Associate Principal Painting Engineer at Dyson · Shanghai

Associate Principal Painting Engineer Location: China - Shanghai Office Overview We’re seeking an experienced Associate Principal Painting Engineer with deep expertise in painting processes. This individual will lead innovation and troubleshooting across all painting and finishing operations, ensuring the highest quality finishes on Dyson products. Key Responsibilities Process Leadership: Drive end-to-end ownership of painting processes, from development and testing to shop-floor optimization. Technical Expertise: Provide expert guidance in troubleshooting paint defects, colour matching, and analysing root causes to resolve complex painting challenges. Paint Development: Lead the formulation, qualification, and selection of paints and coatings—including low-VOC and sustainable options. Supplier Collaboration: Work very closely with contract manufacturers (CMs) and paint suppliers to develop new paints, run trials, and validate processes, ensuring alignment and best-in-class outcomes. Sample Creation & Evaluation: Oversee creation of paint samples, conduct paint adhesion and durability tests, and evaluate conformity to visual and performance specifications. Collaboration with Internal Teams: Partner closely with RDD (Research, Design & Development) and CMF (Colour, Materials & Finishes) teams to translate design aspirations into robust and reliable painted parts. Automation & Advanced Application: Demonstrate hands-on experience with spindle and robotic painting systems, including programming, setup, and maintenance. Continuous Improvement: Lead projects to improve painting efficiency, reduce waste, and introduce new technologies for advanced finishes. Quality Standards: Ensure internal and external standards for painted finish performance and appearance are consistently met. Required Skills & Experience Minimum 10 years of hands-on experience in painting processes, preferably in automotive, consumer electronics, or related sectors. Deep knowledge of paint chemistry, colour science, and surface preparation. Proven ability in root-cause analysis and troubleshooting of painting defects. Skilled in both manual and automated (spindle and robotic) painting applications. Direct experience working with CMs and paint suppliers on product development, trials, and process validation. Strong collaboration skills, particularly with design, CMF, RDD teams, and external partners. Experience with sourcing, qualifying, and validating new paints and coatings. Capable of managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment. Excellent communication skills—able to present technical concepts clearly to varied audiences. Dyson is an equal opportunity employer. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make our technology so unique. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other any other dimension of diversity.