Director, Vertical Operations

3M · Texas

Level: Director+
Team: Production
Base pay: $287k–$351k
Travel: 10%
Degree: Required
Industry: Industrial
Posted: 7 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A director-level production role at 3M (industrial) in Texas. With a wide variety of people, global locations, technologies and products, 3M is a place where you can collaborate with other curious, creative 3Mers.

They ask for: degree required
Base pay: $287k–$351k
Day to day: about 10% travel

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Production Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $107k–$153k. This one lists $287k–$351k.

Median of the low and high ends of 16 live postings that list pay, out of 85 production engineer openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 84 other live production postings in Texas.

Base pay: About 154% above similar roles
Experience asked: Not stated

Skills these teams ask for most

Team leadership 44%
Lean 36%
Root cause 29%
New product launch 22%
Six Sigma 22%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

At a glance

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at 3M
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting says about 10% travel. Between which sites?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

Full description from 3MAs posted on their careers site.Show

The Impact You’ll Make in this Role

As a Director, Vertical Operations, Electronics, you will have the opportunity to tap into your curiosity and collaborate with some of the most innovative people around the world.

The role carries end-to-end accountability for connecting strategy to execution across the Vertical and serves as the primary liaison to corporate strategy functions, acts as a strategic advisor to the President.

qualifications

✓Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, economics, or a related field (completed and verified prior to start)
✓Ten (10) years of progressive experience in strategy, business operations, or strategy-and-operations leadership roles in a private, public, government or military environment.

Additional

that could help you succeed even further in this role include

◆MBA or advanced degree in business, engineering, or a related discipline.
◆Industry experience in Electronics or related sectors.
◆Experience in a global, matrixed organization serving multiple business units or verticals.
◆Demonstrated success translating executive vision into prioritized strategy and measurable execution across a complex, multi-sector business.
◆Proven experience building and running executive operating cadences — business reviews, forecast reviews, and OKR / performance frameworks — at scale.
◆Track record of producing board-ready narratives and performance communications in partnership with Finance.
◆Experience influencing and aligning senior cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority

Work location: This role follows an on-site working model, requiring the employee to work at least four days a week at the 3M Center in Austin, MN.

Travel: May include up to 10%

Relocation: May be authorized

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

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.

Show full description ↓

Job Description

Job Title: Director, Vertical Operations, Electronics

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 Director of Vertical Operations is the strategic right hand to the President of the Electronics Vertical Business, translating the President’s vision into actionable strategy across Consumer Electronics, Semi-conductors and Datacenter markets. This leader owns the operating model, performance management cadence, and executive narrative that keep the business aligned, accountable, and delivering against its operating plan.

Acting as a strategic sounding board, operational governor, and cross-functional integrator, the Director anticipates risk, closes execution gaps, and drives achievement of key initiatives and OKRs. This is a high-visibility role for a seasoned operator who thrives at the intersection of strategy, execution, and executive influence.

Strategy & Vision

•Own translation of the President’s vision into strategy and strategic priorities across Consumer Electronics, Semi-conductors and Datacenter high growth markets.
•Serve as primary strategic sounding board and thought partner to the President, shaping strategic decisions and trade-offs.

Operating Model & Performance Governance

•Lead and govern the operating model, management operating system (MOS), cadence, and performance management framework — weekly stand-ups, monthly business reviews, forecast reviews, XLT, townhalls, and workshops.
•Hold leadership teams accountable for execution outcomes and intervene to resolve strategic delivery gaps.

Executive Narrative & Communications

•Steward the executive narrative, strategic messaging, and performance communication — board materials, strategy plan, QOR, QBR, QFR, and weekly/monthly forecasts — in partnership with Finance, Commercial Ops, and cross-functional teams.

Strategic Partnership

•Serve as the primary interface to Business Group (BG) functions, driving strategic planning and key initiatives.

Risk, Execution & Accountability

•Anticipate strategic risks and drive mitigation actions to ensure successful business outcomes.
•Identify execution gaps and mobilize action to realign delivery with strategic objectives.
•Execute success metrics, initiatives, and OKRs to deliver the key initiatives in the operating plan.

Alignment & Engagement

•Align cross-functional goals across Sales, Application Engineering, Finance, and Strategy.
•Strengthen employee engagement and organizational alignment through strategic communication and leadership engagement initiatives.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M requires (at a minimum) the following