Principal Research Engineer - Drug Product Development

BioSpace; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie in North Chicago, IL is seeking a Principal Research Engineer I/II to advance drug product manufacturing from concept to pilot-scale. You will lead early‑phase development for synthetic molecule candidates, partnering with CMC and commercial teams to align processes with scale and quality requirements.

You will drive technologies across direct compression, granulation, hot melt extrusion, and coating, translating bench breakthroughs into scalable processes while mentoring peers and

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Chemical Engineering with extensive drug product development experience.
• Strong project leadership for drug product development.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing platforms: direct compression, wet & dry granulation, hot melt extrusion, tableting, encapsulation and film coating.

Responsibilities

• Lead early-phase drug product development for synthetic molecule candidates.
• Collaborate with development CMC teams to ensure processes align with commercial sites.
• Advance scientific expertise within the function - mentoring peers and influencing senior leadership with your expert insights.
• Drive technologies and innovations that expand AbbVie's small molecule formulation capabilities.
• Partner cross-functionally to build strategies that power drug discovery and development programs.
• Champion compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory standards.

Skills

Drug product development

Project leadership

Scale-up

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory submissions

Analytical reasoning

Education

BS Chemical Engineering

MS Chemical Engineering

PhD Chemical Engineering

Job description

AbbVie in North Chicago, IL is seeking a Principal Research Engineer I/II to advance drug product manufacturing from concept to pilot-scale. You will lead early‑phase development for synthetic molecule candidates, partnering with CMC and commercial teams to align processes with scale and quality requirements.

You will drive technologies across direct compression, granulation, hot melt extrusion, and coating, translating bench breakthroughs into scalable processes while mentoring peers and