R&D- Staff Scientist (Industrial Wood)

Sherwin-Williams•Greensboro, NC

14h

About The Position

The Staff Scientist provides technical leadership and drives innovation within the Industrial Wood portfolio, focusing primarily on kitchen cabinets, furniture, flooring, and specialty markets while supporting Building Products and other company technology needs. The role develops, optimizes, and commercializes advanced coatings systems and serves as a technical resource for industrial customers. It addresses complex product and process challenges using expertise in chemistry, substrates, and testing, delivering timely, high-quality technical solutions across the division and enterprise. The position leads and contributes to exploratory research, proof-of-concept work, stage-gate development, commercialization, and service support. It partners with Marketing and Sales on the multi-generational product roadmap and on-time product launches aligned with business strategy. The role also requires understanding product design, regulatory requirements, raw-material strategies, and regional and global technical initiatives. The Staff Scientist mentors others and promotes scientific rigor, continuous improvement, and customer-focused innovation. The position involves 20% travel. Job duties include contact with employees and access to confidential or proprietary information and other items of value. The company states that it considers a criminal-history review necessary to protect its business, operations, reputation, staff, employees, and business relationships. A successful candidate will be required to sign an Employee Restrictive Covenant Agreement where permitted by law.

Requirements

Must be legally authorized to work in the country of application without now or in the future requiring sponsorship for an employment work visa and/or permanent residence status.
Must be at least 18 years of age.
Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math field.
12 years of coatings-specific industry experience.
Demonstrated knowledge of coatings manufacturing and application processes.
Experience supporting projects through effective data analysis.
Ability to use standard software applications, including Minitab, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Nice To Haves

10 or more years of OEM paint and coatings experience.
15 years of coatings-specific industry experience.
Experience with solvent-based, water-based, and UV technologies for OEM applications; wood coating experience is a plus.
Experience on customer application lines.
Customer-facing technical leadership.
DFSS or Lean Green Belt certification.
Kepner-Tregoe (KT) training.

Responsibilities

Lead technical development and maintenance of business activities for the Industrial Wood portfolio.
Serve as a technical liaison to Marketing, supporting technology road mapping, competitive assessment, and customer-facing technical activities.
Coordinate with internal Innovation teams to ensure visibility, alignment, and effective transition of new technologies.
Lead or support global technology development, product development, and service projects through commercialization.
Drive new and modified product introductions that address customer and industry needs.
Independently identify, recommend, and lead strategic R&D initiatives.
Collaborate across laboratories, disciplines, and stakeholders to deliver market-ready solutions.
Influence customers and stakeholders through clear, persuasive technical communication.
Improve efficiency by standardizing practices and eliminating redundant development across laboratories.
Mentor and develop R&D team members.