervised or unsupervised. The Company therefore has determined that a review of criminal history is necessary to protect the business and its operations and reputation and is necessary to protect the safety of the Company's staff, employees, and business relationships.

• Build technical expertise in Heavy Equipment liquid coating platforms, qualification requirements, application methods, and end-use performance expectations.
• Formulate, evaluate, and optimize solventborne and/or waterborne liquid coating systems using sound principles of chemistry, materials science, and coating formulation.
• Plan and execute laboratory experiments, application trials, and performance testing to support, line maintenance, raw material approvals, and customer-specific technical requests.
• Analyze test results, raw data-based conclusions, and communicate technical findings, risks, and recommendations to project teams and technical management.
• Support product commercialization by partnering with operations, quality, manufacturing, analytical, and supply chain teams to ensure formulas are scalable, manufacturable, and aligned with specification requirements.
• Serve as a technical resource for questions from plants, quality control, technical service, sales, customers, and other internal or external stakeholders regarding liquid coating performance, application, and troubleshooting.
• Identify customer and manufacturing issues, evaluate potential root causes, and recommend practical corrective actions using structured problem-solving and scientific reasoning.
• Manage assigned project work effectively, balancing timelines, priorities, experimental rigor, documentation, and follow-up to ensure commitments are met.
• Maintain accurate technical records, formulation data, test results, and project documentation in accordance with laboratory expectations and business needs.
• Contribute to a collaborative laboratory environment by sharing technical knowledge, supporting cross-functional communication, and engaging constructively with team members and stakeholders.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Must meet ITAR U.S. Person requirements - Sherwin-Williams maintains International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) compliant operations in United States based facilities. This position is subject to ITAR which requires U.S. Person status. ITAR defines U.S. Person as U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents, or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status.
• Bachelor's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math field.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• 3+ years of experience in coatings formulation, coatings application, materials testing, or related industrial laboratory work.
• Working knowledge of formulation inputs, including resins, pigments, additives, solvents, crosslinkers, and rheology modifiers.
• Demonstrated ability to design experiments, interpret laboratory and application data, and translate results into actionable technical recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple technical assignments, communicate progress clearly, and meet project timelines.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with General Industrial or OEM liquid coatings for heavy equipment, transportation, construction, agricultural, or related industrial applications.
• Knowledge of corrosion protection, durability testing, adhesion, appearance, weathering, chemical resistance, and other performance attributes relevant to heavy equipment coatings.
• Familiarity with customer qualification protocols, specification testing, manufacturing scale-up, and troubleshooting in industrial coatings environments.
• Knowledge of pretreatment chemistry, substrate preparation, and the interaction between coating systems and metal surfaces.
• Training or practical experience with Design of Experiments, statistical analysis, root cause analysis, or Design for Six Sigma methods.

Travel Requirements: Up to 10% Domestic and International

This position is not eligible for sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, including conversion to H-1B visa.

This position is also eligible for bonus based on performance and subject to the terms of the Company's applicable plans.