Job Title

Pilot Plant Technician

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
The person hired for the position of Pilot Plant Technician will work in the MRD Tape Process Development Center (TPDC) within the Global Chemical Operations organization.  TPDC focuses on prototype quantities of new materials, new process development or improvement that supports new and/or improved products or processes for many 3M divisions.

This position is primarily Monday-Friday with a weekly shift rotation.  There is an exception of periodic overtime (including weekends) to meet customer demands. 

As a Pilot Plant Technician, 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:

• Maintaining a safe work environment for self, coworkers, and visitors including the ability to wear personal protective equipment.

• Preparing and operating development equipment which can vary with process and/or product experimental or standard needs.  Includes setup, general maintenance, clean-up, and changeover of equipment.

• Actively engaging with process engineers and customers to conduct product and process experiments.

• Performing QC measurements and analytical techniques that support both process and product development.  Communicate results with other technical personnel and make recommendations as appropriate.

• Translate customer requirements to the process line capabilities so that experimental objectives are achieved. 

• Assisting and training new personnel on machine operations and processes.

• Maintaining accurate process and experimental records and quality test results. 

• Assuring availability of raw materials by utilizing accurate production reporting and inventory practices.

• Having the ability to lift pails, move drums, and drive PIVs.

• Fostering a team environment and taking lead when necessary.

Your Skills and Expertise 
To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• High school diploma/GED or higher (completed and verified prior to start)

• Four (4) years of combined laboratory/pilot plant/manufacturing experience in a private, public, government, or military environment

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

• Possess expertise equivalent to that which would be obtain in an associates/technical degree or higher

• Minimum of four (4) years of experience with hot melt compounding/extrusion, solution coating, microreplication, and converting in a laboratory/pilot plant/manufacturing environment

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving skills

• Flexibility to work shifts outside of the normal schedule (days, afternoons, midnights and weekends) for special projects as needed

• Willingness to work in an environment where a wide range of chemicals are handled (This is a chemicals environment job)

Work location: Cottage Grove, MN

Travel: Not required

Relocation Assistance: Is not authorized

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

Responsibilities of this position may include direct and/or indirect physical or logical access to information, systems, technologies subjected to the regulations/compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws.

U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub-contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export-controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum.

To comply with these laws, 3M must help assess candidates' U.S. person status.

The questions asked in this application are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this particular position.

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.