Senior Coatings Specialist
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire The role: We are looking for an experienced Senior Coatings Specialist to join our manufacturing operations team in Cheltenham. This is a key technical role responsible for providing expert guidance on coating and corrosion protection systems, ensuring the highest standards of surface preparation, coating application, inspection and quality compliance across a range of products and projects.
Working closely with engineering, quality, production and supplier teams, you will act as the subject matter expert for coating solutions, helping to drive quality, continuous improvement and operational excellence. Key responsibilities: Lead and provide technical expertise on coating systems, corrosion protection and production methods. Support engineering and engineer-to-order projects with coating specification reviews and solution development.
Liaise directly with coating suppliers and contractors to resolve technical challenges and optimise coating processes. Verify surface preparation methods, cleanliness standards and environmental conditions. Inspect coating application activities to ensure compliance with approved procedures and customer requirements. Measure and record wet film thickness (WFT) and dry film thickness (DFT).
Perform and witness coating tests including adhesion testing, holiday detection and curing checks. Identify non-conformances, recommend corrective actions and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives. Produce accurate inspection records, reports and supporting documentation. Support final acceptance activities, handovers and coating dossiers.
Authorise acceptance or rejection of coating work and intervene where quality, safety or specification compliance is at risk. Your experience: Strong experience in surface treatment, coatings or coating inspection. Proven experience inspecting industrial coating systems on steel and/or metallic substrates. Experience creating or maintaining work instructions and technical documentation.
Experience working within established quality management systems. Background in sectors such as manufacturing, offshore, oil gas, energy, marine, infrastructure or heavy fabrication would be advantageous. Experience with valves or valve-related products is desirable. Understanding of ISO 9001 quality standards is beneficial. Your skills: Engineering degree, HND or HNC in a STEM-related discipline.
Recognised coating inspection certification such as: FROSIO Surface Treatment Inspector Level 3, AMPP Coatings Inspector Program (CIP) Level 2 or 3, ICorr Coating Inspector Level 2 or 3, DIN-Certified Coating Inspector, or equivalent Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills. Ability to make independent technical decisions and sound quality judgements. High attention to detail with a proactive approach to problem solving.
Professional and confident approach to quality enforcement and conflict resolution. Ability to communicate effectively with customers, suppliers, contractors and internal teams. Capability to produce clear, accurate and timely technical reports. Passion for continuous improvement and developing others. Why join us?
This is an excellent opportunity to become a recognised technical expert within a growing manufacturing environment, where your knowledge and expertise will directly impact product quality, customer satisfaction and operational performance. You'll work alongside experienced teams, influence best practice and play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality engineered products.
