Product Development Engineer – Automotive Aftermarket

About the role

3M is seeking a senior Product Development Engineer to lead formulation and material innovation for the automotive aftermarket. You will work across labs, pilot plants, and customer sites to bring new polymer‑based solutions to market.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and optimize formulations for polymers, composites, resins, and coatings at lab and pilot scale.
• Translate customer insights and R&D requirements into robust product specifications and scale‑up protocols.
• Conduct analytical characterization (rheology, thermal analysis, mechanical testing, chemical analysis) to validate product performance.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, process engineering, and raw‑material suppliers to ensure smooth production transition.
• Lead technical trials with customers, gather feedback, and secure initial product approvals.
• Drive cost‑optimization and gross‑margin improvement programs for existing products.

Required profile

• M.Tech in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Science or related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in formulation development, product commercialization, or materials engineering.
• Proven track record commercializing polymer‑based products such as coatings, adhesives, or composites.
• Strong collaboration and customer‑facing skills to gather insights and translate them into solutions.

Required skills

• Formulation development for polymers, composites, resins, and coatings.
• Analytical techniques: rheology, thermal analysis, mechanical testing, chemical characterization.
• Scale‑up and pilot‑plant operations.
• Cost optimization and gross‑margin improvement.