Director, Transportation Safety

3M; Maplewood (MN); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

3M seeks a Director of Transportation Safety to set global commercial and policy strategy for road, vehicle, and transit safety portfolios. You will lead international sales teams, build executive relationships with government agencies, and align product roadmaps with regulatory shifts.

The role requires a strong track record in global B2B/B2G sales, and deep expertise in transportation safety policy and standards, with a presence on the international stage.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher completed prior to start.
• Twelve (12) years of leadership experience blending global B2B and B2G sales with transportation safety or infrastructure policy.

Responsibilities

• Revenue targets and growth for transportation safety portfolios across regions.
• Build executive-level customer relationships with key ministries and DOT-like agencies.
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategies tailored to regional regulatory environments.
• Own pricing strategy, forecast demand, and drive profitable growth across all regions.
• Collaborate with Government Affairs to monitor and respond to global transportation legislation and funding.

Skills

Global leadership

Global B2B/B2G sales

Transportation safety policy

Cross-cultural leadership

Strategic growth leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Master's degree (optional)

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