Director, Transportation Safety

NBMBAA; Livonia (MI); On-site; USD 250,000 - 306,000; Full time

Job summary

3M seeks a Director of Transportation Safety to own global commercial growth across traffic signage, road safety, and vehicle registration solutions. The role leads international sales teams, builds executive relationships, and partners with Government Affairs to anticipate regulatory changes.

Based at on-site locations in Livonia, MI or Maplewood, MN, this position requires deep global B2G experience and the ability to navigate complex standards and procurement.”

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher required.
• Twelve years of leadership experience in global B2B and B2G sales with transportation safety or infrastructure policy.

Responsibilities

• Lead a global sales organization for transportation safety products.
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategies across regions (Americas, EMEA, APAC).
• Collaborate with Government Affairs to align product roadmaps with regulatory shifts.

Skills

Leadership experience

Global B2B/B2G sales

Regulatory affairs

Cross-cultural leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Master’s degree

Job description

Job Description:

Job Title: Director, Transportation Safety

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.

The Director, Transportation Safety sets the commercial, technical, and advocacy strategy for our road, vehicle, and transit safety business worldwide. It is a rare role that combines full commercial ownership of high-impact product portfolios with the opportunity to shape the infrastructure standards and safety policies that govern them. The Director leads a global sales organization, cultivates customer relationships at the highest levels, and partners with Government Affairs to ensure our product roadmap stays ahead of an evolving regulatory landscape.

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

Reporting to the President of Transportation, the Director owns global commercial growth across our critical transportation safety categories — traffic signage, pavement markings, and vehicle registration solutions. The Director leads and scales international sales teams, manages strategic State and Country customer relationships, and works hand-in-hand with Government Affairs to align product roadmaps with upcoming regulatory shifts.

This is a global, cross-regional mandate spanning the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific. Success requires equal fluency in commercial strategy, long-cycle government procurement, and transportation safety policy — and the leadership presence to represent the company on the international stage.

Key Responsibilities:

• Revenue targets for signage, pavement markings, and vehicle registration products.
• Build key customer relationships: Cultivate and maintain executive-level partnerships with Department of Transportation (DOT), global ministries of transport, and large-scale infrastructure contractors.
• Go-to-market strategy: Develop and execute commercial strategies tailored to regional regulatory environments, maximizing market penetration for high-visibility and digital traffic solutions.
• Revenue and margin ownership: Executing pricing strategy, forecasting demand, and driving profitable growth across all regions.
• Collaborate with Government Affairs: Partner closely with internal Government Affairs teams to monitor, influence, and respond to global transportation legislation, funding bills, and safety mandates.
• Standardization & policy: Serve on international committees
• Anticipate regulatory shifts: Translate emerging standards and infrastructure funding into commercial opportunity, aligning product roadmaps with the regulatory horizon.
• Signage & pavement markings: Drive adoption of high-performance retroreflective sheetings and durable pavement markings designed for both human drivers and autonomous vehicle vision systems.
• Vehicle registration solutions: Expand the global footprint of secure vehicle identification products, including retroreflective license plate materials and digital registration technologies.
• Portfolio prioritization: Partner with R&D and Product Management to prioritize investment across the portfolio, balancing near-term revenue with long-term category leadership.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (completed and verified prior to start)
• Twelve (12) years of leadership experience, blending global B2B and B2G (Business-to-Government) sales with transportation safety or infrastructure policy in a private, public, government or military environment

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

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, or a related discipline from an accredited institution.
• Global acumen: Proven track record of managing cross-border sales teams and navigating complex, long-cycle government procurement processes across multiple continents.
• Regulatory expertise: Deep familiarity with global traffic device standards (such as the MUTCD or European equivalents) and vehicle compliance frameworks.
• Direct experience with government procurement and B2G contracting across multiple regions (Americas, EMEA, APAC).
• Participation in or engagement with standards-setting bodies (e.g., FHWA, CEN/European Road Safety Charter, national transport ministries).
• Experience commercializing engineered-product portfolios in regulated markets.
• Demonstrated cross-cultural leadership across international teams.
• Strategic commercial leadership: Sets a clear global growth agenda and translates it into regional execution and measurable results.
• Executive stakeholder influence: Relationships with senior government officials, contractors and internal stakeholders alike
• Cross-cultural agility: Leads distributed, multi-region teams and adapts commercial approaches to diverse regulatory and cultural contexts.
• Change leadership: Guides the organization and portfolio through regulatory transitions and evolving technology
• Results orientation: Balances long-cycle B2G opportunities with near-term revenue and margin commitments.

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 Livonia, MI or at the 3M Center in Maplewood, MN.

Travel:

May include up to 50% 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 $250,253 - $305,864, 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.