Coating and Paint Manager

FabLogix • Duncan, SC

11d • Onsite

About The Position

FabLogix, part of Kelso Industries, is seeking an experienced, hands-on Coating and Paint Manager for its Duncan, South Carolina facility. Reporting to the Plant Manager, this role oversees all work passing through blast, prime, and paint operations and serves as the company’s subject-matter expert on surface preparation, coating systems, and paint specifications. The manager ensures parts are prepared, coated, and cured to specification; work is estimated and scheduled accurately; and finished jobs ship on time and within budget. The role works closely with Production, Estimating, Purchasing, Quality, and Project Managers and is evaluated against monthly operational, quality, cost, compliance, and people-and-safety KPIs.

The manager leads daily and weekly scheduling, coordinates coating work with other production departments, controls coating processes, and oversees equipment maintenance. Responsibilities also include estimating labor and materials from drawings, controlling inventory and supplier relationships, applying customer and engineering specifications, documenting inspections and traceability, and leading corrective action on defects. The role hires, trains, schedules, and evaluates department staff; enforces safety and environmental requirements; maintains procedures and records; and drives improvements in cycle time, rework, material waste, and cost.

The position is full-time and exempt. Work takes place in a shop environment with exposure to paint fumes, solvents, dust, abrasive media, noise, and seasonal temperatures. Occasional overtime or early starts may be needed to meet ship dates and project requirements.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of experience in industrial coating or painting.
• At least 3 years supervising a paint or blast crew.
• Hands-on knowledge of abrasive blasting, liquid spray application (conventional, HVLP, airless, or air-assisted airless), and curing processes.
• Ability to take off quantities from drawings and estimate coating jobs using linear feet and square footage, including paint and abrasive quantities, labor hours, and cost.
• Ability to read blueprints, coating specifications, and product data sheets.
• Skill with dry film thickness gauges, surface profile gauges, wet film gauges, and adhesion testers.
• Working knowledge of OSHA and environmental requirements for coating operations.
• Strong Excel skills and working knowledge of an ERP or production system.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Normal color vision to judge color match and finish quality.
• Ability to regularly stand, walk, bend, and climb ladders, and lift up to 50 pounds unassisted.
• Ability to wear required PPE, including a respirator, safety glasses, hearing protection, and protective clothing; respirator use requires medical clearance and fit testing.
• Detail-oriented approach to coating specifications and inspection records.
• Clear communication with customers, suppliers, inspectors, and other departments.
• Comfort with estimating and comparing costs to actual results.
• Ability to solve problems at their root, set priorities, hold a team accountable, coach and develop staff, lead by example on safety and quality, make timely decisions, resolve conflict fairly, build team cooperation, drive continuous improvement, and represent the department with managers, suppliers, and customers.

Nice To Haves

• AMPP (formerly NACE/SSPC) Coating Inspector certification, Level 1 or higher.
• SSPC C-7 abrasive blasting training or certification, or SSPC C-12 spray application training or certification.
• Experience with powder coating, multi-coat epoxy and polyurethane systems, or galvanized and duplex coatings.
• Experience in structural steel, pipe, heavy equipment, or custom fabrication.
• Associate or bachelor's degree in a technical or business field.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or 5S training.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Plan and schedule daily and weekly blast and paint work against production schedules and promised ship dates.
• Coordinate with Fabrication, Welding, Assembly, and Shipping to ensure parts arrive ready for coating and leave on time.
• Set up and control surface preparation, cleaning, pretreatment, primer and topcoat application, curing, and handling processes.
• Manage paint booths, blast rooms, spray equipment, ovens, compressors, and air systems, including preventive maintenance and repairs.
• Track labor, material use, and rework to keep the department within budget.
• Take off quantities from drawings and estimate coating jobs by linear feet and square footage.
• Calculate paint, primer, thinner, and abrasive quantities, labor hours, and costs for quotes and job budgets.
• Compare actual material and labor use with estimates and adjust estimating factors.
• Order and control coatings, abrasives, and consumables; manage inventory, shelf life, and batch records.
• Work with suppliers to qualify coatings, resolve application problems, and negotiate pricing with Purchasing.
• Read and apply customer and engineering coating specifications, drawings, and product data sheets.
• Apply SSPC/AMPP surface preparation standards and ASTM test methods as required by the job.
• Inspect and document surface profile, cleanliness, dry film thickness, adhesion, color, and gloss.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for coating defects, customer complaints, and rework.
• Maintain inspection reports and batch/lot traceability for customer and audit review.
• Hire, train, schedule, and evaluate leads, painters, blasters, and preparation staff; cross-train staff for coverage.
• Enforce OSHA requirements for spray finishing, respiratory protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, and PPE.
• Maintain Safety Data Sheets, respirator fit-test and medical-clearance records, and department safety training.
• Keep operations within air-permit limits; track VOC and HAP usage and support environmental reporting.
• Manage storage, handling, and disposal of paint waste, solvents, and spent abrasive; maintain fire protection, ventilation, and booth filters.
• Write and maintain procedures for surface preparation, application, inspection, and equipment care.
• Identify and implement improvements to reduce cycle time, rework, material waste, and cost per square foot.
• Meet performance targets for on-time completion, throughput, estimating accuracy, first-pass yield, DFT compliance, customer complaints, inspection documentation, coating cost, material waste, rework hours, emissions, hazardous waste, safety, staff training, and equipment uptime.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
• Health insurance.
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid time off.
• Company holidays.
• Clear pathways for career advancement, with autonomy and flexibility in an entrepreneurial environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: High school or GED