Field Application Engineer - High Speed Interconnects

3M; Minnesota; Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

3M is seeking a Field Application Engineer for High Speed Interconnects to collaborate with customers globally on optical fiber interconnect solutions and high-speed connectivity systems. You will support design-in activities, provide technical guidance, and drive product adoption through hands-on demonstrations and data-driven validation.

The role emphasizes cross-functional teamwork with product development, R&D, manufacturing, and sales to align customer needs with future product direction.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years in a customer-facing technical role (applications engineering, systems engineering, or product support).
• Minimum 2 years with high-speed interconnect technologies (optical fiber and/or copper).
• Current valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical interface between 3M and customers for optical interconnect solutions.
• Support customer design-in activities for fiber optic connectivity and high-speed systems.
• Provide technical consultation on product selection, integration, and performance optimization.
• Lead technical discussions, product demonstrations, and troubleshooting with customers.

Skills

Customer-facing experience

High-speed interconnect technologies

Strong communication skills

Problem solving

Presentation skills

Education

Electrical/Optical/Mechanical Engineering degree

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Optical test equipment

Data center networking awareness

Job description

职位描述 Field Application Engineer - High Speed Interconnects

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

As a Customer Facing Application Engineer – Optical Interconnects, you will have the opportunity to apply your technical expertise and customer engagement skills to support innovative interconnect solutions across data center, networking, and other high-performance connectivity applications.

• Serving as a technical interface between 3M and customers for optical interconnect solutions, with a primary emphasis on optical fiber technologies and expanded beam optics.
• Supporting customer design‑in activities for fiber optic connectivity, optical transport, and high‑speed communication systems.
• Providing technical consultation to customers, sales teams, and channel partners on product selection, application fit, system integration, and performance optimization.
• Driving adoption of 3M interconnect solutions by understanding customer architectures, technical requirements, and next‑generation roadmap needs.
• Collaborating with product development, R&D, manufacturing, quality, and marketing teams to communicate customer needs and influence future product direction.
• Leading technical discussions, product demonstrations, evaluations, and troubleshooting efforts for customer applications involving optical and copper interconnects.
• Supporting qualification activities by developing test plans, analyzing results, and ensuring customer requirements are met with validated data.
• Assisting customers in resolving field and application issues through hands‑on technical problem‑solving and cross‑functional coordination.
• Providing application guidance related to product design, manufacturing processes, and process capability considerations to support successful product implementation and customer adoption.
• Contributing to technical documentation, application notes, customer presentations, and training materials to support product deployment and market adoption.
• Monitoring industry trends, competitive technologies, and emerging standards in optical fiber interconnects and high‑speed data communication.
• Ensuring technical claims in customer‑facing literature and communications are accurate, well‑supported, and aligned with product performance.

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)
• Three (3) years of experience in a customer‑facing technical, applications engineering, systems engineering, or product support role in a private, public, government, or military environment.
• Two (2) years of experience with high‑speed interconnect technologies, including optical fiber and/or copper connectivity solutions.
• Current, valid Driver’s License.

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

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field from an accredited institution.
• Five (5) or more years of experience in optical connectivity for communications systems.
• Strong knowledge of optical fiber interconnects, transceiver connectivity, cable assemblies, and data center optical infrastructure.
• Experience in process engineering or process development for optical, fiber optic, or precision interconnect technologies, including process design, scale‑up, optimization, qualification, validation, and transfer to manufacturing.
• Experience transferring technical knowledge and delivering technical training related to production processes, including developing training materials, providing hands‑on instruction, and communicating process requirements, best practices, and troubleshooting methods to manufacturing, engineering, and customer teams.
• Familiarity with data center systems architecture, networking, AI infrastructure, and high‑performance computing environments.
• Experience interpreting industry standards, qualification requirements, and test methods related to fiber optic and electrical interconnect components.
• Experience with optical test equipment and performance characterization of optical or interconnect systems.
• Ability to analyze customer requirements and translate them into application guidance and product recommendations.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills in customer and field environments.
• Experience developing and delivering technical presentations to customers, internal stakeholders, and external partners.
• Strong communication skills, including oral, written, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively across global, cross‑functional teams.

Work location: May work remote within the United States 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.

Compensation & Benefits

The expected compensation range for this position is $145,676 - $178,049, 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.).

Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/

Equal Opportunity

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.

About Us

At 3M we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.