The Opportunity
A long-established specialty coatings manufacturer in the Quad Cities area is conducting a succession-based search for a Senior Coatings Chemist to join, learn, and ultimately lead the technical function as the current Technical Director transitions to retirement over a ~3-year overlap period. The company is a highly regarded, customer-intimate specialist in thin film coatings for aerospace and defense applications — with a strong reputation built on technical depth, quality discipline, and responsive customer support. This is a rare opportunity to step into a critical, high-ownership role at a stable company with a clear succession mandate.
Why This Role Stands Out
- Become the technical leader of a respected niche company — not a cog in a machine; you will own the function
- Extraordinary breadth of technical challenge — active work spans epoxy bake systems, solid film lubricants, gasket coatings, and emerging high-temp applications across a wide range of metal substrates
- Real impact from Day 1 — the incoming chemist immediately relieves a formulation bottleneck, taking over active R&D projects in aerospace fastener coatings and military product reformulation
- Compelling lifestyle package — excellent work-life balance, company pays 90% of health premiums for employee AND family, and a charming, affordable community on the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities
What You’ll Do — Core Priorities
- Drive hands-on formulation work across epoxy melamine and epoxy phenolic bake systems, managing a fluid portfolio of 10–15 concurrent projects spanning multi-year new product development, 3–6 month product modifications, and rapid customer sample turnarounds
- Own raw material strategy — identifying and qualifying alternatives for niche, low-volume inputs; actively navigating PFAS elimination and heavy metal pigment replacement initiatives, and attending industry conferences to source new materials
- Serve as the primary technical resource for customers (primarily applicators serving military and aerospace OEMs) — providing application guidance, surface preparation support, and field troubleshooting while cultivating the direct relationships that reduce costly reformulation cycles
- Manage the lab technician team (R&D tech, QC tech, and a long-tenured solid film lubricant specialist) — a player-coach role where the chemist directs tech execution while remaining personally hands-on
- Maintain rigorous documentation and quality compliance under an AS9100-aligned design control system that is regularly audited; partner with production on scale-up trial batches (typical 50–200 gallons)
Who We’re Looking For
- Background: 8+ years formulating high-performance coatings; OEM-type bake coatings experience across diverse metal substrates is the most directly transferable; BS in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, or related discipline required
- Technical depth: Hands-on experience with epoxy bake systems (melamines, phenolics) and thin film technologies; familiarity with Mil-Spec, AS9100, Boeing/EN specs, ASTM corrosion testing, and VOC/HAPS/REACH compliance
- Mindset: A creative, intellectually curious problem-solver who thrives without rigid formulating systems or enterprise-level tooling — this portfolio is genuinely niche with limited published reference data; flexibility and sound judgment about where to spend time are essential
- Leadership: Experience managing lab technicians and the ambition to grow into full ownership of a technical function in a small company
- Fit: Genuine enthusiasm for small-company life and a close-knit community — candidates who want to put down roots in a great place to raise a family will thrive here; big-city expectations will not be met