Senior Director 3M Element

3M•Maplewood, MN

3d•$287,281 - $351,122•Onsite

About The Position

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 Key Responsibilities 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.

Requirements

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.
Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).
Ability to translate customer needs, technologies, and market signals into actionable commercialization strategies.
Demonstrated success building business cases and influencing senior and executive stakeholders.
Strong understanding of stage-gate governance, portfolio management, and new product introduction processes.
Strong analytical, strategic, and communication skills; comfort operating in ambiguous environments with evolving opportunity definitions.

Nice To Haves

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.
Experience with external partnerships, licensing, ventures, or joint development models.
Experience in technical application development, prototyping, customer validation, or adjacent commercialization functions.

Responsibilities

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.
Comply with corporate policies, procedures and security standards while performing assigned duties.
Contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.