Manager, Software Engineer

AbbVie; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie is seeking a Manager, Software Engineer to design and deliver full stack solutions with React/TypeScript front-ends, Python/Node back-ends, and GraphQL APIs. You will lead a small team, shape technical direction, and ensure high-quality, observable services for scientific and business needs.

You will balance hands-on coding with people leadership, expand engineering practices, and mentor teammates while collaborating across groups.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 6 years' experience; Master's with 5 years; PhD with 0 years.
• Thorough theoretical and practical understanding of full stack software engineering.
• Proven hands-on experience delivering production apps with Python and React + TypeScript.
• Experience designing, implementing, and consuming GraphQL APIs.
• Experience building integrations between systems (third-party/internal).
• Containerization (Docker) and Kubernetes familiarity.
• Strong TypeScript proficiency and API design with codegen workflows.
• Experience with Node.js server frameworks.
• Leadership experience managing a small engineering team.
• Exposure to LLM/agent-based app development and AI SDKs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a 2–3 member direct team and coordinate contract engineers.
• Conceive, design, engineer, and implement full stack software solutions across React/TypeScript, Python, Node.js, GraphQL.
• Ensure production-grade web apps and services with observability and secure data exchange.
• Own CI/CD pipelines and drive engineering best practices.
• Define guardrails for citizen-developed apps and maintain reliability and scalability.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to balance technical decisions with business needs.

Skills

Full stack engineering

React + TypeScript

Python

GraphQL APIs

Docker

Kubernetes

Node.js

Leadership / team management

English communication

Education

Bachelor's degree + 6 years experience

Master's degree in a relevant field

PhD in a relevant field

Tools

GraphQL

Docker

Kubernetes

React

Node.js

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

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.

Job Description

The Manager, Software Engineer will work collaboratively with technology and business groups to conceive, design, engineer, and implement full stack software solutions that solve significant scientific or business problems, while leading and developing a small team of engineers. This role will deliver production-grade web applications and services across a modern React/TypeScript front-end, Python and Node back-end services, and GraphQL APIs. The incumbent will balance hands-on technical contribution with day-to-day team leadership - guiding project execution, developing team members, and driving engineering practices that improve productivity and quality across the group.

Responsibilities

Technical

• Conceive, design, engineer, and implement full stack software solutions—spanning React/TypeScript front-ends, Python and Node.js services, and GraphQL APIs—by studying information needs, conferring with users, and analyzing systems flow, data usage, and work processes.
• Design and build responsive, accessible web experiences in React and TypeScript, using modern tooling (Vite, GraphQL codegen, TanStack/Redux Toolkit, react-hook-form, zod) and shared design systems.
• Design and implement GraphQL APIs; author schemas and resolvers that scale across multiple services and clients.
• Build and operate Python and Node.js back-end services, including agent/LLM-integrated services, exposing them safely and observably to front-end and downstream consumers.
• Design and build custom integrations between systems, both third-party and internal, ensuring reliable and secure data exchange.
• Package and deploy applications using containerization (Docker); have working familiarity with Kubernetes-based orchestration for services owned by the team.
• Maintain CI/CD pipeline ownership for the team's services, covering automated build, test, and deployment across environments.
• Partner with stakeholders to help define and implement technical guardrails for citizen-developed applications, applying software engineering and infrastructure principles to promote secure, reliable, scalable, and supportable solutions.
• Instrument services and clients for observability and use those signals to analyze and resolve technical problems using disciplined problem-solving methods.

People & Team Leadership

• Manage a small team of 2–3 direct FTE reports, and direct the work of additional contract engineers, providing day-to-day direction on tasks, sprint planning, and prioritization.
• Conduct performance reviews and support each FTE team member's career development, including goal-setting and skill growth planning; provide performance feedback on contractors' work.
• Mentor and coach team members on technical practices, code quality, and problem-solving approaches.
• Serve as technical lead for team projects, guiding design decisions and ensuring solutions meet both business needs and engineering standards.
• Routinely demonstrate initiative and creativity in developing technology solutions, both personally and by fostering them within the team.
• Operate with high autonomy, requiring only minimal direction from supervisor. Accountable for team delivery and output, and for the performance and development of direct reports.
• May initiate new areas of investigation that are meaningful, reliable, and can be incorporated directly into a scientific or business activity.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's Degree with 6 years' experience; Master's Degree with 5 years' experience; PhD with 0 years' experience.
• Possess thorough theoretical and practical understanding of full stack software engineering.
• Proven, hands-on experience delivering production applications with Python and React + TypeScript.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and consuming GraphQL APIs.
• Experience building custom integrations between systems, including third-party and internal platforms.
• Practical experience with containerization (Docker).
• Strong TypeScript proficiency, including type-driven API design and shared type/codegen workflows between client and service.
• Proven implementation of creative technology solutions that advanced the business.
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills.
• Experience with Node.js server frameworks (e.g., Hapi, Apollo Server).
• Experience with Python service frameworks and packaging tools (e.g., uv, pydantic, httpx).
• Prior experience managing or leading a small engineering team.
• Exposure to LLM/agent-based application development and integration with internal AI SDKs.

Preferred

• Life sciences industry experience and/or chemistry degree

Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

• 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 short-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