R&D- Senior Chemist

Sherwin-Williams; Greensboro (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sherwin-Williams seeks a Senior Chemist to provide technical leadership for the Industrial Wood Maintenance team. You will sustain existing products, resolve customer and manufacturing issues, and support business continuity with cross-functional collaboration across Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, and Technical Service.

The role includes mentoring chemists, addressing safety and compliance, and driving process improvements while maintaining timely customer solutions to protect

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics field as a minimum.
• 5+ years of coating formulation and application experience.
• Experience resolving technical issues and leading RCIs (root-cause investigations).
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical activities to sustain business objectives, product stewardship, and customer issue resolution.
• Investigate and resolve internal and external technical issues through structured problem solving.
• Coordinate activities with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, and Technical Services to support business needs.
• Meet turnaround times for customer support, investigations, and sustaining projects.
• Mentor chemists and laboratory personnel to develop technical capabilities.

Skills

Coating formulation

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Manufacturing support

Technical leadership

Education

Polymers and Coatings degree

MS or PhD in a relevant field

Job description

Job Description

The Senior Chemist provides technical expertise and leadership in support of maintenance of business activities for the Industrial Wood Maintenance of Business team. Reporting to the Technical Manager, this role is responsible for sustaining existing products, resolving customer and manufacturing issues, supporting business continuity, and ensuring reliable product performance. The Senior Chemist partners closely with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Technical Service, Supply Chain, and customers to address technical challenges, execute product modifications, support operational needs, and deliver timely solutions that maintain customer satisfaction and business objectives.

Job Description

The Senior Chemist provides technical expertise and leadership in support of maintenance of business activities for the Industrial Wood Maintenance of Business team. Reporting to the Technical Manager, this role is responsible for sustaining existing products, resolving customer and manufacturing issues, supporting business continuity, and ensuring reliable product performance. The Senior Chemist partners closely with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Technical Service, Supply Chain, and customers to address technical challenges, execute product modifications, support operational needs, and deliver timely solutions that maintain customer satisfaction and business objectives.

Job duties include contact with other employees and access to 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.

20% Travel

Responsibilities

• Lead technical activities that support maintenance of business objectives, including product stewardship, customer issue resolution, manufacturing support, and sustaining existing product lines.
• Investigate and resolve internal and external technical issues through structured problem solving, root cause analysis, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Coordinate technical activities with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Procurement, Technical Services, and external customers to support ongoing business requirements.
• Prioritize and respond to urgent customer requests, product performance concerns, manufacturing issues, and supply continuity challenges.
• Support operational excellence by identifying risks to product quality, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and business continuity.
• Recommend and execute product modifications and process improvements that improve performance, manufacturability, reliability, and customer satisfaction while minimizing business disruption.
• Support manufacturing plants and customers through troubleshooting, process optimization, training, and technical consultation.
• Maintain strong technical relationships with customers and serve as a key resource in addressing escalated technical concerns.
• Meet or exceed established turnaround times for customer support activities, investigations, corrective actions, and sustaining projects.
• Maintain safe operating procedures through adherence to company safety requirements and laboratory standards.
• Maintain laboratory inventories, equipment, panels, and supplies necessary to support ongoing business operations.
• Mentor and develop chemists and laboratory personnel through technical guidance, coaching, and knowledge sharing.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement that enhance operational efficiency, product performance, and customer experience.
• Prepare technical reports, investigation summaries, and recommendations to communicate findings and business impacts to stakeholders.
• Adhere to company safety standards at all times.

Qualifications

• Must be legally authorized to work in the country for which you are applying for employment (without now or in the future needing sponsorship for employment work visa and/or permanent residence status)
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must have a bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (“STEM”) field
• 5+ years of experience in coating formulation and application.
• Experience resolving technical issues and leading root cause investigations.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree in Polymers and Coatings
• MS or Ph.D.
• Experience in industrial or OEM coating formulation.
• Experience supporting commercialized products in a manufacturing and customer-facing environment.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Sales, Marketing, and Technical Service teams.
• At least 1 year in mentoring or management experience
• Experience on customer application lines (e.g., curtain coaters, vacuum coaters, roll coaters, and other OEM application equipment).
• Familiarity with statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), DFSS, Lean Six Sigma, Kepner-Tregoe, or other problem-solving methodologies.
• Internship, co-op, or research experience supporting manufacturing or product development activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Polymers and Coatings
• MS or Ph.D.
• Experience in industrial or OEM coating formulation.
• Experience supporting commercialized products in a manufacturing and customer-facing environment.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Sales, Marketing, and Technical Service teams.
• At least 1 year in mentoring or management experience
• Experience on customer application lines (e.g., curtain coaters, vacuum coaters, roll coaters, and other OEM application equipment).
• Familiarity with statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), DFSS, Lean Six Sigma, Kepner-Tregoe, or other problem-solving methodologies.
• Internship, co-op, or research experience supporting manufacturing or product development activities.

Successful candidate will be required to sign an Employee Restrictive Covenant Agreement where permitted by law.

About Us

At Sherwin-Williams, our purpose is to inspire and improve the world by coloring and protecting what matters. Our paints, coatings and innovative solutions make the places and spaces in our world brighter and stronger. Your skills, talent and passion make it possible to live this purpose, and for customers and our business to achieve great results. Sherwin-Williams is a place that takes its stability, growth and momentum and translates it to possibility for our people. Our people are behind the strength of our success, and we invest and support you in:

Life … with rewards, benefits and the flexibility to enhance your health and well-being

Career … with opportunities to learn, develop new skills and grow your contribution

Connection … with an inclusive team and commitment to our own and broader communities

It's all here for you... let’s Create Your

Possible

At Sherwin-Williams, part of our mission is to help our employees and their families live healthier, save smarter and feel better. This starts with a wide range of world-class benefits designed for you. From retirement to health care, from total well-being to your daily commute—it matters to us. A general description of benefits offered can be found at http://www.myswbenefits.com/.

Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case and will impact where actual compensation may fall within the stated wage range. The wage range listed for this role takes into account the wide range of factors considered in making compensation decisions including skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. The wage range, other compensation, and benefits information listed is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws including with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act where applicable.

Sherwin-Williams is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, age, pregnancy, genetic information, creed, marital status or any other consideration prohibited by law or by contract.

As a VEVRAA Federal Contractor, Sherwin-Williams requests state and local employment services delivery systems to provide priority referral of Protected Veterans.

Please be aware, Sherwin-Williams recruiting team members will never request a candidate to provide a payment, ask for financial information, or sensitive personal information like national identification numbers, date of birth, or bank account numbers during the application process.