Aerospace & Defense Application Engineer (Remote-Eligible)

3M; Minnesota; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

3M seeks an Application Engineer for the Defense Segment in the Aerospace & Defense Business. You will collaborate with global teams to translate customer needs into technical specifications, supporting qualification and adoption of 3M solutions in defense programs.

This role emphasizes building influential relationships with defense primes, suppliers, and government labs while guiding product development to meet mission requirements and modernization priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a science or engineering discipline (completed and verified prior to start).
• Five (5) years of application engineering, product development, new product commercialization, or role translating customer needs into technical product performance criteria in a private, public, government or military environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering with Electronics focus is a plus.
• Masters’s or Ph.D. in a science or engineering discipline is preferred.
• Ten (10) years of related experience translating customer needs into technical product performance criteria in similar environments.
• Experience as a Materials & Processes (M&P) Engineer or Systems Engineer in flight hardware development.
• Defense asset materials selection, qualification, and verification knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Builds strong technical relationships with defense primes, subsystem suppliers, platform integrators, government laboratories, and DoD organizations.
• Partners with customers to understand mission and platform requirements and identify opportunities for 3M technologies across survivability, thermal management, EMI management, structural bonding, and electronic materials.
• Leads technical engagement activities that drive product specification, qualification, and adoption within customer programs.
• Serves as the voice of the customer by translating application needs into product requirements and development opportunities.
• Coordinates testing, generates technical recommendations, and guides implementation of 3M solutions in customer qualification efforts.
• Develops and manages a pipeline of growth opportunities within strategic Defense accounts.
• Collaborates with Sales, Marketing, Product Platforms, Manufacturing, and Corporate Research to accelerate commercialization.
• Identifies unmet needs and advocates for new technologies to enable defense market success.

Skills

Project management

Defense industry knowledge

Systems engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering with electronics focus

Masters or PhD in a science or engineering discipline

Ten years in related engineering roles translating requirements

Job description

3M seeks an Application Engineer for the Defense Segment in the Aerospace & Defense Business. You will collaborate with global teams to translate customer needs into technical specifications, supporting qualification and adoption of 3M solutions in defense programs.

This role emphasizes building influential relationships with defense primes, suppliers, and government labs while guiding product development to meet mission requirements and modernization priorities.