Coating Supervisor

The Coating Supervisor is responsible for leading the day-to-day coating and finishing operations within GTI Fabrication’s manufacturing environment. This position provides hands-on leadership to coating personnel while ensuring work is completed safely, efficiently, and to customer and GTI quality standards.

The Coating Supervisor will oversee production priorities, staffing, workflow, material usage, equipment, quality, and adherence to established processes. This role requires a strong understanding of industrial coating processes and the ability to lead a team in a fast-paced, high-mix manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who understands that successful coating operations require strong planning, attention to detail, quality discipline, and consistent execution.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop coating team members across assigned shifts.
• Provide daily direction regarding production priorities, assignments, and workflow.
• Monitor employee performance, attendance, productivity, and adherence to company expectations.
• Train employees on coating processes, equipment, safety procedures, quality requirements, and standard work.
• Promote accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Production Management and other departments to address staffing and production challenges.

Coating & Production Operations

• Oversee daily industrial coating and finishing activities, including surface preparation, masking, mixing, application, curing, and final inspection.
• Ensure coating work is completed according to customer specifications, drawings, work instructions, and applicable standards.
• Monitor production schedules and ensure coating activities support overall manufacturing priorities.
• Identify bottlenecks and adjust manpower, workflow, and priorities to maintain production flow.
• Ensure proper handling, storage, mixing, and application of paints, coatings, solvents, and related materials.
• Monitor coating equipment, booths, pumps, spray systems, and other related equipment for proper operation.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and report equipment issues promptly.

Quality

• Ensure finished products meet GTI and customer quality requirements.
• Monitor coating thickness, finish, adhesion, appearance, and other applicable quality characteristics.
• Identify defects and ensure proper rework or corrective action is completed.
• Partner with Quality to investigate recurring coating issues and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate production and quality documentation.
• Promote a right-first-time culture throughout the coating operation.

Safety & Compliance

• Maintain a strong safety culture and ensure employees follow all GTI safety policies and procedures.
• Ensure proper PPE is used for coating, painting, chemical handling, and surface preparation activities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable OSHA, environmental, hazardous-material, and company requirements.
• Conduct routine safety observations and address unsafe conditions immediately.
• Ensure proper housekeeping and 5S standards are maintained throughout the coating area.
• Support incident investigations and corrective actions as needed.

Materials & Inventory

• Monitor coating, paint, thinner, solvents, abrasives, masking materials, and other consumables.
• Communicate material requirements and potential shortages to Materials/Planning teams.
• Minimize waste and ensure materials are used efficiently.
• Maintain appropriate inventory organization and storage practices.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve coating quality, throughput, labor utilization, and material efficiency.
• Participate in Lean, 5S, root-cause analysis, and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain standard work for coating processes.
• Use production data and team feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support implementation of new processes, equipment, and coating technologies.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• 3+ years of experience in industrial coating, painting, finishing, or a related manufacturing environment.
• 2+ years of supervisory or lead experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with industrial spray coating/painting processes.
• Experience working with coating materials, surface preparation, masking, mixing, and application processes.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing safety and quality requirements.
• Ability to read and interpret work instructions, drawings, specifications, and production documentation.
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-mix manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in contract manufacturing, engineered-to-order, or systems integration manufacturing.
• Experience coating large fabricated steel structures, enclosures, skids, modules, or industrial equipment.
• Experience with powder coating, wet paint, industrial epoxy, polyurethane, or specialty coatings.
• Experience with coating thickness measurement and quality inspection.
• Experience working with environmental or hazardous-material compliance requirements.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, or other continuous-improvement methodologies.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems and production tracking tools.