Paints and coatings are used in many industries, including automotive, aerospace, construction, industrial and more, employing thousands of people and providing high-paying job opportunities. This article explores the 15 best paying jobs in paints/coatings industry in 2023.
The global painting/coatings industry is in dire need of professionals who in their different capacities strive to protect the environment and buildings through the right application of a single coat or paint to fit.
Keep reading to find the 15 best jobs in the paint/coatings industry.
Table of contents
15 Best Jobs In Paints/Coatings Industry In 2023
Here is a list of the best paint and coating jobs you can explore in 2023.
- Paint Process Engineer
- Paint Machine Operator
- Painting Supervisor
- Technical Sevice Staff
- Paint Engineer
- R&D Scientist
- Painter Assistant
- Paint Technician
- Paint Chemist
- Marketing Manager
- Interior Painter
- Industrial Spray Painter
- Project Manager
- Industrial Powder-Coat Painter
- Paint line operator
1. Paint Process Engineer
National Average Salary: $88,007
A paint process engineer is responsible for assessing and maintaining automated paint equipment to guarantee that each order meets or exceeds customer requirements.
A process engineer’s job is both challenging and dynamic. It involves participating in creating and designing a wide range of paint products.
To become a process engineer, you need to obtain a bachelor’s degree in either process or chemical engineering.
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2. Paint Machine Operator
National Average Salary: $32,476
A paint machine operator sets up painting machines that perform specific functions such as spraying or rolling. These machines mainly paint various products like glassware, paper, wood, ceramics, silver, copper, enamel, vehicles, oil, lacquer, and even rust-proofing materials.
To excel as a paint machine operator, you must have excellent color vision, physical strength, and mechanical skills.
This is one of the good-paying painting jobs you can think of.
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3. Painting Supervisor
National Average Salary: $56,634
If you are looking for the best-paying job in paints/coatings, you can apply for a position as a painting supervisor.
A painting supervisor works in the construction industry to ensure the team of painters is doing the work as supposed. They have to oversee the interior and exterior painting areas.
Their duties include working with the site foreman or clients to ensure the project is appropriately executed, paint is mixed and applied correctly, and masking areas are adequately protected.
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4. Technical Service Staff
National Average Salary: $60,233
A Technical Service Representative (TSR) is responsible for selling and servicing their customers’ needs in applying coatings on various surfaces.
The responsibilities of a TSR include:
- Selling products to clients by using effective sales techniques, including direct mail campaigns, door-to-door sales, trade shows, and web advertising
- Providing technical assistance to customers when they need assistance with application techniques or specifications
5. Paint Engineer
National Average Salary: $101,668
Paint engineers are responsible for designing, testing, and developing new products. They are also responsible for developing new processes and methods to improve production efficiency.
Paint engineers work with chemists specializing in materials science or chemistry to determine what materials will be used in a particular product line based on its specifications (e.g., color spectrum).
After identifying these elements, the engineer creates formulas that describe how each one reacts with other ingredients during manufacturing processes, such as mixing them into creams or coatings; applying them onto surfaces; or drying them off after application has been completed on an object like paper packaging boxes used by companies throughout North America today!
It is also the duty of a paint engineer to customers, continuously analyze the equipment, and provide feedback to the engineering group and technical expertise in sales meetings.
6. R&D Scientist
National Average Salary: $76,450
As an R&D Scientist working in the paints/coatings industry, you will work on improving existing products and designing new ones. You will be responsible for researching the latest technologies and materials to ensure that they effectively produce high-quality products.
You will also be expected to provide input into product development decisions by providing technical advice and collaborating with other departments within your company, such as engineering or manufacturing.
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7. Painter Assistant
National Average Salary: $39,321
Next on our list of best-paying jobs in paints/coatings is the painter assistant.
A painter assistant assists painters, stucco masons, and plasterers with various chores to ensure that a project is completed swiftly and efficiently.
Typical responsibilities as a painter helper include putting plaster, cleaning old paint, and prepping the workspace. They can also use chemical solutions and power tools to clean surfaces before painting or plastering them. To be a painter assistant, you need relevant professional experience, such as on-the-job training under the supervision of a more experienced painter.
Furthermore, some paint industries prefer high school graduates or those with GED certificates. Mechanical skills like using power tools like buffers and sanders will be an added advantage.
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8. Paint Technician
National Average Salary: $46,906
Next on our list of best-paying jobs in paints/coatings is a paint technician.
A paint technician knows everything there is to know about paints, varnishes, enamels, resins, and other coatings. They understand paint and varnish types (such as solvent-based, water-based, and powder-based), properties (such as color, brightness, sheen, adhesion, durability, resistance to wear, corrosion, and chemical agents, as well as drying times and temperatures).
Moreso, they are conversant with the application methods (brush, spray, immersion, electrophoresis), tools, and equipment (brushes, rollers, airbrushes, dryer lamps, and drying ovens).
9. Paint Chemist
National Average Salary: $58,993
Now you may wonder why a paint chemist is on our list of best-paying jobs in paints/coatings. Well, chemists are responsible for ensuring the quality of paints, coatings, and related products.
They must formulate paints new to the business and CARB-compliant paint products and evaluate paint performance. They also ensure that suitable raw materials are used to produce the paint.
They have to be able to read technical documentation and understand the chemical composition of each product before production. Chemists also need to be able to work under pressure, as their supervisors or clients often impose deadlines on them.
