Research Coatings Manager

The duties and responsibilities of the Research Coatings Manager are as follows:

R&D / Formulation:

• Lead the development and improvement of epoxy and polyurethane marine coating systems.
• Remain hands-on at the bench developing, modifying, and testing formulations.
• Develop new formulations based on customer requirements, product performance needs, and market opportunities.
• Conduct laboratory testing and analyze formulation performance.
• Troubleshoot formulation and product-performance issues.
• Maintain strong technical knowledge of marine coating technologies and industry developments.

Product Development:

• Manage products from initial concept through formulation, testing, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Develop project priorities, timelines, and resource requirements.
• Work with internal teams to move new products successfully through development.
• Support customer trials and field evaluations.
• Provide technical recommendations based on laboratory and field data.
• Identify opportunities for product improvement and new product development.

Manufacturing & Scale-Up:

• Support the transition of laboratory formulations into production.
• Work directly with Production to troubleshoot manufacturing and formulation issues.
• Participate in production trials and scale-up activities.
• Investigate quality and performance issues and develop corrective actions.Ensure formulations are developed with manufacturability and consistency in mind.
• Provide technical support during commercialization.

Technical Service & Customer Support:

• Oversee the Technical Service function and 2 Technical Service employees.
• Provide technical guidance on customer questions and product-performance issues.
• Work with customers to understand technical requirements and develop appropriate solutions.
• Support customer trials, field evaluations, and troubleshooting.
• Travel to customer sites when needed.
• Partner with Sales and Technical Service to address customer needs.
• Translate customer feedback into opportunities for formulation improvements and new product development.

Leadership & Team Management:

• Directly manage 3 employees: 1 R&D and 2 Technical Service.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop team members.
• Assign and prioritize projects and technical activities.
• Provide technical direction and support.
• Monitor project progress and ensure priorities are addressed.
• Encourage collaboration between R&D and Technical Service.
• Participate in hiring, training, performance management, and employee development.
• Balance leadership responsibilities with hands-on laboratory work.

Safety, Quality & Documentation:

• Ensure laboratory and R&D activities follow company safety procedures.
• Promote proper chemical handling and PPE use.
• Maintain accurate formulation, testing, and project documentation.
• Review technical data and prepare reports and recommendations.
• Support quality initiatives and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Maintain an organized and safe laboratory environment.

Salary: $130,000 - $160,000

Benefits: M/D/V/401K

Technical Qualifications:

• Direct formulation experience with epoxy marine coatings
• Direct formulation experience with polyurethane marine coatings
• Marine coatings
• Protective coatings
• Polymer chemistry
• Resin and raw material selection
• Formulation development and optimization
• New product development
• Product performance testing
• Coating application and evaluation
• Product troubleshooting
• Raw material replacement and qualification
• Production troubleshooting
• Scale-up from laboratory to commercial manufacturing
• Product commercialization
• Customer-specific formulations
• Customer and field technical support
• Technical documentation and reporting
• Ability to interpret laboratory and field test data
• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, or related field.