Principal Process Scientist I, Engineering & Scale-Up

AbbVie; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie seeks a senior process engineer to lead research and development of APIs and natural products from development to commercialization. You will mentor scientists, design robust processes, and collaborate across technical, quality, and regulatory teams to ensure scalable, compliant solutions.

You will drive strategy, contribute to publications, and present at conferences while maintaining high scientific and regulatory standards in a complex manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in chemical engineering or a related field and 14+ (BS), 12+ (MS), or 6+ (PhD) years of relevant industrial experience.
• Possess excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Possess thorough theoretical and practical understanding of own scientific discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to function as a principal investigator, generating original technical ideas and research or development strategies.
• Recognized and sought out as an expert in his/her discipline within the company and possibly externally.
• Experienced and demonstrated success as primary author of publications, presentations, regulatory documents and/or primary inventor of patents.
• Demonstrated scientific communication and presentation skills by presenting at leading scientific conferences.

Responsibilities

• Leverage core chemical engineering principles (chemical kinetics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, mathematical modeling) in experimental design, thought process in problem-solving, and data analysis.
• Understand and adhere to corporate standards regarding code of conduct, safety, appropriate handling of materials, controlled drug and radioactive compounds, and GxP compliance.
• Effectively function as a principal investigator, generating original technical ideas and research or development strategies.
• Demonstrate creative 'out of the box' thinking to solve difficult problems and champion new technologies to achieve project goals.
• Independently responsible for project science within his/her area of expertise on one or more project teams.
• Make significant contributions to project team through lab-based, or other work environments, activities.
• Generate new scientific proposals and lead those efforts. Anticipate and critically evaluate scientific or regulatory advances or competitive threats and respond with appropriate new strategies.
• Recognized and sought out as an expert in his/her discipline within the company and possibly externally.
• Primary author of publications, presentations, regulatory documents and/or primary inventor of patents. Present at leading scientific conferences.
• Mentor/supervise a team of one or more and evaluate the performance of those individuals; is accountable for the effective performance of the team/individuals.

Skills

Chemical kinetics

Transport phenomena

Thermodynamics

Mathematical modeling

GxP compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentorship

Scientific writing

Education

Chemical Engineering degree (BS/MS/PhD)

Job description

AbbVie seeks a senior process engineer to lead research and development of APIs and natural products from development to commercialization. You will mentor scientists, design robust processes, and collaborate across technical, quality, and regulatory teams to ensure scalable, compliant solutions.

You will drive strategy, contribute to publications, and present at conferences while maintaining high scientific and regulatory standards in a complex manufacturing environment.