Lastly, they ensure that their products meet the relevant safety standards.
10. Marketing Manager
National Average Salary: $62,915
Next on our list of best-paying jobs in paint/coatings is the marketing manager. The marketing manager is responsible for the overall success of the company’s products and services.
They plan, develop and implement marketing strategies that will drive sales of those products/services.
It is also their responsibility to conduct market research, analyze data to determine what types of customers are buying what type of product or service, identify new markets to target with new products or services and manage budgets related to these activities.
11. Interior Painter
National Average Salary: $41,500
An interior painter paints and decorates buildings. They must mix the paint, keeping a ready supply of pigments, oils, thinners, and driers.
Depending on the nature of the task, the painter would utilize his skills to select a fine blend. Currently, the painter is mainly responsible for surface preparation, such as fixing holes in drywall, using masking tape and other protection on non-paintable surfaces, applying the paint, and finally cleaning up.
12. Industrial Spray Painter
National Average Salary: $46,731
An industrial spray painter has to prepare a surface for panting. They also apply paints or coatings on surfaces using HVLP spray guns or conventional spray painters.
As an industrial spray painter, you are responsible for mixing color or coating liquids, assessing the initial application, and reapplying paint when necessary.
You must adhere to customer specifications and mask areas that do not require painting or coating. You may also be in charge of inventory management in the paint room. Most industrial spray painters operate in the manufacturing or construction industries.
13. Project Manager
National Average Salary: $77,174
Project managers are responsible for their teams’ successful completion of painting projects on time according to agreed-upon timelines.
They also ensure that all stakeholders are kept updated about progress reports regularly so that they can make informed decisions regarding future course corrections or adjustments required to meet deadlines on time
14. Industrial Powder-Coat Painter
National Average Salary: $33,150
The Industrial Powder-Coat Painter is in charge of conventional and preventative maintenance painting responsibilities throughout the manufacturing plant and various specialized painting projects.
Their day-to-day activities are painting massive structures, completing inspections and clean-ups, correct storage and disposal of paint supplies, and operating various tools and equipment.
15. Paint line operator
National Average Salary: $31,940
The Paint Line Operator works in a paint booth for a production line using a 2K wet paint system. It is the duty of a paint line operator to apply coatings with all types of spray equipment to meet coverage.
As a Paint Line Production Operator, you will be responsible for cleaning up trash in and around equipment with hand tools (such as blowers, shovels, brooms, and chisels) to create a safe working environment for all personnel.
You will also assist machine operators and learn how to run manufacturing equipment. This entry-level role provides the potential for advancement as new skills are learned, and openings arise.
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Why You Should Work In The Painting & Coating Industry
Painting and coating jobs are in high demand, and this trend is projected to continue over the next decade. Because of the physical nature of the job, natural attrition occurs in the painting industry, which keeps the market for these occupations available.
According to data on BLS, construction and maintenance painter jobs are expected to show little or no change from 2021 to 2031, which is at the same speed as average job growth in the US.
Here are a few reasons you should take up the best paying jobs in paints/coatings.
1. There is always something to do
If you get tired quickly and enjoy working on various projects with varying specifications, a position in the industrial painting business could be ideal.
One day, you could work in an industrial facility and coating machines, and the next, you could assist a retail location with a rebranding attempt.
There are no two projects alike, and you’ll frequently have opportunities to work with massive companies in lucrative contexts.
2. The job allows you to learn new skills
Working in the paints/coatings industry offers an opportunity to learn new things and make yourself a valuable asset.
While working, you get to build relationships with clients and colleagues in the industry. Skills learned in the course of the job are transferrable life skills that can be put to use anywhere.
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3. The industry is always relevant
America will always require painters. While you may have heard that painting is only a summer job, nothing could be further from reality.
Outdoor painting tends to slow down in the winter, but if you work with a commercial painting contractor, you can work on various sites that require a lot of indoor labor.
What Is The Difference Between Painting and Coating?
Paints and coatings are frequently used interchangeably. However, paints are generally used for aesthetics, whereas coatings are primarily used to avoid substrate deterioration or corrosion protection.
Industrial coatings are typically employed to preserve a metal substrate against corrosion in constructions such as bridges, pipelines, or outside metal tank surfaces.
A coating is a substance applied to a surface to offer protection or fulfill aesthetic reasons. Regardless of how you choose to use it, a layer of paint or coating protects the surface and will also provide color, gloss, and other estate properties.
FAQs On Best Paying Jos In Paints/Coatings
Working as a painter is not that stressful; it all depends on the task you have at hand.
To become a professional painter, you must be at least 18 years old, pass a background check, and be physically fit. An apprenticeship program typically lasts three to four years. Most apprentices complete more than 100 hours of classroom training each year and work full-time as assistants to veteran painters.
According to research, New Jersey is the best state for painters in America.
Industrial painting is a trade in which a painter applies paint, varnish, or another coating to a material or surface, most commonly in the construction or manufacturing industries.
Conclusion
The impact of the paints/coatings industry has gone beyond appearance to a place of protection. Paints and coatings are crucial elements of a building structure that give life and color to buildings, thereby increasing their life span.
References
- akpainting.com – Working in Painting: Why a Career in Painting Might Work for You
- facilitiesnet.com – Paints and Coatings: Benefits Beyond Appearance
- ziprecruiter.com – 15 of the Highest Paying Painting Jobs in 2023
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