Global Manager, Application Engineering – Commercial Vehicles & Rail

3M Company; Livonia (MI); On-site; USD 188,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

3M Company in Livonia, MI seeks a Global Manager, Application Engineering for Commercial Vehicles & Rail. You will lead a global team of Application Engineers, translating customer insights into new product opportunities and driving growth across OEMs, fleets, and operators.

This on-site role requires up to 30% travel, relocation if needed, and a strong leadership/engineering background with 7+ years in the field.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, verified prior to start.
• Seven years of experience in Application Engineering, product development, or technical service in a customer-facing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead a global team of field-, account-, and strategic-aligned Application Engineers supporting Commercial Vehicles and Rail customers across regions.
• Build strong technical relationships with OEMs, Tier suppliers, fleets, rail operators, engineering organizations, and sites worldwide.
• Translate customer and market insights into prioritized NPI opportunities and differentiated value propositions.
• Identify white-space opportunities for cross-selling and platform expansion across regions.
• Drive consistent Application Engineering practices, knowledge sharing, and collaboration across global and regional teams.
• Lead customer interactions including site walks, workshops, trials, and commercialization support.

Skills

Global team leadership

Application engineering

Customer engagement

Cross-regional collaboration

Technical mentorship

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Master's degree in Engineering or MBA

Job description

Job Description:

Global Manager, Application Engineering — Commercial Vehicles & Rail

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 You will lead the global Application Engineering organization supporting the Commercial Vehicles and Rail vertical businesses. This role will ensure strong technical engagement with customers worldwide, identify application-level needs, translate customer and market insights into new product introduction (NPI) opportunities, and accelerate growth with OEM, Tier, fleet, operator, and ecosystem accounts across the Transportation & Energy businesses.

As Global Manager, Application Engineering — Commercial Vehicles & Rail, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world. Here, you will make an impact by:

• Lead a global team of field-, account-, and strategic-aligned Application Engineers supporting Commercial Vehicles and Rail customers across regions.
• Build strong technical relationships with OEMs, Tier suppliers, fleets, rail operators, engineering organizations, manufacturing sites, and other ecosystem partners worldwide.
• Translate global customer, application, and market insights into prioritized NPI opportunities and differentiated value propositions for the Commercial Vehicles and Rail vertical businesses.
• Identify white-space opportunities for cross-selling, specification wins and protection, platform expansion, and competitive displacement across regions.
• Drive consistent Application Engineering operating practices, capability development, resource prioritization, knowledge sharing, and collaboration across global and regional teams.
• Lead customer interactions, including site and line walks, technical workshops, application trials, issue triage, and commercialization support, in partnership with business, laboratory, manufacturing, and sales teams.

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)
• Seven (7) years of experience in Application Engineering, product development, technical service in customer-facing technical field 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 Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Ten (10) or more years of customer-facing technical experience with demonstrated success converting customer insights into growth opportunities.
• Experience in Commercial Vehicles, Rail, or adjacent transportation markets, including familiarity with OEM, Tier, fleet, operator, and regulatory ecosystems.
• Experience leading technical teams, programs, or customer engagements across multiple countries or regions.
• Demonstrated skills in global team leadership, talent development, executive customer engagement, business acumen, portfolio strategy, and cross-functional influence.

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.

Travel: May include up to 30% domestic and international travel.

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.

Applicable to US Applicants Only: The expected compensation range for this position is $188,251 – $230,084, 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/.

Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.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.

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.