Product Development Engineer - Automotive Aftermarkets

Job Description:

Product Development Engineer - Automotive Aftermarkets

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 Product Development Engineer - Automotive Aftermarkets Paint Finishing Systems, you will work on chemical-based product platforms with a focus on formulation support, batch processing, mixing operations, and product lifecycle management. You will help improve existing products, support new product introduction, and enable successful scale-up and manufacturing readiness.

• Support product lifecycle activities including continuous improvement, risk reduction, and change implementation
• Author and maintain technical documentation such as specifications, bills of materials, formulas, and work instructions
• Investigate product and process issues using structured problem-solving, data analysis, and lab testing
• Apply chemistry, materials, or chemical process knowledge to support product performance and manufacturing success
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including R&D, operations, quality, supply chain, procurement, regulatory, and EHS
• Support test method development, product validation, and customer or internal performance evaluations
• Assist in scaling new formulations and prototypes into manufacturable products
• Support lab builds, designed experiments, validation activities, and production trials
• Help prepare manufacturing readiness and design transfer documentation

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)
• Two (2) years of experience in research and development, product engineering, manufacturing, scale-up, process development, or new product introduction in a private, public, government or military environment

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

• Experience supporting product lifecycle documentation such as specifications, formulas, SOPs, BOMs, or work instructions
• Experience using experimental design, statistical analysis, or data-driven methods to support technical decisions
• Experience with formulated chemical products such as liquids, blends, coatings, treatment compounds, bonding materials, or specialty materials
• Knowledge of formulation chemistry including additives, emulsions, solvents, surfactants, and related materials
• Experience with mixing, batch processing, filling, packaging, or related manufacturing operations
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; Minitab or similar tools preferred

Additional Information

• This role has a strong focus on new product introduction, scale-up support, and launch readiness
• Well suited for an early-career professional seeking broader technical and cross-functional experience

Work Location: Maplewood, MN (on-site at least 4 days a week)

Travel: May include up to 20% 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. 

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 $98,964 - $120,957, 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