Powder Coating Technical Specialist

Decision Associates•Erie, PA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

F3 Metalworx, a leading sheet metal fabrication company based in Erie, PA, is seeking a hands-on Powder Coating Technical Specialist. This role is central to their growth strategy, focusing on implementing a process-driven operation built on Lean principles. The specialist will spend the majority of their time on the floor, evaluating and optimizing powder coating lines, diagnosing coating defects, and building processes, training, and mentoring to improve quality, consistency, and throughput. This is a highly visible, technically demanding role reporting directly to the VP of Operations, with an opportunity to shape the future of the department.

Requirements

10+ years of hands-on, career-track powder coating experience.
Experience across multiple substrates (steel, galvanized, aluminum, stainless) and pretreatment chemistries.
Experience across multiple powder chemistries and specialty finishes.
Strong working knowledge of Lean/Six Sigma methods, including process mapping.
Comfortable diagnosing and resolving coating defects with minimal reliance on formal testing.
Experience with automated application equipment (e.g., Nordson) strongly preferred.
Job shop or high-mix production background preferred.
Strong communicator who is comfortable training, coaching, and mentoring others.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office/365 (Outlook, Excel, Teams); MIE Trak experience a plus.

Nice To Haves

Teflon coating knowledge preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical authority on the powder coating floor, spending the majority of your time directly on the line.
Evaluate existing processes and implement new ones to improve quality, efficiency, and flow across three powder lines, four ovens, and a batch booth.
Apply Lean/Six Sigma techniques to identify and eliminate bottlenecks and waste.
Diagnose and resolve coating defects, drawing on deep technical knowledge of chemical composition, oven time/temperature/speed, and application parameters.
Oversee the operation, cleaning, and maintenance of the automated application equipment, including Nordson powder coating systems.
Support both standard powder coating and specialty Teflon coating processes.
Partner closely with the Quality team to reduce customer escapes and drive toward zero-defect performance.
Coach, train, and mentor the team, building buy-in for new processes across the floor.
Use data and KPIs to monitor line performance and report gaps to leadership.