Application Development Engineer

3M has a long-standing reputation as a company committed to innovation. We provide the freedom to explore and encourage curiosity and creativity. We gain new insight from diverse thinking, and take risks on new ideas. Here, you can apply your talent in bold ways that matter. Job Description Position: Application Development Engineer (ADE) Business Vertical: Automotive, Transportation & Energy Laboratory Location: Pune The Impact You’ll Make in this Role As an Application Development Engineer, you will leverage your technical expertise and mechanical aptitude to collaborate with OEMs, Tier suppliers, and cross‑functional teams. You will play a critical role in developing, testing, and validating innovative automotive applications, driving customer‑inspired solutions, and enabling process automation and tooling advancements. Key Responsibilities Act as the primary technical interface with OEMs and Tier suppliers for 3M automotive solutions. Lead application development activities, including ideation, feasibility analysis, design documentation, and validation. Apply tooling knowledge and hands‑on experience with automotive part suppliers to deliver optimized solutions. Conduct field trials, in‑plant application support, and internal testing to validate product performance. Provide application support and training to customers, sales, and marketing teams, including leveraging digital/e‑tools. Drive Customer Inspired Innovation (CII) programs through market specialization and product expertise. Collaborate across functions to solve complex problems and support the commercialization of new customer solutions. Ensure compliance with TS16949/QMS documentation, industry regulations, and safety/health/environmental policies. Support prototyping, sampling, and scaling‑up activities, including obtaining customer prototype and tooled‑sample approvals. Evaluate and audit product performance against customer‑specific requirements. Provide timely corrective action plans for customer complaints. Apply 3M Six‑Sigma methodologies to drive continuous improvement in work practices. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronics. 3–5 years of experience in technical/application engineering, customer support, or related roles in automotive or allied industries. Proven expertise in tooling design, manufacturing, and understanding material behavior during processing. Hands‑on experience in design‑to‑build fundamentals and lab‑to‑field scale‑up. Strong analytical, data‑driven, and tech‑savvy mindset. Excellent communication skills with fluency in English and comfort working in a global environment. Self‑motivated, collaborative, and capable of working independently. Preferred Qualifications Experience in customer‑facing technical roles in OEM/Tier supplier environments. Exposure to prototyping, sampling, and validation processes. Knowledge of industry standards, regulations, and automotive quality systems (TS16949/QMS). Certification/experience in Six‑sigma or other continuous improvement methodologies. #J-18808-Ljbffr