Coatings Engineer

Role details

Description:

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If so, Herculite is for you!

Why Join Us?

• Health, Dental, Vision, HSA, Dependent Care Account, Life Insurance, Short & Long-Term Disability, Aflac, Pet Insurance, Reimbursement and Discount Programs, and Employee Assistance Program
• 401k Plan With Company Match
• Excellent Paid Time Off & Holiday Pay
• We Care About Our Associates!!

We are currently looking for a Coatings Engineer to develop, evaluate, optimize, and commercialize coating and flexible composite technologies used in Herculite's engineered textile products. The position will serve as a technical resource for PVC and related polymer coating systems, textile substrates, films, adhesives, and laminated constructions. A great Coatings Engineer is a technical leader who partners with our team to improve product performance, troubleshoot material and process issues, reduce waste, support customer requirements, and advance new product development. You should possess a willingness to learn, improve and grow.

Being a team player is essential since all tasks will require close collaboration with a cross-functional team. Responsibilities include:

• Lead the development and improvement of PVC and related polymer coating systems.
• Formulate, evaluate, and optimize topcoats, plastisols, primers, and other material components for coated products.
• Evaluate alternative coating technologies, such as polyurethane, acrylic, silicone, etc.
• Design and execute lab and production trials; analyze results and recommend formulations, constructions, and process conditions.
• Optimize coating variables such as coating weight, thickness, viscosity, temperature, cure conditions, line speed, tension, pressure, airflow, adhesion, and surface appearance.
• Troubleshoot coating and composite defects, including poor adhesion, gels, streaks, bubbles, uneven application, color variation, blocking, cracking, curling, cupping, delamination, etc.
• Apply root cause analysis, design of experiments, statistical methods, and structured problem-solving tools to resolve material, process, quality, and customer issues.
• Support the scale-up and commercialization of new products, including raw material qualification, product specifications, work instructions, bills of material, and production readiness.
• Partner with Operations and Quality to improve process capability, product consistency, throughput, material utilization, and first-pass quality while reducing scrap and rework.
• Collaborate with suppliers to evaluate new raw materials, resolve technical issues, identify cost-saving opportunities, and maintain continuity of supply.
• Provide technical support to Sales, Product Management, and customers regarding product selection, performance requirements, product failures, and application needs.
• Maintain accurate formulation, testing, project, specification, and process documentation while protecting confidential and proprietary information.
• Follow all safety procedures, chemical-handling requirements, PPE requirements, environmental practices, and company policies; perform all other duties, as assigned.
• Develop a collaborative relationship with all departments to seamlessly integrate innovations into products.
• Stay abreast of industry and market trends and advancements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Textile Engineering, Chemistry, or related technical discipline required.
• 5+ years of experience in polymer coatings, coated textiles, flexible composites, films, adhesives, roll-to-roll gravure coating of polymer films preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of flexible PVC formulations, plastisols, additives, stabilizers, pigments, plasticizers, processing behavior, and performance characteristics strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of textile substrates, scrims, woven and knit constructions, films, adhesives, surface treatments, and composite adhesion mechanisms.
• Experience formulating water based and UV curable coatings from lab development and testing to production scale.
• Ability to move effectively between laboratory, production, supplier, and customer environments and translate technical findings into practical solutions.
• Strong project management, organization, documentation, problem-solving, data analysis, and decision-making skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively across Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and external partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office required; experience with ERP, laboratory information, statistical analysis, or formulation management systems preferred.
• Must be a collaborative team player who demonstrates initiative, sound judgment, confidentiality, accountability, and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to multi-task and work at a fast pace. Complete projects under tight deadlines, even when there are competing or changing priorities.