Job Description:
Job Title
Senior Director 3M Element
Collaborate with Innovative 3Mers Around the World
Choosing where to start and grow your career has a major impact on your professional and personal life, so it’s equally important you know that the company that you choose to work at, and its leaders, will support and guide you. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.
This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government or military experience to a 3M career.
The Impact You’ll Make in this Role
Key Responsibilities
Lead and develop the Class 5 commercialization team across customer discovery, commercialization planning, technical application development, and business case formation.
Set strategy and priorities for Class 5 commercialization in alignment with enterprise growth objectives and priority verticals.
Identify high-value unmet customer needs and market spaces where 3M can uniquely win.
Partner with internal technology, R&D, and business teams to identify technologies and capabilities with strong commercial potential.
Direct external customer, market, and channel assessment activities to evaluate problem-solution fit and commercial attractiveness.
Guide technical scoping, application development, quality considerations, prototyping, and customer validation activities needed to de-risk opportunities.
Build and manage external collaborations and partnerships, including ventures, licensing relationships, and joint development agreements, to accelerate commercialization.
Lead business development and commercial assessment activities, including market sizing, competitive analysis, partnership models, and business case development.
Oversee governance and stage-gate processes for the Class 5 pipeline, including investment recommendations, portfolio reviews, and transition planning.
Present portfolio progress, opportunity insights, investment cases, and commercialization recommendations to senior and executive leaders.
Partner with C-suite sponsors, division leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to align pipeline priorities and resource needs.
Manage budgets, team resources, and operating mechanisms to support execution across multiple Class 5 programs.
Continuously improve commercialization methods, metrics, and decision frameworks to increase speed, quality, and risk-adjusted value creation.
Your Skills and Expertise
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution.
Ten (10) or more years of experience in commercialization, business development, innovation, strategy, market development, or new venture leadership.
Preferred Qualifications
Advanced degree (MBA, technical, or related).
Experience leading front-end innovation, venture development, incubation, or new business creation programs.
Experience leading cross-functional teams to advance early-stage growth opportunities from concept through business evaluation.
Experience in market assessment, customer validation, and commercialization planning.
Experience working across technical, business and operational functions to de-risk and mature new opportunities.
Strong ability to translate customer needs, technologies, and market signals into actionable commercialization strategies.
Demonstrated success building business cases and influencing senior and executive stakeholders.
Experience with external partnerships, licensing, ventures, or joint development models.
Strong understanding of stage-gate governance, portfolio management, and new product introduction processes.
Experience in technical application development, prototyping, customer validation, or adjacent commercialization functions.
Strong analytical, strategic, and communication skills; comfort operating in ambiguous environments with evolving opportunity definitions.
Work location:
- Work location: This role follows an on-site working model, requiring the employee to work at least four days a week at the 3M Center in Maplewood, MN.
- Travel: May include up to 25% (domestic/international)
- Relocation: May be authorized
Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).
Supporting Your Well-being
3M offers many programs to help you live your best life – both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, 3M regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.
Chat with Max
For assistance with searching through our current job openings or for more information about all things 3M, visit Max, our virtual recruiting assistant on 3M.com/careers.
Applicable to US Applicants Only:The expected compensation range for this position is $287,281 - $351,122, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.
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Skills Required
- bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution.
- ten (10) or more years of experience in commercialization, business development, innovation, strategy, market development, or new venture leadership.
- advanced degree (MBA, technical, or related).
- experience leading front-end innovation, venture development, incubation, or new business creation programs.
- experience leading cross-functional teams to advance early-stage growth opportunities from concept through business evaluation.
- experience in market assessment, customer validation, and commercialization planning.
- strong analytical, strategic, and communication skills; comfort operating in ambiguous environments with evolving opportunity definitions.
What We Do
3M operates as a diversified technology company, manufacturing more than 55,000 products, including adhesives, laminates, and many more. 3M touches virtually every part of your life. Our people and technology make the impossible, possible. Every day we apply our science to enhance people’s lives. This is 3M Science. Applied to Life.™
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