Senior Application Engineer- Powder Coating Application Technology

The Sherwin-Williams Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sherwin-Williams Company is seeking an Application Engineering Scientist to lead development and commercialization of powder coating processes for high-speed coil lines, acting as a technical expert in application and curing technologies.

You will drive process optimization, equipment evaluation, and customer trials, collaborating with R&D, manufacturing and field teams to deliver scalable coating solutions and establish best practices and technical standards for global application

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Coatings Technology, or a closely related STEM discipline.
• 5 years of experience in industrial coating application, formulation, process development, technical service, or manufacturing support.
• Hands-on experience in a powder coating laboratory, pilot-line, technical service, application engineering, or production-support environment.
• Ability to interpret technical data related to coating appearance, film thickness, adhesion, cure response, mechanical performance, corrosion resistance, weathering performance, and production-line robustness.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, scale-up, and technical validation of powder coating application processes for high-speed continuous coil coating lines.
• Identify, evaluate, design, and optimize application equipment, process parameters, and curing technologies to enable uniform powder deposition, film build control, surface appearance, and line-speed capability.
• Technical expertise in powder coating, as transfer efficiency, electrostatic charging behavior, particle fluidization, powder delivery stability, booth design, overspray recovery, substrate preheating, melt flow, coalescence, and cure kinetics.
• Demonstrate hands-on experience with electrostatic powder spray application, powder handling, feeding, reclaim, sieving, fluidized-bed, and control systems; and various curing processes.
• Plan, execute, and support global customer trials, technical demonstrations, and production-line start-ups for powder coating application technology.
• Develop pilot-line and production-line validation protocols, including process windows, critical quality attributes, measurement methods, acceptance criteria, and troubleshooting plans.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

Design of Experiments

Root-cause analysis

Troubleshooting methodologies

Technical reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or closely related STEM

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled Application Engineering Scientist to lead the development and commercialization of powder coating application processes for high-speed continuous coil coating lines. This role will serve as a technical expert in powder application and curing technologies, driving process optimization, equipment evaluation, customer trials, and production-line implementation. The successful candidate will collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, and customer teams to deliver scalable, high-performance coating solutions while establishing best practices and technical standards for global application excellence.

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.

This position is eligible for health benefits, such as medical, dental and vision coverage, Flexible
Spending Accounts (FSAs), disability coverage, security, retirement and saving benefits. Additional
benefits include a generous time away from work package, including personal leave, paid parental
leave, medical leave, vacation, and holidays.

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

25-50% Travel

Responsibilities include:

• Lead the development, scale-up, and technical validation of powder coating application processes for high-speed continuous coil coating lines.
• Identify, evaluate, design, and optimize application equipment, process parameters, and curing technologies to enable uniform powder deposition, film build control, surface appearance, and line-speed capability.
• Technical expertise in powder coating, as transfer efficiency, electrostatic charging behavior, particle fluidization, powder delivery stability, booth design, overspray recovery, substrate preheating, melt flow, coalescence, and cure kinetics.
• Demonstrate hands-on experience with the following technologies:
  • Electrostatic powder spray application, including corona and/or tribo-charging systems.
  • Powder handling, feeding, reclaim, sieving, fluidized-bed, and control systems.
  • Thermal, infrared, ultraviolet, electron-beam, or hybrid curing processes for coating film formation and final performance development.
• Plan, execute, and support global customer trials, technical demonstrations, and production-line start-ups for powder coating application technology.
• Develop pilot-line and production-line validation protocols, including process windows, critical quality attributes, measurement methods, acceptance criteria, and troubleshooting plans.
• Create installation, commissioning, operating, maintenance, and process-control guidelines for laboratory, pilot, and customer application environments.
• Serve as the technical lead for customer demonstrations, equipment trials, process qualification activities, and root-cause investigations related to powder application and cure performance.
• Build and transfer global application knowledge by documenting best practices, technical learnings, process limits, and equipment recommendations.
• Establish standardized test methods, application protocols, and technical reporting templates to support reproducible powder coating evaluations across regions.

Minimum Requirements

• 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
• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Coatings Technology, or a closely related STEM discipline.
• 5 years of experience in industrial coating application, formulation, process development, technical service, or manufacturing support.
• Hands-on experience in a powder coating laboratory, pilot-line, technical service, application engineering, or production-support environment.
• Ability to interpret technical data related to coating appearance, film thickness, adhesion, cure response, mechanical performance, corrosion resistance, weathering performance, and production-line robustness.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of combined experience in powder coating formulation, application engineering, process optimization, technical service, and field implementation.
• Technical knowledge of industrial finishing lines, including surface preparation, cleaning or pretreatment, substrate heating, powder deposition, cure, cooling, inspection, and downstream handling.
• Working knowledge of high speed coating processes, continuous-line constraints, metal substrate behavior, line-speed limitations, and performance requirements for architectural, industrial, and appliance applications.
• Strong understanding of powder coating specifications and how application variables affect customer-line performance, including film build, gloss, texture, color control, adhesion, flexibility, impact resistance, corrosion protection, and exterior durability.
• Experience developing technical work instructions, standard operating procedures, process risk assessments, and Job Hazard Analysis reviews aligned with corporate EHS requirements.
• Competency in Lean Six Sigma, Design of Experiments, statistical process analysis, root-cause analysis, and structured troubleshooting methodologies.
• Ability to communicate complex technical findings through written reports, customer-facing summaries, trial reports, and technical presentations.

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