Global Director, Engineering, Protective Coatings & Passive Fire Protection

This position can be anywhere within EMEAI with 50% travel. 

Sherwin-Williams is seeking an exceptional engineering leader to shape the future of Protective Coatings and Passive Fire Protection on a global scale. As Global Director, Engineering, you will lead our worldwide engineering function, driving technical excellence, innovation, and customer value across the Americas, EMEAI, and APAC regions.

This highly visible leadership position sits at the intersection of engineering, technology, commercial strategy, and innovation. You will be responsible for defining and executing the global engineering vision, advancing our passive fire protection capabilities, influencing industry standards, and supporting some of the world's most complex infrastructure, industrial, marine, and energy projects.

Working closely with Commercial, Marketing, R&D, Product Management, Technical Service, and Operations teams, you will help position Sherwin-Williams as the trusted partner of choice for engineering-led coating and fire protection solutions.

If you're a strategic engineering leader who thrives on solving complex challenges, developing high-performing teams, and influencing the future direction of an industry, this is an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy on a truly global stage.

Engineering Strategy & Business Leadership

• Own the global engineering strategy for Protective Coatings and Passive Fire Protection.

• Define the roadmap for engineering services, fire engineering, technical support, digital engineering tools, and capability development.

• Align resources and investments with business priorities, customer needs, market opportunities, and profitable growth objectives.

• Drive engineering influence that improves specification success, project conversion, and customer value.

Global Engineering Leadership

• Lead and develop a global engineering organization supporting the Americas, EMEAI, and APAC.

• Provide direct leadership for the Global Fire Estimation & Engineering Team.

• Establish the operating model, service standards, prioritization process, and resource deployment approach.

• Build a high-performance culture focused on technical excellence, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer success.

Passive Fire Protection & Fire Engineering Leadership

• Own global PFP engineering capability, including methodologies, standards, testing strategies, technical governance, and engineering tools.

• Lead application of structural fire engineering principles, including fire engineering judgments, heat transfer analysis, finite element modeling, and performance-based fire design.

• Serve as final technical authority for complex fire engineering evaluations, engineering methodologies, and design approaches.

• Define best practices for intumescent coatings and PFP systems across commercial, infrastructure, industrial, and energy applications.

Specification Leadership

• Lead the engineering contribution to global specification strategy and project pull-through.

• Partner with Commercial and Marketing to position Sherwin-Williams as a trusted engineering and technical solutions partner.

• Support regional commercial teams in securing major projects through differentiated engineering expertise and technical value propositions.

• Translate complex technical solutions into business value for customers, specifiers, and stakeholders.

Technology & Innovation Leadership

• Partner with R&D, Product Management, and Technical Service to define future technology and innovation priorities.

• Establish the global engineering technology roadmap for PFP and Protective Coatings solutions.

• Guide global fire testing, system validation, and performance verification strategies.

• Identify unmet customer needs and translate them into innovation opportunities and technical development programs.

Technical Governance, Quality & Risk Management

• Own the global technical governance framework for engineering services and fire engineering support.

• Establish standards for engineering methodologies, calculations, modeling assumptions, software validation, reporting, and approvals.

• Ensure engineering recommendations are technically sound, auditable, defensible, and compliant with applicable standards and regulations.

• Maintain globally consistent quality standards across engineering deliverables, technical reports, and customer-facing documentation.

Industry Leadership & External Engagement

• Serve as Sherwin-Williams' primary technical ambassador to global engineering firms, fire consultants, industry associations, standards organizations, testing bodies, and approval authorities.

• Influence industry standards, testing methodologies, design practices, and future fire protection requirements.

• Lead participation in technical committees, standards organizations, and industry working groups.

What You'll Bring

We're seeking an experienced engineering leader with a passion for innovation, technical excellence, and shaping the future of fire protection and protective coatings on a global scale.

• Bachelor's degree in Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Fire Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Significant experience leading engineering teams within structural fire engineering, passive fire protection, protective coatings, engineering consultancy, industrial projects, major infrastructure, energy, or adjacent technical sectors.
• Proven success building, developing, and leading high-performing technical teams across multiple regions or global markets.
• Strong track record of influencing project outcomes, technical specifications, customer decisions, and business growth through engineering expertise.
• Experience collaborating with a broad range of stakeholders, including engineering consultants, EPC contractors, fabricators, asset owners, regulatory bodies, and industry associations.
• Deep understanding of fire engineering principles, passive fire protection systems, intumescent coatings, engineering governance, and quality management processes.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into compelling customer value propositions.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of an organization.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
   

Preferred Qualifications
 

• Master's degree in Engineering, Fire Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Chartered Engineer (CEng), Professional Engineer (PE), or equivalent professional accreditation.
• Experience participating in industry standards development, technical committees, or professional associations.
• Familiarity with performance-based fire design, fire testing programmes, modelling methodologies, and global fire protection standards.
   

Why Join Sherwin-Williams?

This is a unique opportunity to lead and shape a world-class global engineering function at the forefront of Protective Coatings and Passive Fire Protection. You'll work alongside industry-leading experts, influence major projects around the world, and play a key role in advancing innovative technologies that help protect critical infrastructure, assets, and communities.

What We Can Offer You...

• The established salary range for this position is GBP 92,774 - 125,371 gross annual in the UK. 
• Company bonus plan
• Private medical insurance
• Company car allowance
• Life Pension Scheme: Company-contributed for your future security.
• Flexible Working Schedule: Includes weekends and bank holidays.
• Sick Pay and Annual Leave: Continued salary payment during sickness and 25 days of annual leave.
• Work-Life Balance: We value your personal time and well-being.
• Career Opportunities: Grow within a truly international business.
• Ongoing Training and Support: Continuous learning and development opportunities.

Pay transparency

The salary range shown refers to base salary only. In addition to this, we offer a broader total reward package which may include bonus or incentive pay, relevant allowances, and a range of competitive benefits. We encourage candidates to consider the full package when evaluating an offer.

Salary is determined using a structured and objective framework, taking into account the role’s responsibilities, required skills and experience, market benchmarks, and internal equity. This ensures pay decisions are fair, consistent, and aligned with our commitment to equal pay and legal compliance.

The salary range shown refers to base salary only. In addition to this, we offer a broader total reward package which may include bonus or incentive pay, relevant allowances, and a range of competitive benefits. We encourage candidates to consider the full package when evaluating an offer. 

Salary is determined using a structured and objective framework, taking into account the role’s responsibilities, required skills and experience, market benchmarks, and internal equity. This ensures pay decisions are fair, consistent, and aligned with our commitment to equal pay and legal compliance. 

In accordance with EU pay transparency requirements, we provide a salary range based on our preferred country of hire. Compensation varies depending on location. The salary range applicable to the location of candidate will be shared early in the recruitment process.

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