AI/Machine Learning Engineer

3M is hiring an AI/Machine Learning Engineer. It pays $124k-$152k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on 3M.

Level's read on this job

Builds AI ●●●● is how Level rates this machine learning engineer role: the job is building AI systems.
Tools and skills the posting cites include Python, Rust and machine learning.
Level classifies it as a junior role.
Level lists 780 other open roles at 3M.

AI in this role

Join an internal AI incubator converting research Python code into scalable production Rust components for real-time inference and reasoning.

PythonRust

machine-learningneural-symbolic-computationinferencesimulation

Job Description:

AI/Machine Learning Engineer

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 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

As an AI Software Developer, Early Career, you will join an internal incubator building a new-to-the-world AI architecture and a new technical category. You will work alongside experienced researchers and engineers to convert Python research and development code into scalable production components, primarily in Rust. You will receive clearly scoped assignments and learn an uncommon approach to AI while building tests, simulations, runtime services, and performance improvements that help move foundational research into real-world systems.

Translating well-specified Python research modules into readable, tested, maintainable, and performant Rust components.
Building and maintaining unit, integration, regression, simulation, behavioral-equivalence, determinism, and reproducibility tests. QA and Production validation.
Implementing stable interfaces and runtime components within a modular architecture designed to protect proprietary intellectual property.
Profiling CPU usage, memory, latency, and throughput; partnering with senior developers to improve performance and scalability.
Supporting concurrent and parallel execution, Python/Rust interoperability, containerization, CI/CD, observability, and deployment automation.
Helping create components that can support real-time inference, near-real-time reasoning, offline simulations, cloud services, on-premises systems, and embedded or edge environments.
Working closely with research and engineering teammates to clarify requirements, acceptance criteria, and appropriate tradeoffs between algorithm adaptation and reference fidelity.
Documenting designs, interfaces, tests, benchmarks, and operating assumptions so components can be safely understood and maintained.
Learning structured relational, causal, and neural symbolic computation from experienced researchers and applying that knowledge to production software.
Contributing to a collaborative, low-ego team culture centered on curiosity, disciplined engineering, and responsible handling of confidential intellectual property.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, 3M is looking for candidates who must have the following qualifications:

Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, physics, cognitive science, computational neuroscience, or a related field (completed and verified prior to start) from an accredited institution.

High School Diploma/GED (completed and verified prior to start) AND five or more years of experience developing, testing, and maintaining, software or technology systems, including substantial hands-on programming experience.

AND

Five (5) years programming ability in Python and either C++, Rust, or another systems programming language.
Three (3) years of core software-engineering practices, including version control, code review, debugging, automated testing, and technical documentation.

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

Ability to understand unfamiliar algorithms, break work into testable components, and collaborate effectively with researchers and senior engineers.
Hands-on Rust experience or a strong interest and demonstrated ability to learn Rust quickly.
Experience converting prototypes, research code, simulations, or mathematical algorithms into robust software.
Coursework or experience in algorithms, data structures, operating systems, concurrency, parallel computing, compilers, graph algorithms, or high-performance computing.
Exposure to symbolic AI, neural-symbolic systems, cognitive architectures, causal reasoning, analogical reasoning, reinforcement learning, constraint solving, or simulation systems.
Experience with Python/Rust or Python/C++ interoperability, containers, Kubernetes, Cloud Providers (AWS, GCP, Azure), on-premises systems, CI/CD, databases, graph stores, or messaging systems.
Experience with profiling, benchmarking, deterministic execution, reproducible experiments, or performance-sensitive software.
A collaborative, communicative low-ego working style, intellectual curiosity, testing discipline, and sound judgment when handling confidential or access-controlled intellectual property.

Location: Onsite in 3M Center Maplewood, MN

Travel: May include up to 5% travel

Relocation Benefits: May be offered

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.

Applicable to US Applicants Only:The expected compensation range for this position is $124,127 - $151,710, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience. In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/.

Good Faith Posting Date Range 09/04/2026 To 10/04/2026 Or until filled

All US-based 3M full time employees will need to sign an employee agreement as a condition of employment with 3M. This agreement lays out key terms on using 3M Confidential Information and Trade Secrets. It also has provisions discussing conflicts of interest and how inventions are assigned. Employees that are Job Grade 7 or equivalent and above may also have obligations to not compete against 3M or solicit its employees or customers, both during their employment, and for a period after they leave 3M.

Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.

Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.

Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.

Pay & Benefits Overview: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/careers-us/working-at-3m/benefits/

3M does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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How we rate this

AI/Machine Learning Engineer at 3M rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

AI/Machine Learning Engineer is an open job at 3M.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $124k-$152k a year.
The role is based in US, Minnesota, Maplewood.
The job was posted on September 4, 2026.
Seniority: junior.
Applications are handled by 3M. Apply on 3M

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Machine learningNeural Symbolic ComputationInferenceSimulationPythonRust

Also common in machine learning engineer jobs at this level

PyTorch LLM TensorFlow Deep learning Generative AI Spark

Pay

This job starts at: $124k
Typical machine learning engineer job: $197k

This posting starts 37% below the typical machine learning engineer job. See machine learning engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where neural symbolic computation was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where inference was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where simulation was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Python in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Machine learning, Neural Symbolic Computation, Inference, Simulation, and Python. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

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