Senior Coatings Chemist & Lab Lead - Aerospace & Defense

Thomas Brooke International; Port Byron (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health premium coverage

Family health coverage

Quad Cities lifestyle

Job summary

Thomas Brooke International, a long-established coatings provider in the Quad Cities, seeks a Senior Coatings Chemist to build and eventually lead the technical function as the current director retires over a ~3‑year overlap. Expect ownership from Day 1, driving high‑complexity epoxy bake systems and niche formulations for aerospace and defense.

You will oversee raw material strategy, collaborate with production on scale-up, and guide a laboratory team while maintaining rigorous documentation

Qualifications

• 8+ years formulating high-performance coatings for aerospace/defense or similarly regulated environments.
• Experience with epoxy bake systems (melamines, phenolics) and related thin film tech.
• Hands-on PPAP-like or formal qualification atmosphere is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Drive hands-on formulation work across epoxy bake systems and manage a portfolio of concurrent projects.
• Own raw material strategy and qualification, including PFAS elimination and metal pigment replacements.
• Serve as the primary technical resource for customers (OEMs, applicators) and troubleshoot field issues.
• Manage the lab technician team in a hands-on, coach-and-lead role.
• Maintain AS9100-aligned design control documentation and support production scale-up trials.

Skills

Coatings formulation

Epoxy bake systems

Thin film coatings

AS9100 / MIL-SPEC knowledge

Problem solving

Lab leadership

Education

BS in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science or related

Job description

Thomas Brooke International, a long-established coatings provider in the Quad Cities, seeks a Senior Coatings Chemist to build and eventually lead the technical function as the current director retires over a ~3‑year overlap. Expect ownership from Day 1, driving high‑complexity epoxy bake systems and niche formulations for aerospace and defense.

You will oversee raw material strategy, collaborate with production on scale-up, and guide a laboratory team while maintaining rigorous documentation