Principal AI Engineer II

Allergan; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie in Chicago, IL is seeking a Principal AI Engineer II to define and advance the strategy, architecture, and engineering practices required to develop, deploy, and scale artificial intelligence solutions across AbbVie. You will lead cross-functional teams and mentor engineers while aligning with quality, regulatory, privacy, and IT stakeholders.

This role emphasizes enterprise-grade governance, MLOps, and collaboration to deliver secure, compliant AI platforms that drive business value

Qualifications

• BS with 9+ years in CS/AI or MS with 8+ years or PhD with 4+ years.
• Experience designing, deploying, and operating prod-scale AI systems.
• Strong AWS/cloud engineering practices and secure design.

Responsibilities

• Define AI engineering strategy, roadmaps, and standards.
• Architect secure, scalable AI platforms and tools.
• Lead production-grade AI solutions end-to-end.
• Integrate AI platforms with AWS and enterprise data/security.
• Mentor engineers and promote knowledge sharing.

Skills

AI platform engineering

AWS experience

CI/CD practices

Mentoring

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelors in CS/AI

Masters in CS/AI

PhD in related field

Tools

AWS services

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

Company Description

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, Xand YouTube.

Job Description

As a discipline expert and technology leader, the Principal AI Engineer II will define and advance the strategy, architecture, and engineering practices required to develop, deploy, and scale artificial intelligence solutions across AbbVie. This role will investigate, identify, and implement state-of-the‑art technology platforms that drive productivity and efficiency gains in own function and throughout multiple business areas. Technical leader acting at a group, department, and cross‑functional levels. Responsible for managing the Data, Solutions, Business, and/or technology environments and tying them to the Enterprise Architecture and other architectures designs.

Responsibilities:

• Define and advance AI engineering strategy, architecture, standards, and roadmaps aligned with AbbVie’s business and technology objectives.
• Architect and build secure, scalable, reusable AI platforms, services, developer tools, and components that support enterprise adoption.
• Lead production‑grade AI solutions from ideation and prototyping through development, testing, validation, deployment, monitoring, continuous improvement, and retirement.
• Integrate AI platforms with AWS services and enterprise data, software, security, identity, and infrastructure environments.
• Establish practices for evaluation, testing, versioning, release management, observability, performance monitoring, incident response, and operational support.
• Apply risk‑based approaches to compliance, GxP, data integrity, privacy, cybersecurity, documentation, traceability, human oversight, and responsible AI.
• Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Legal, Privacy, Information Security, scientific, technical, and business stakeholders to deliver fit‑for‑purpose solutions.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor, facilitate alignment, influence decisions without direct authority, and communicate complex tradeoffs and recommendations to technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, lead innovation and proof‑of‑concept efforts, and guide promising solutions into sustainable production capabilities.
• Mentor engineers, advance engineering maturity, promote knowledge sharing, and represent AbbVie in relevant technical communities and partner engagements.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree with 9 years’ experience, Master’s degree with 8 years’ experience, or PhD with 4 years’ in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrated experience designing, deploying, and operating production‑scale AI and machine learning systems.
• Strong experience in AI/platform engineering, including scalable platforms, reusable components, and production‑grade AI solutions.
• Demonstrated experience designing, building, deploying, and supporting solutions using AWS systems and services.
• Strong software and cloud engineering practices, including secure design, automated testing, CI/CD, containerization, monitoring, and operational support.
• Experience working in a regulated environment, preferably pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, medical device, or life sciences.
• Experience supporting the full solution lifecycle, including feasibility, design, development, testing, validation, deployment, and ongoing operations.
• Strong understanding of risk management, validation, change control, data integrity, cybersecurity, privacy, documentation, and quality requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholders, influence technical and business decisions, and collaborate across organizational boundaries.
• Excellent communication skills with senior leaders, technical teams, scientific experts, business partners, and external collaborators.
• Demonstrated innovation and mentoring experience, including advancing engineering practices and delivering measurable impact.

Preferred

• Experience with enterprise AI governance, responsible AI, model validation, human oversight, and AI lifecycle management.
• Experience with MLOps and production engineering, including model evaluation, APIs, microservices, CI/CD, observability, and infrastructure as code.
• Open-source contributions or technical thought leadership through publications, patents, or industry working groups.
• Experience leading cross‑functional product development from feasibility through validation and production implementation.
• Enterprise AI or platform experience, including AWS architecture, governance, security, and integration with enterprise environments.

Additional Information

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

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Companybelieves ingood faith it will pay for this role at the timeof this posting based on the job grade for this position.Individualcompensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, andwemayultimatelypaymore or less than the posted range. This range may bemodifiedin thefuture.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick),medical/dental/visioninsurance and 401(k) to eligibleemployees.

• This job is eligible toparticipatein our long‑term incentiveprograms.

Note: No amount of payis considered to bewages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, anddeterminable.The amount and availability of any bonus,commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form ofcompensation and benefitsthat are allocable to a particular employeeremainsin the Company's sole andabsolutediscretion unless and until paid andmay bemodifiedat the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent withapplicable 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