Senior Director Element

Senior Director 3M Element

This position provides an opportunity to transition from other private, public, government, or military experience to a 3M career.

• Lead and develop the Class 5 commercialization team across customer discovery, commercialization planning, technical application development, and business case formation.
• Set strategy and priorities for Class 5 commercialization in alignment with enterprise growth objectives and priority verticals.
• Identify high‑value unmet customer needs and market spaces where 3M can uniquely win.
• Partner with internal technology, R&D, and business teams to identify technologies and capabilities with strong commercial potential.
• Direct external customer, market, and channel assessment activities to evaluate problem‑solution fit and commercial attractiveness.
• Guide technical scoping, application development, quality considerations, prototyping, and customer validation activities needed to de‑risk opportunities.
• Build and manage external collaborations and partnerships, including ventures, licensing relationships, and joint development agreements, to accelerate commercialization.
• Lead business development and commercial assessment activities, including market sizing, competitive analysis, partnership models, and business case development.
• Oversee governance and stage‑gate processes for the Class 5 pipeline, including investment recommendations, portfolio reviews, and transition planning.
• Present portfolio progress, opportunity insights, investment cases, and commercialization recommendations to senior and executive leaders.
• Partner with C‑suite sponsors, division leaders, and cross‑functional stakeholders to align pipeline priorities and resource needs.
• Manage budgets, team resources, and operating mechanisms to support execution across multiple Class 5 programs.
• Continuously improve commercialization methods, metrics, and decision frameworks to increase speed, quality, and risk‑adjusted value creation.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution.
• Ten (10) or more years of experience in commercialization, business development, innovation, strategy, market development, or new venture leadership.

• Advanced degree (MBA, technical, or related).
• Experience leading front‑end innovation, venture development, incubation, or new business creation programs.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams to advance early‑stage growth opportunities from concept through business evaluation.
• Experience in market assessment, customer validation, and commercialization planning.
• Experience working across technical, business and operational functions to de‑risk and mature new opportunities.
• Strong ability to translate customer needs, technologies, and market signals into actionable commercialization strategies.
• Demonstrated success building business cases and influencing senior and executive stakeholders.
• Experience with external partnerships, licensing, ventures, or joint development models.
• Strong understanding of stage‑gate governance, portfolio management, and new product introduction processes.
• Experience in technical application development, prototyping, customer validation, or adjacent commercialization functions.
• Strong analytical, strategic, and communication skills; comfort operating in ambiguous environments with evolving opportunity definitions.

• On‑site. Requires at least four days a week at the 3M Center in Maplewood, MN.
• Travel may include up to 25% domestic/international.
• Relocation may be authorized.

Must be legally authorized to work in the country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status.

Applicable to US Applicants Only:
Expected compensation range for this position is $287,281 – $351,122 (base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible). Additional benefits include medical, dental & vision, health savings accounts, dependent care flexible spending accounts, disability benefits, life insurance, voluntary benefits, paid absences, and retirement benefits. Benefits overview:

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.