Associate Director, Commissioning & Start-Up Eng — Drive GMP Readiness

AbbVie; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie seeks an Associate Director, Commissioning and Start-Up to lead commissioning, qualification, and start-up activities across facilities and utilities, ensuring GMP compliance and on-time delivery.

The role partners with engineering, validation, manufacturing, quality, EHS, automation, project management, and contractors to deliver integrated startup execution, manage risks and budgets, and prepare assets for sustained production readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Life Sciences, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in a GMP-regulated environment.
• Strong project leadership, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to influence and drive alignment across functions.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for commissioning, qualification, and start-up activities across facilities, utilities, equipment, and supporting systems.
• Develop program strategy and lead Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Studies for all capital programs.
• Develop, align, and execute commissioning and start-up strategies, plans, schedules, protocols, and turnover packages.
• Ensure readiness of systems for GMP operations in compliance with applicable regulatory, quality, safety, and company standards.
• Partner cross-functionally with engineering, validation, manufacturing, quality, EHS, automation, project management, and third-party contractors to deliver integrated startup execution.
• Manage risks, dependencies, timelines, budgets, and issue resolution throughout the project lifecycle.
• Support and oversee site walkdown processes against as built Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams along with Equipment installations to ensure accuracy and operational readiness.
• Lead troubleshooting and corrective action efforts during startup to support successful implementation and stable operations.
• Lead operational readiness and the successful integration of new assets into routine site operations.
• Support budgeting, resource planning, for commissioning and start-up efforts.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

GMP compliance

Project management

Communication

Influence and alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering / Pharmaceutical Sciences / Life Sciences

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

AbbVie seeks an Associate Director, Commissioning and Start-Up to lead commissioning, qualification, and start-up activities across facilities and utilities, ensuring GMP compliance and on-time delivery.

The role partners with engineering, validation, manufacturing, quality, EHS, automation, project management, and contractors to deliver integrated startup execution, manage risks and budgets, and prepare assets for sustained production readiness.