Director, Global Automation Engineering

BioSpace; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 190,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie in North Chicago seeks a Director, Global Automation Engineering to lead automation architecture, process control, and digital infrastructure across its global manufacturing network, with accountability for substantial spend and a distributed team.

The role defines the enterprise automation strategy, governs standards and vendor qualifications, ensures regulatory compliance (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11) and drives Factory of the Future initiatives, coupled with leadership development

Qualifications

• Strategic automation leadership and governance.
• Automation architecture, process control, and digital infrastructure across manufacturing sites.
• Factory of the Future automation strategy integration into capital projects.
• Design Authority for automation and digital systems enterprise-wide.
• Owner-side leadership for $3B automation portfolio across projects.
• Harmonization of automation standards to reduce compliance risk.
• Executive direction on technology selection, roadmaps, and platform architecture.
• Capital project ownership with accountability for ~$200M annual automation spend.
• Vendor qualification and performance management across enterprise programs.
• FAT/SAT/CQV planning and execution to regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the Factory of the Future automation strategy across capital projects and site modernization.
• Provide Design Authority for automation and digital systems across the enterprise manufacturing network.
• Oversee automation architecture, cybersecurity, and data integrity for OT environments.
• Lead governance of automation standards, URS, FDS, and engineering libraries.
• Drive integration with MES, ERP, and cloud data solutions.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing, globally distributed automation team.
• Ensure regulatory readiness for internal audits and external inspections.

Job description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us atwww.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie onLinkedIn,Facebook,Instagram,XandYouTube.

Company Description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us atwww.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie onLinkedIn,Facebook,Instagram,XandYouTube.

Job Description

The Director, Global Automation Engineering is AbbVie's enterprise-wide authority for automation architecture, process control systems, and digital infrastructure across the global manufacturing network. This executive-level role carries full financial accountability for approximately $100 million in annual automation operating spend and provides strategic and technical leadership to a high-performing, enterprise-distributed team of automation and capital project engineers.

The Director is accountable for the development and execution of AbbVie's enterprise automation strategy, governing automation investments for a portfolio exceeding $3 billion over a five-year horizon. This leader establishes, owns, and continuously advances AbbVie's Factory of the Future automation vision embedding its requirements into every new capital project and site modernization program to ensure consistent, compliant, and cutting-edge automation solutions are delivered across the enterprise.

The role serves as Design Authority for all automation and digital systems enterprise-wide, providing governance over standards, specifications, vendor qualification, and operational readiness throughout the full project lifecycle. As a member of AbbVie's senior engineering leadership community, this role exerts direct influence on enterprise technology direction, regulatory strategy, and long-range digital transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Automation Leadership
• Serve as AbbVie's enterprise automation authority and senior-most engineering leader for automation, process control, and digital infrastructure across all manufacturing sites globally.
• Define, own, and continuously evolve AbbVie's Factory of the Future automation strategy, ensuring its requirements are embedded in every new capital project, site modernization program, and technology investment decision.
• Exercise Design Authority for automation and digital systems across the enterprise manufacturing network, ensuring all technical decisions align with enterprise strategy, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
• Provide owner-side leadership for automation architecture, process control systems, and digital infrastructure supporting pharmaceutical manufacturing capital projects with a total portfolio value exceeding $3 billion.
• Drive enterprise-wide harmonization of automation standards, specifications, and engineering practices across all AbbVie manufacturing sites, eliminating fragmentation and reducing compliance risk.
• Deliver executive-level technical direction on automation technology selection, platform architecture, and long-range digital infrastructure roadmaps in support of enterprise business objectives.
• Capital Project Ownership & Oversight
• Lead and provide owner-side oversight for automation scope across AbbVie's enterprise capital project portfolio, with full financial accountability for approximately $200 million in automation capital spend.
• Define automation deliverables, design requirements, and technical specifications for all capital projects, ensuring alignment with GxP, cybersecurity, and data integrity requirements from project inception through operational handover.
• Govern the selection, qualification, and performance management of automation vendors, system integrators, and engineering contractors enterprise-wide across all capital programs.
• Ensure Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, qualification, and verification (CQV) activities are executed to the highest quality and regulatory standards at every project site.
• Oversee operational readiness and startup support for automation systems on all major capital projects, ensuring seamless transition from project completion to sustained manufacturing operations.
• Technical Systems Ownership & Governance
• Own end-to-end automation architecture and enterprise-wide technical governance for Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), batch automation, SCADA, OSI-PI / data historian platforms, Environmental Monitoring Systems (EMS), Building Automation Systems (BAS), and associated digital infrastructure.
• Provide strategic oversight of cybersecurity programs for Operational Technology (OT) environments enterprise-wide, ensuring compliance with AbbVie cybersecurity policy, OT/IT convergence frameworks, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Champion data integrity across all automated systems, ensuring design, validation, and lifecycle management practices meet current regulatory expectations including FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, and GAMP 5.
• Lead the development and governance of enterprise automation standards, specifications, User Requirement Specifications (URS), Functional Design Specifications (FDS), and engineering best-practice libraries applicable across all sites.
• Drive integration of automation systems with enterprise digital platforms, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), ERP, and cloud-based data solutions in support of AbbVie's Factory of the Future strategy.
• People Leadership & Organizational Development
• Build, lead, develop, and retain a high-performing enterprise team of automation engineers, capital project engineers, and site automation leads operating across a matrixed, globally distributed organization.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability throughout the enterprise automation function.
• Establish clear performance expectations, structured development pathways, and robust succession plans to ensure long-term organizational capability and resilience.
• Mentor and coach engineers at all career stages, with particular emphasis on cultivating next-generation automation leadership talent across the enterprise network.
• Manage enterprise-level resource planning, workload allocation, and staffing strategies to meet the dynamic demands of a large global capital portfolio.
• Governance, Standards & Compliance
• Own and maintain AbbVie's enterprise automation standards program, ensuring specifications and engineering guidelines are current, compliant, and consistently applied across every manufacturing site.
• Provide enterprise-wide governance and audit support for automation systems, including readiness for internal audits, regulatory inspections (FDA, EMA, and other global health authorities), and third-party assessments.
• Lead the development of enterprise automation training programs and competency frameworks to build and sustain capability across the full global manufacturing network.
• Oversee enterprise procurement strategy and support sourcing activities for automation hardware, software, and services, ensuring value delivery, quality assurance, and supply continuity.