Powder Coating Technical Specialist

About F3 Metalworx F3 Metalworx , a leading sheet metal fabrication company, based in Erie, PA , is a single, one-stop resource for customers across industrial fabrication and powder coating markets. From wash and pretreatment through electrostatic powder and Teflon application, their finishing operations serve customers in a variety of industries. As F3 Metalworx continues to grow, they are investing in the technical expertise needed to build a best-in-class powder coating operation across their North East and Erie, PA locations. The Opportunity On behalf of our client, F3 Metalworx , Decision Associates is seeking a hands-on Powder Coating Technical Specialist to bring deep technical expertise to our powder coating operation. This role is central to our growth strategy, heavily focused on implementing a process-driven operation built on Lean principles. You'll spend the majority of your time on the floor, evaluating and optimizing our lines, diagnosing coating defects, and building the processes, training, and mentoring that raise the bar for quality, consistency, and throughput. This is a highly visible, technically demanding role reporting directly to the VP of Operations, with real opportunity to shape the future of the department. Key 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 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; Teflon coating knowledge preferred 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…