Manager, External Supply

AbbVie

North Chicago (IL)

On-site

USD 110,000 - 140,000

Full time

13 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Medical/dental/vision insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

AbbVie is seeking an External Supply Manager to oversee supplier relationships within the company’s manufacturing network. You will partner with Procurement, Quality, Planning, and Site Stakeholders to ensure supply continuity, quality compliance, and cost efficiency across assigned suppliers.

Responsibilities include leading supplier reviews, maintaining KPIs, and driving continuous improvement initiatives, while coordinating with multiple departments to mitigate risks and optimize performance.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; MBA preferred.
7+ years of experience in supply chain, external manufacturing, procurement, or related function.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain relationships with 1–3 suppliers to meet AbbVie objectives.
Collaborate cross-functionally to address supplier performance and issues.
Maintain supplier KPIs and action plans, communicate progress.
Lead supplier business reviews and track follow-up actions to completion.
Lead Assurance of Supply activities including forecast alignment and risk mitigation.
Manage routine supply, service, and quality escalations with suppliers and stakeholders.
Support due diligence, qualification, and implementations for new materials and changes.
Drive cost, productivity, and continuous improvement initiatives; assist with RFPs.
Represent External Supply in cross-functional meetings and support budgeting.

Skills

Cross-functional teamwork

Supplier management

Forecasting

Capacity planning

Assurance of Supply (AoS)

Project management

Communication

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Engineering, Business, Science, or related field

Master’s degree or MBA preferred

Tools

SAP ERP

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 at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Company Description

About AbbVie

Job Description

The External Supply Manager is responsible for managing assigned supplier relationships in support of AbbVie’s manufacturing network. The role partners cross-functionally to monitor supplier performance, drive assurance of supply (AoS) activities, coordinate operational activities, and help ensure quality, compliance, and service requirements are met. The External Supply Manager works closely with Procurement, Quality, Planning, Science & Technology, Operations, and Site Stakeholders to support supplier performance management, business reviews, issue resolution, supplier onboarding, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain effective, mutually beneficial relationships with assigned 1-3 suppliers in support of AbbVie’s business and operational objectives
Partner cross-functionally with Procurement, Quality, Planning, Science & Technology, Operations, and site stakeholders to address supplier performance and operational issues.
Maintain and communicate supplier KPIs, performance metrics, and action plans for assigned suppliers.
Coordinate and lead supplier business reviews and operational review meetings and track follow-up actions to completion and ensure effective and timely communication with internal stakeholders and external supplier partners.
Lead Assurance of Supply (AoS) activities for assigned suppliers, including forecast alignment, capacity planning, risk identification, and mitigation actions.
Manage routine supply, service, and quality escalations with suppliers and internal stakeholders to support timely resolution.
Support due diligence, qualification, and implementation activities for new materials and change notifications, as applicable.
Drive and support continuous improvement, productivity, and cost improvement initiatives with assigned suppliers; support the drafting, issuance, and collation of Requests for Proposal (RFPs/RFx), as needed.
Represent the External Supply function in cross-functional meetings and maintain effective communication with internal and external partners; support financial processes related to supplier management activities, including development and maintenance of project and operational budgets.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Engineering, Business, Science, or a related field required; master’s degree or MBA preferred.
7+ years of relevant experience in supply chain, external manufacturing, procurement, supplier management, operations, or a related function.
Demonstrated experience working effectively in cross-functional teams to manage supplier performance and operational priorities.
Working knowledge of supplier performance metrics, capacity planning, forecasting, and assurance of supply principles.
Strong verbal and written communication, project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required by business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience managing raw material external suppliers’ relationships in regulated industries.
Experience operating in a regulated environment and supporting quality and technical requirements, including cGMP requirements, as applicable.
Experience facilitating supplier business reviews and driving performance improvement initiatives.
Familiarity with ERP (SAP) supplier quality systems and regulated documentation, including deviations, change controls, and corrective actions.

Key Stakeholders

Manufacturing Site leads, Category Managers, Quality Site Leads, Process Development Science and Technology leads, Site Procurement, Supply Chain, and Brand Teams

Additional Information

The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

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