R&D- Technical Manager

Sherwin-Williams; Brecksville (OH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Sherwin‑Williams is seeking a Technical Manager to lead the Industrial Wood Laboratory team in Brecksville, OH. You will drive rapid technical problem solving, prioritize urgent customer requests, and coordinate cross‑functional efforts to sustain operations and customer satisfaction.

You will partner with Industrial Wood Sales, Technical Services, Quality, and Marketing to plan maintenance and development projects, mentor staff, and ensure delivery of high‑quality technical solutions in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (required).
• 8 years of experience in coating formulation.
• 4 years of experience in managing/supervising direct reports.
• Customer‑facing interaction experience.
• Strong track record of successful product development and launch.

Responsibilities

• Fully accountable for technical activities supporting maintenance of business.
• Lead culture of urgency, accountability, and customer focus for reliable product performance.
• Direct technical resources and priorities to support ongoing business needs and customer requests.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders on operational challenges and risk mitigation.
• Maintain strong technical relationships with customers and act as escalation point for critical issues.
• Drive customer focus and technical relationship plans for existing product customers.
• Ensure high‑quality execution of multiple priorities, including urgent requests and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Problem solving

Communication

Customer facing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Science/Engineering/Math

Job description

Job DescriptionThe Industrial Wood Laboratory is seeking a Technical Manager to lead a team focused on maintaining and supporting existing products, resolving critical customer issues, and ensuring continuity of business operations. This role is responsible for prioritizing urgent customer requests, driving rapid technical problem solving, coordinating cross‑functional response efforts, and delivering timely and effecting solutions that support customer satisfaction as well as business objectives. This individual will work closely with Industrial Wood Sales, Technical Services, Quality, and Marketing to identify the needs and timelines for maintenance of business development projects and will coordinate project activities with all the pertinent functions within SW. The ideal candidate excels in a fast‑paced environment, balances multiple priorities effectively, and demonstrates strong leadership in managing technical challenges, operational demands, and customer escalations. 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.

This role is not hybrid and will be located at Sherwin‑Williams Morikis Global Technology Center located at 6745 Miller Road, Brecksville, OH 44141.

Travel: 20% Domestic and International

Responsibilities

• Is fully accountable for technical activities that support maintenance of business, including customer issue resolution, product stewardship, business continuity, and sustaining operations for our building products customers.
• Leads a culture of urgency, accountability, and customer focus to ensure reliable product performance, timely issue resolution, and consistent delivery against business commitments.
• Directs technical resources and priorities to support ongoing business needs, customer requests, quality improvements, manufacturing support, and risk mitigation activities.
• Collaborates with business and cross‑functional stakeholders to address operational challenges, customer escalations, product changes, supply continuity concerns, and emerging business risks.
• Maintains strong technical relationships with customers, serving as an escalation point for critical issues and ensuring effective communication and resolution of customer concerns.
• Drives customer focus and technical relationship plans for building product customers and takes direct responsibility for customer satisfaction and business retention as the technical leader for maintenance of business for IW‑Building Products.
• Ensures high‑quality execution of multiple competing priorities, including urgent customer requests, root cause investigations, corrective actions, regulatory requirements, and other business critical support activities.

Technology Leadership

• Is fully accountable for technical activities that support maintenance of business, including customer issue resolution, product stewardship, business continuity, and sustaining operations for our building products customers.
• Leads a culture of urgency, accountability, and customer focus to ensure reliable product performance, timely issue resolution, and consistent delivery against business commitments.
• Directs technical resources and priorities to support ongoing business needs, customer requests, quality improvements, manufacturing support, and risk mitigation activities.
• Collaborates with business and cross‑functional stakeholders to address operational challenges, customer escalations, product changes, supply continuity concerns, and emerging business risks.
• Maintains strong technical relationships with customers, serving as an escalation point for critical issues and ensuring effective communication and resolution of customer concerns.
• Drives customer focus and technical relationship plans for building product customers and takes direct responsibility for customer satisfaction and business retention as the technical leader for maintenance of business for IW‑Building Products.
• Ensures high‑quality execution of multiple competing priorities, including urgent customer requests, root cause investigations, corrective actions, regulatory requirements, and other business critical support activities.

Talent Development

• Coaches and develops team members to effectively support maintenance of business activities, customer issue resolution, and operational priorities within Industrial Wood and Sherwin‑Williams as an enterprise.
• Identifies skill gaps and implements targeted development plans that strengthen technical problem‑solving, decision making, and customer support activities. Provides timely feedback and addresses performance issues through actionable development plans.
• Enables, leads by example, and fosters a culture focused on operational excellence, business continuity, customer responsiveness, technical rigor, and continuous improvement to ensure successful support of existing products, customers, and manufacturing operations.
• Empowers team members, models desired behaviors, and promotes a culture of belonging, engagement, collaboration, and shared accountability in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment.
• Identifies the critical skills and knowledge required to successfully support maintenance of business objectives, including issue resolution, root cause analysis, risk mitigation, and customer support.
• Recognizes high performance and removes barriers that impact team effectiveness and operational stability.
• Maintains overall accountability for delivering timely and effective performance feedback aligned with individual objectives, team performance, customer commitments, and business support priorities.
• Optimizes resource allocation and team capacity across sustaining product modification and development activities, urgent customer requests, product support, corrective actions, and other business‑critical technical priorities.
• Models calm and steadfast leadership to the team during times of uncertainty and quickly changing priorities; supports and guides the team through challenging technical projects under intense pressure and timing constraints.
• Demonstrates calm, decisive leadership during customer escalations, operational challenges, and rapidly changing business conditions. Supports and guides the team through complex technical investigations, urgent requests, and high‑priority business issues while maintaining focus of customer satisfaction and business continuity.
• Will hire and train chemists, technicians, and other team members to support this newly focused group.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Must be legally authorized to work in the country of employment without needing sponsorship for employment work visa status now or in the future (e.g., OPT, CPT, H1B, EB‑1,etc.)
• Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math field.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• 8 years of experience in coating formulation and applications
• 4 years of experience in managing/supervising direct report(s) with a passion for people development
• Customer‑facing interaction experience
• Strong track record of successful product development and launch

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge or experience in industrial paint formulations and processing
• DFFS/Lean Green Belt and/or Kepner‑Tregoe expertise
• Industrial customer‑facing interaction experience
• Waterborne formulation expertise
• Experience of industrial applications (e.g., curtain coating, DRC, vacuum coating)
• Wood composite (e.g., fiber cement, OSB) knowledge in manufacturing and/or coating

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

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/. Click on “Candidates” to view benefit offerings that you may be eligible for if you are hired as a Sherwin‑Williams employee.
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.
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.