N NorthlineCoating
(616) 452-8817 Get a Quote

Work at a shop
where the people
actually matter.

We're a 28-person powder coating shop in Grand Rapids, and we're growing carefully. Every position we open is a position we've thought about for months — not a headcount we're trying to fill. If you're good at what you do, care about the details, and want to work somewhere that treats the shop floor like the most important part of the business, we'd like to hear from you.

See Open Positions → Apply now
Northline Coating team working on the production floor in Grand Rapids
What it's like here

A shop floor
without pretense.

We're not a company that runs on motivational posters. We're a company that runs on the fact that the work is interesting, the equipment is good, and the people you work with take what they do seriously.

Dan walks the pretreatment line every morning. Maria handles scheduling and quotes. Eli runs QC. There's no layer of management between the person doing the work and the person who owns the business — and that means when something needs to change, it actually changes.

We pay attention to the details that matter: real equipment, real training, and a schedule that doesn't grind people down. We don't run three shifts and we don't ask people to work weekends unless they want the overtime.

0 People on staff
0 Years average tenure
0 Weekend shifts required
0 % employer-paid health premium
Benefits

What we offer
beyond the paycheck.

We're not going to pretend these are the richest benefits in the manufacturing sector. They're honest, competitive for a shop our size, and we don't hide the details.

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Health Insurance

Full-time employees get health, dental, and vision through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Northline covers 100% of the employee premium and 50% of dependent coverage.

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Retirement

Simple IRA with a 3% employer match. Available after 90 days of employment. We don't manage your money — we just match what you contribute.

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Paid Time Off

Two weeks of PTO to start, three weeks after five years, four weeks after ten. Plus paid holidays — New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

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Overtime

Time-and-a-half for anything over 40 hours. We don't schedule weekend work by default, but when it's needed we pay the premium and we ask — never require.

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Safety Equipment

Respirators, safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, and steel-toe boots. All PPE provided and maintained by Northline. Annual fit testing for respirator users.

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Training

Paid training for new processes, new equipment, and industry certifications. If a coating spec requires training you don't have, we pay for the training, not you.

Open positions

What we're
hiring for right now.

If you don't see a role that fits, we still want to hear from you. We keep resumes on file for six months and reach out when a matching position opens.

Full-time 1st shift

Powder Application Technician

Apply powder coatings in our Cell 2 manual booth. Work directly with small-batch, custom, and automotive parts where finish quality is the whole job.

What you'll do
  • Apply electrostatic powder in a controlled manual booth
  • Work from routing sheets to match specified color and gloss
  • Read and adjust film thickness through wet and cured measurement
  • Coordinate with QC on out-of-spec parts
  • Maintain booth equipment and powder inventory
What we're looking for
  • 2+ years of powder application experience
  • Comfort with reading gloss levels, RAL codes, and film targets
  • Attention to detail that doesn't fade at the end of the shift
  • Ability to work standing for extended periods
  • Respirator fit-test eligibility
What we offer

$22–$28/hr depending on experience. Full benefits, Simple IRA match, and 2 weeks of PTO to start. Overtime available at 1.5×.

Posted January 2026
Full-time 1st shift

Pretreatment & Blast Operator

Run parts through media blasting and our 7-stage iron phosphate line. This is the role that decides whether a coating lasts three years or fifteen — it's not a helper position.

What you'll do
  • Operate and monitor the 7-stage iron phosphate pretreatment line
  • Blast parts to spec in our aluminum oxide blast cabinets
  • Monitor chemical concentrations and bath temperatures
  • Log every cycle with time, temperature, and operator ID
  • Flag parts with surface defects before they enter the line
What we're looking for
  • Experience with industrial pretreatment or chemical processing
  • Comfortable reading chemical test strips and spec sheets
  • Reliable about log documentation
  • Willingness to work in a wet, industrial environment
  • Prior blast cabinet experience a plus
What we offer

$20–$26/hr depending on experience. Full benefits, Simple IRA match, 2 weeks of PTO to start.

Posted January 2026
Full-time 1st shift

Quality Control Inspector

Own the release gate. Check film thickness, adhesion, and appearance on every lot before it ships. You'll be the last person to see the parts before the customer does.

What you'll do
  • Measure cured film thickness with electronic dry-film gauges
  • Perform adhesion tests (cross-hatch and impact) on sample parts
  • Inspect for coverage gaps, sag, orange peel, and contamination
  • Complete certificates of conformance and lot documentation
  • Coordinate with production on any out-of-spec lots
What we're looking for
  • Prior experience in QC, inspection, or a related detail-driven role
  • Comfort with measurement instruments and tolerance ranges
  • Clear written documentation habits
  • Willingness to hold the line on spec even when production is pushing
  • ISO 9001 environment experience a strong plus
What we offer

$21–$27/hr depending on experience. Full benefits, Simple IRA match, 2 weeks of PTO to start.

Posted January 2026
Full-time 1st shift

Shop Support & Material Handler

Move parts into and out of the shop, organize staging areas, and support masking and packing. A good entry point if you're new to coating but serious about learning the trade.

What you'll do
  • Receive, log, and stage incoming parts
  • Support masking teams with plug and tape prep
  • Pack finished parts with foam protection and interleaving
  • Load and unload shipments, maintain shop organization
  • Assist pretreatment and application teams as needed
What we're looking for
  • Forklift experience helpful but not required — we'll train
  • Comfort with physically active work
  • Reliability and willingness to learn
  • No prior coating experience required
What we offer

$17–$21/hr depending on experience. Full benefits, Simple IRA match, 2 weeks of PTO to start. Clear path to advancement into application or pretreatment roles.

Posted January 2026
Apply

Send us
a resume.

Fill out the form, attach a resume, and tell us which role you're interested in. We review every application within a week, and if we want to move forward we'll call you directly — no automated screening, no ghosting.

If you'd rather not fill out a form, you can also email your resume directly to [email protected] or call Maria at (616) 452-8817 during business hours.

Hiring FAQ

Questions about
working here.

Do you hire people with no powder coating experience?

Yes, for shop support and material handler roles. Those are real entry points into the trade — several of our current application technicians started in support roles. For application, pretreatment, or QC positions, we're looking for prior experience because the learning curve on those jobs is significant and we don't want to set someone up to fail.

What's the schedule?

First shift runs Monday through Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm, with a 30-minute unpaid lunch and two paid 15-minute breaks. We don't run a second or third shift. Overtime is available when needed and always paid at 1.5×.

Is weekend work required?

No. We don't schedule weekend shifts by default. When a rush job or a weekend-sized run needs coverage, we ask for volunteers first, and it's always paid at 1.5×. If nobody volunteers, we reschedule the job.

How does the interview process work?

One phone screen (15–20 minutes), then a shop tour and in-person interview with Dan and Maria (60–90 minutes). For technical roles, we may ask you to walk us through a specific past project. We make decisions within a week of the in-person interview and always call with an answer either way.

Do you offer relocation assistance?

Not for standard shop positions. For senior technical roles where the right candidate is outside Michigan, we can discuss relocation support case by case. The West Michigan area has a strong manufacturing base and a reasonable cost of living — many of our employees have moved here from elsewhere in the Midwest.

How long do you keep applications on file?

Twelve months, unless you ask us to remove them. If a position opens that matches your background, we'll reach out — we don't expect you to keep re-applying.

Questions first?

Not sure the role
is right for you?

Call Maria at (616) 452-8817 during business hours. She'll tell you honestly whether the job is a fit before you spend time on an application. No pressure, no hard sell — just a straight answer.

Apply Now → Call (616) 452-8817