VP Of Coatings Technology

VP of Technology – Coatings

The core values of integrity, responsibility, commitment, innovation, and participation guide everyday business, driving us to deliver an unrivaled customer experience. Join us and build not just a job, but a stake in a company with over 60 years of history and a culture built on shared ownership and accountability.

The VP of Technology is the senior leader responsible for the technical backbone of our paint and coatings business. This role unifies our Laboratory, Research & Development, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Color departments under a single strategic vision driving product innovation, formulation excellence, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing quality across the organization. Total staff approx. 20-25. This is a high-impact leadership position for someone who can operate at both the strategic and basic technical level; setting the long-term technology roadmap for the division while staying close enough to the science to guide key decisions, troubleshoot quality issues, and mentor department heads.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute a multi-year technology and innovation strategy aligned with company growth objectives, working closely with the COO and executive team.
• Unify Lab, R&D, QC, QA, and Color into a cohesive division with shared priorities, clear accountability, and efficient handoffs between teams.
• Own the technology division’s budget, headcount planning, and capital equipment investments.
• Represent technology and product innovation in executive-level strategic planning and board reporting.
• R&D & Innovation: Direct the development of new coatings formulations, resins, and additive technologies in response to market needs, sustainability goals, and customer requirements.
• Prioritize the R&D pipeline based on commercial opportunity, technical feasibility, and resource capacity.
• Foster relationships with raw material suppliers, industry consortia, and academic partners to stay ahead of emerging technology.
• Color Department: Oversee color matching, color development, and color technology systems; ensure color consistency and accuracy standards are met across product lines and customer specifications; guide investment in color-matching technology and automation.
• Quality Control & Quality Assurance: Ensure QC testing protocols and QA systems meet internal specifications, customer requirements, and regulatory standards (e.g., ASTM, ISO, EPA, OSHA, VOC regulations); drive root-cause investigation and corrective action processes for quality deviations, customer complaints, and manufacturing issues; champion a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making across quality functions.
• Laboratory Operations: Ensure the lab is equipped, staffed, and organized to support both routine testing and R&D initiatives efficiently; maintain safety, compliance, and best-practice standards across all lab operations.
• People Leadership: Recruit, develop, and retain department heads and technical talent across all five functions; build a strong bench of technical leadership and succession plans for key roles; foster collaboration between departments and with adjacent functions (Operations, Sales, Supply Chain).

What Success Looks Like

A unified technology division with clear strategy, strong cross-department collaboration, and measurable improvement in quality metrics. Reduced quality incidents and faster root-cause resolution. A strong, retained bench of technical leadership. Trusted strategic partnership with the COO and executive team.

Salary

$145,000 - $160,000 plus bonus

Benefits

• Medical insurances
• 401K
• Profit Sharing
• Vacation time
• and more!

Technical Experience Required

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field with more than 10-15 years of work experienced in Coatings development.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience.
• 5+ years managing multiple technical departments or functions simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical strategy into business results.
• Strong track record of building and leading high-performing technical teams.
• Familiarity with industry regulatory frameworks (VOC regulations, OSHA, EPA, ASTM/ISO standards).
• Preferred experience integrating or restructuring technical departments (e.g., following M&A or organizational redesign).
• Experience with color-matching software and laboratory information management systems.
• Experience presenting to executive leadership or a board of directors.
• Experience in the manufacturing industry.

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