Senior Production Engineer Specialist – E-Coat/ED Coating

E-Coat / Paint Process Engineering Specialist

$94,000–$117,000 base salary

On-site – Hopkinsville, KY

Relocation assistance available

I'm currently supporting a leading automotive manufacturer on a search for a Senior Production Engineer Specialist to take ownership of its E-Coat / electrodeposition (ED) paint and pretreatment processes at its Hopkinsville, Kentucky manufacturing operation.

This is a hands-on, plant-based role focused on paint application chemistry, E-Coat bath control, coating quality, defect diagnosis, process troubleshooting, and environmental compliance. You'll serve as a technical owner for an approximately 11–12 stage wet-process coating system, supporting the process from rinses and pretreatment/etch stages through the electrodeposition paint bath.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong E-Coat, industrial paint, pretreatment, surface treatment, or chemical process experience who enjoys hands-on troubleshooting, process ownership, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and optimize E-Coat/ED coating, pretreatment, rinse, and associated chemical processes, controlling critical parameters including pH, conductivity, bath solids, chemical concentration, temperature, voltage, pressure, and flow.
• Manage bath chemistry, titration results, chemical additions, replenishment, filtration, and preventative bath maintenance, partnering closely with chemical suppliers.
• Diagnose coating-quality issues including adhesion failures, poor coverage, thickness variation, contamination, blisters, craters, runs/sags, appearance issues, and corrosion failures.
• Analyze laboratory, process, production, and equipment data to identify abnormalities, determine root cause, and lead corrective actions using A3, PDCA, 8-Step, or similar methodologies.
• Develop standardized work instructions, process limits, control plans, reaction plans, troubleshooting procedures, and best-practice documentation, while coaching technicians and plant personnel.
• Support wastewater treatment, environmental compliance, equipment reliability, process trials, capital improvements, commissioning, and new model/production-readiness activities.

Key Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of relevant E-Coat, ED coating, industrial paint, pretreatment, surface treatment, corrosion protection, or chemical process experience preferred; candidates with 2–3+ years of highly relevant experience will also be considered.
• Strong knowledge of paint/coating chemistry, bath management, titration, chemical additions, surface preparation, pretreatment, and corrosion protection.
• Proven ability to diagnose coating defects and process abnormalities using chemistry, laboratory results, process data, equipment conditions, and quality testing.
• Hands-on manufacturing experience with strong process ownership, structured problem-solving, leadership, and the ability to coach technicians and collaborate across Production, Quality, Maintenance, Environmental, and Engineering teams.
• Experience with wastewater treatment, reverse osmosis, filtration, environmental compliance, and standardized process documentation is highly desirable.
• Automotive experience is preferred, although relevant experience from heavy equipment, appliances, canning, oil & gas, or other industrial coating environments will be considered. Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLC exposure and paint/coating certifications are additional pluses.

If you have a strong background in E-Coat/ED coating, paint application chemistry, pretreatment, or industrial coating processes and are looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a critical manufacturing process, I'd love to speak with you.