Senior Chemist, Automotive Coatings R&D Lead

PPG; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

PPG in Cleveland, OH is seeking an S&T Product Development Chemist II, Senior to lead development of waterborne automotive refinish basecoat technologies. The role focuses on translating business needs into technical plans, leading experiments, and driving programs from concept to commercialization with minimal supervision.

The position emphasizes technical leadership, mentorship, and collaboration with R&D, manufacturing, marketing, sales, procurement, quality, and product management to ensure

Qualifications

• Lead technical projects or major workstreams with minimal supervision.
• Proven ability to make data-driven technical decisions that advance complex projects.
• Strong knowledge of formulation development, experimental design, and laboratory practices.
• Mentor less experienced staff in experimental planning, data analysis, and technical decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimization of waterborne automotive refinish basecoat formulations.
• Define technical strategy, experimental plans, and drive programs from concept to commercialization.
• Make critical technical decisions using scientific principles, risk assessment, and customer requirements.
• Lead complex investigations on formulation performance, color properties, durability, and manufacturability.
• Design and execute laboratory experiments with clear success criteria and controls.
• Translate results into actionable recommendations for project direction and resource priorities.
• Coach and mentor junior chemists in experimental design and data interpretation.
• Provide technical leadership across R&D, manufacturing, marketing, sales, procurement, quality, and product management.
• Lead technology transfer, scale-up, and manufacturing trials; support launch readiness.
• Maintain strong documentation and safety practices; support 6S and continuous improvement.

Skills

Project leadership

Coatings formulation

Waterborne formulations

Color development

Data interpretation

Mentoring

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Coatings Science

Job description

PPG in Cleveland, OH is seeking an S&T Product Development Chemist II, Senior to lead development of waterborne automotive refinish basecoat technologies. The role focuses on translating business needs into technical plans, leading experiments, and driving programs from concept to commercialization with minimal supervision.

The position emphasizes technical leadership, mentorship, and collaboration with R&D, manufacturing, marketing, sales, procurement, quality, and product management to ensure