Powder Coating Supervisor

Position Title: Powder Coating Supervisor

Department: Powder Coating

Reports to: Plant Manager

General Summary: The Powder Coating Supervisor leads the daily operations of the powder coating department, including

surface preparation, pretreatment, coating application, curing, and final inspection. This role is responsible for directing and

developing the powder coating team, meeting production schedules, maintaining finish quality standards, and ensuring

compliance with safety and environmental requirements. The ideal candidate has hands-on powder coating experience and

can step in to set up, adjust, or troubleshoot the line when needed.

Essential Job Functions:

• Supervise, schedule, and direct powder coating team members to meet daily production goals and delivery commitments.
• Oversee surface preparation and pretreatment processes, including cleaning, degreasing, masking, and chemical wash stages.
• Oversee electrostatic powder application, including gun settings, film build, color changes, and booth operation.
• Monitor curing oven performance, including temperature profiles, line speed, and cure cycle times.
• Ensure coatings are selected and applied per work instructions, prints, and customer specifications.
• Verify finish quality through inspection of coverage, film thickness, adhesion, and appearance, and approve or reject parts.
• Partner with Quality to investigate finish defects, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions.
• Train, coach, and evaluate team members, and develop cross-training plans across all stations of the line.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance of spray equipment, booths, pretreatment systems, ovens, and conveyors to minimize downtime.
• Supervises and coaches team members effectively while managing attendance, timecards, and corrective action documentation.
• Manage powder and chemical inventory, reclaim practices, and material usage to control cost and waste.
• Track and report department KPIs, including throughput, first-pass yield, rework rate, and on-time delivery.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts using Lean, 5S, and standard work practices.
• Enforce OSHA regulations, PPE requirements, lockout/tagout, and safe handling of chemicals and powders.
• Ensure compliance with EPA and hazardous material handling, storage, and disposal requirements.
• Maintain a clean and organized work area.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• High school diploma or GED required.
•  5+ years of powder coating or industrial finishing experience, including 2+ years in a lead or supervisory role.
• In-depth knowledge of surface preparation, pretreatment, electrostatic application, and curing processes.
• Ability to read and interpret work orders, prints, technical data sheets, and coating specifications.
• Proficiency with coating thickness gauges, adhesion testing, and other quality inspection methods.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to hold a team accountable while keeping morale high.
• Ability to communicate effectively both in speaking and writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Decision making and ability to solve problems.
• Experience with automated powder coating systems or conveyor lines.
• Experience with multi-stage pretreatment systems and water chemistry titrations.
• Knowledge of oven profiling and cure verification equipment.
• Forklift certification or material handling experience.
• ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Office/Google Docs software.
• Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement experience.
• Ability to lift and move heavy items (up to 75 pounds) and stand for extended periods.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Compensation DOE
• Health, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, and life insurance 
• 401k with match
• Paid parental leave
• Wellness