Senior R&D & Technical Lead — Liquid Coatings

The Sherwin-Williams Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sherwin-Williams Company in Minneapolis is seeking a senior leader to drive development, commercialization, and optimization of liquid industrial coatings for General Finishes, Building Products and Energy segments. You will guide solvent- and water-borne systems, scale-up processes, and troubleshoot performance with cross-functional teams.

You will mentor a lab organization, manage a diverse portfolio, and collaborate with Sales, Marketing and Product Management to win new business while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science Degree including 2 semesters General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the US.
• Minimum 10 years industry experience in formulated coatings, plastics or inks and polymer development or materials science and IP management
• Laboratory management of teams greater than 6 people
• Strong strategic perspective and ability to deal with complex requirements and set priorities
• Structured, data-based rational thinker and strong execution skills.
• Strong market knowledge, customer experience, and demonstrated relationships with Sales and Marketing groups.
• Knowledge of related Regional markets, product stewardship, and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent project management and problem-solving skills.
• English Speaking, strong communication skills, both orally and written.
• Technical understanding and knowledge in industrial coatings chemistry
• Coatings formulation skills
• Coatings application testing
• General computer skills - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, emails

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, commercialization, maintenance, and optimization of liquid industrial coating products and platforms for market segments.
• Provide technical direction for solvent-borne and water-borne coating formation, testing, and scale-up.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing and Product Management to identify customer and market needs and secure new business.
• Provide technical leadership in customer-facing activities, including visits, presentations, and trials.
• Develop key customer and supplier relationships to support growth.
• Support raw material consolidation and cost-saving initiatives with cross-functional teams.
• Lead a culture of innovative solutions, execution excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee people development using performance management and succession planning.
• Hold the technical team accountable for product development, customer support, portfolio management, and safety.
• Strengthen lab team through mentoring, training, and talent acquisition.
• Collaborate in cross-functional teams to increase production efficiency and product quality.
• Collect and analyze data on project metrics to identify improvements.
• Determine and obtain capital resources to support business goals.

Skills

Coatings chemistry

Leadership

Strategic planning

Project management

Cross-functional

Data analysis

Communication

Product development

Regulatory knowledge

Education

B.S. in Chemistry

Tools

JMP

Minitab

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Sherwin-Williams Company in Minneapolis is seeking a senior leader to drive development, commercialization, and optimization of liquid industrial coatings for General Finishes, Building Products and Energy segments. You will guide solvent- and water-borne systems, scale-up processes, and troubleshoot performance with cross-functional teams.

You will mentor a lab organization, manage a diverse portfolio, and collaborate with Sales, Marketing and Product Management to win new business while