Product Developer

National Black MBA Association; Maplewood, Northern (MN, KY); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

3M’s Product Developer role offers an exciting path to apply your science and engineering expertise in high‑impact abrasive products. You will collaborate with a global team to drive development from concept to scaled manufacturing, applying DOE methodologies and validation testing.

The position emphasizes hands-on lab work, experimentation, and intellectual property creation, with a strong focus on cutting-edge materials and process improvements. On-site at Maplewood, MN, with travel up to 10%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a science or engineering discipline from an accredited university.
• Eight (8) years of technology or product development experience with nonwovens, composites, and/or abrasives.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional team to develop high impact innovative abrasives.
• Leverage new technologies to develop novel, high-performance abrasive products.
• Apply scientific and engineering knowledge to solve complex problems.
• Build product concepts to demonstrate feasibility and scale up to manufacturing.
• Design experiments and plans to guide projects.

Skills

Product development experience

Nonwovens/abrasives knowledge

Technical leadership

DOE / experiments

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in science/engineering

Eight+ years experience in technology/product development

Tools

Lab equipment

Coating & web handling equipment

Job description

Job Description:

Job Title Product Developer

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 diversity 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 Product Developer, 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:

• Collaborating with a cross-functional team to develop high impact innovative abrasives.
• Leveraging new technologies to develop novel, high-performance abrasive products.
• Applying scientific and engineering knowledge to solve complex problems.
• Building product concepts to demonstrate feasibility and partnering with manufacturing to scale up to launched products.
• Applying technical and leadership skills to generate project scopes, plans, and design of experiments.
• Strengthening 3M’s proprietary position through development of intellectual property.
• Utilizing good communication skills to inspire, influence, motivate and teach other team members.

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 in a science or engineering discipline (completed and verified prior to start) from an accredited university.
• Eight (8) years of technology or product development experience with nonwovens, composites, and/or abrasives, in a private, public, government or military environment.

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

• Ph.D. with technical expertise in polymers, abrasives, or nonwovens.
• Technical expertise in urethane, epoxy, or phenolic chemistries and chemicals.
• Comfort in hands‑on experimentation, working with wet chemistries, and coating and web handling equipment in the lab and at manufacturing scale.
• Experience in technology or product development, including phase‑gate commercialization processes and prior successful demonstration of scale‑up to manufacturing scale.
• Experience in IP generation and strategy.
• Ability to self‑initiate, develop, direct, and complete projects with significant impact to 3M.
• Experience with creating and executing DOEs (design of experiments) and use of analytical techniques in experimentation.
• Record of effective cross‑functional team collaboration.
• Skills include excellent written and verbal communication, networking, interpersonal and leadership skills.

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 Maplewood, MN.

Travel: May include up to 10% domestic/international

Relocation Assistance: Not 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 $164,612 - $201,193, 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/.

Good Faith Posting Date Range 08/13/2026 To 09/12/2026 Or until filledAll 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.

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