Core Engineering Leader

3M Company; Maplewood (MN); On-site; USD 222,000 - 271,000; Full time

Job summary

3M Company in Maplewood, MN is seeking a Core Engineering Leader to guide product engineering across the full lifecycle. You will set engineering standards, drive robustness and cost competitiveness, and partner with business units, BSC, suppliers and contract manufacturers to deliver critical engineering outcomes.

You will lead the division-wide CMP portfolio, allocate resources, reduce tech debt, and ensure quality through strong change control and documentation practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Science or Engineering from an accredited institution.
• 8+ years of engineering experience across product development, manufacturing, quality, or lifecycle management.
• 4+ years of technical leadership experience managing cross-functional programs, suppliers or contract manufacturers, portfolio priorities, KPIs, risks, and stakeholder alignment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the division-wide CMP portfolio, including portfolio strategy, execution model, prioritization process, and performance KPIs.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards that strengthen design integrity, robustness, documentation quality, configuration management, and lifecycle excellence.
• Partner with business unit teams and BSC to deliver core engineering capabilities, including molding, hardware design, digital components and related product-engineering competencies.
• Manage setup of external development partners, suppliers, and contract manufacturers against defined expectations for performance, quality, cost, schedule, and technical delivery in partnership with procurement
• Drive material and process standardization across PSD to improve product robustness, reduce cost, and support scalable execution.
• Govern engineering documentation, configuration management, and change-control practices to ensure consistency, traceability, and compliance with quality expectations.
• Optimize project cycle time, business impact, and resource allocation across the CMP portfolio and related engineering initiatives.
• Assign and align technical resources to critical CMP projects based on business priorities, risk, urgency, and expected value.
• Drive continuous improvement by reducing technology debt, mitigating product risk, and improving engineering execution discipline.
• Build, prioritize, and govern a cross-functional pipeline spanning service, repair, quality, manufacturing, and product-engineering needs.
• Own ongoing product support which may include digital updates

Skills

Engineering leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Hardware design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering

Job description

Job Description

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

The Core Engineering Leader is responsible for leading product engineering across the full product lifecycle, with accountability for design integrity, product robustness, quality performance, cost competitiveness, and cross-functional execution. This role leads the division-wide CMP portfolio, establishing consistent engineering standards across the Personal Safety Division, and partners with business unit teams, Product organizations, BSC, suppliers, contract manufacturers, and external development partners to deliver business-critical engineering outcomes.

Primary Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the division-wide CMP portfolio, including portfolio strategy, execution model, prioritization process, and performance KPIs.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards that strengthen design integrity, robustness, documentation quality, configuration management, and lifecycle excellence.
• Partner with business unit teams and BSC to deliver core engineering capabilities, including molding, hardware design, digital components and related product-engineering competencies.
• Manage setup of external development partners, suppliers, and contract manufacturers against defined expectations for performance, quality, cost, schedule, and technical delivery in partnership with procurement
• Drive material and process standardization across PSD to improve product robustness, reduce cost, and support scalable execution.
• Govern engineering documentation, configuration management, and change-control practices to ensure consistency, traceability, and compliance with quality expectations.
• Optimize project cycle time, business impact, and resource allocation across the CMP portfolio and related engineering initiatives.
• Assign and align technical resources to critical CMP projects based on business priorities, risk, urgency, and expected value.
• Drive continuous improvement by reducing technology debt, mitigating product risk, and improving engineering execution discipline.
• Build, prioritize, and govern a cross-functional pipeline spanning service, repair, quality, manufacturing, and product-engineering needs.
• Own ongoing product support which may include digital updates

Key Relationships and Partnerships

• Co-own CMP execution and prioritization with business unit Product Engineering teams, and supply chain teams.
• Align technology-development priorities with Product organizations.
• Champion robust engineering practices across functions.
• Collaborate with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and external engineering partners for continuous improvement.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M is looking for candidates who must have the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Science or Engineering (completed and verified prior to start) from an accredited institution.
• 8+ years of engineering experience across product development, product engineering, manufacturing, quality, or lifecycle management, including hardgoods, molding, hardware design, and/or electronic components.
• 4+ years of technical leadership experience managing cross-functional engineering programs, suppliers or contract manufacturers, portfolio priorities, KPIs, risks, and stakeholder alignment.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Advanced degree in Engineering, Science, Business, or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale engineering, lifecycle management, quality improvement, productivity, or cost-savings initiatives across a complex organization.
• Experience working in a regulated, quality-driven, or highly technical manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of product engineering, design integrity, change control, product robustness, and continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders across business units, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, suppliers, and external partners.
• Experience establishing engineering standards, governance processes, and portfolio prioritization practices across multiple products or platforms.

Work location

• This role follows an on-site working model, requiring the employee to work at least four days a week at the 3M in Maplewood, MN

Travel: May include up to 15% domestic/international

Relocation Assistance: 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.

Resources for You

For more details on what happens before, during and after the interview process, check out the Insights for Candidates page at 3M.com/careers.

Applicable to US Applicants Only: The expected compensation range for this position is $221,591 – $270,834, 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.