Lead Coating & Corrosion Engineer

trane technologies•La Crosse, WI

2d•Remote

About The Position

As a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable, and efficient climate solutions for buildings, homes and transportation, it's our responsibility to put the planet first. For us at Trane Technologies, and through our businesses including Trane® and Thermo King, sustainability is not just how we do business—it is our business. This role is part of the Materials & Chemistry ACC (Advanced Concepts & Capabilities) team, which is part of our Global Advanced Technology Organization. The mission of the Materials & Chemistry ACC is to enable product innovation through leading-edge material and chemistry technologies, with this role focused on metallurgy, high performance and multi-functional coatings, and corrosion science capabilities. We do this by leveraging internal expertise and external partners to accelerate technology implementation, support product performance, enable reliability, and deliver sustainable solutions across Trane Technologies strategic business units. The Lead Coatings & Corrosion Engineer is responsible for identifying and maturing leading edge coatings technologies and supporting application of coatings and proper substrates into applications aligned with business unit roadmaps. This role will own the coatings strategy including technology roadmaps, managing external partnerships, and developing and deploying latest corrosion and environmental performance capabilities. Strong foundational understanding of metals and alloys, including steels, copper, aluminum, and other non‑ferrous materials is critical in this role. The engineer will investigate corrosion mechanisms, material performance under stress, metal forming and joining methods, and long-term material behavior in operational environments. This role contributes to advancing the company’s materials and corrosion capabilities by evaluating metallic materials, interpreting test results, supporting design teams, and driving corrosion‑related improvements that enhance product reliability and sustainability. This engineer will interact closely with cross-functional partners: including design engineering, manufacturing, quality, reliability, and suppliers to ensure robust material selection and effective corrosion-mitigation strategies. As a lead engineer role, the engineer will also mentor and develop other engineers in the team and within the business units to manage project demand, develop talent pipelines, and uplift others. The Materials/Corrosion Engineer plays an important part in enabling innovation aligned with Trane Technologies’ 2030 Sustainability Goals by guiding material stewardship, supporting long-term durability, and enabling responsible selection and validation of metallic materials and processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited institution.
Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in application of metals and alloys in challenging environments.
Strong background in metallurgical and materials engineering, including metals, alloys, and failure mechanisms.
Experience performing failure analysis and metallurgical testing using both destructive and non‑destructive methods.
Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems with strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work both independently and collaboratively across technical teams.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other standard engineering software tools.
Ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the coatings technology strategy aligned with business unit roadmaps, including short- and long-term coatings and corrosion roadmaps.
Identify emerging technologies, materials, and processes that improve durability, performance, and sustainability, and prioritize coatings and corrosion initiatives across product platforms.
Recommend appropriate coatings, metallic substrates, and surface treatments for applications, ensuring compatibility with base materials, joining methods, and forming processes.
Guide selection of steels, aluminum, copper, and other non-ferrous alloys based on performance, manufacturability, cost, and environmental conditions, while supporting design teams early in development.
Analyze corrosion risks in operational environments, including chemical, thermal, moisture, and stress-related exposures; evaluate degradation mechanisms and translate findings into corrective and preventive actions.
Establish and enhance corrosion, coatings, and environmental test methods and capabilities, and interpret lab and field data to assess long-term material performance.
Build and manage relationships with suppliers, universities, labs, and external technology partners; monitor industry trends and evaluate external technologies for internal application.
Standardize material selection criteria and corrosion assessment methods across teams or business units, ensuring compliance with internal requirements, regulations, and industry standards. Deploy new capabilities and align strategy across other internal labs
Promote responsible material selection, durability, and lifecycle thinking to support product stewardship, longer service life, and sustainability goals.
Mentor engineers in coatings, materials, and corrosion fundamentals and applications, and coach business teams on corrosion prevention and material selection best practices.
Serve as the technical authority for coatings and corrosion-related decisions.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams—including design, quality, reliability, manufacturing, and product development—on root-cause investigations and technical assessments involving corrosion.
Identify corrosion risks and develop mitigation strategies for new and existing technologies, including validation planning and execution.