Principal Research Scientist I, Process Engineering

AbbVie Inc; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate BioProcess Engineer to innovate and develop robust manufacturing processes for peptide assets. This role offers the opportunity to work in a collaborative environment, tackling complex challenges in drug development. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in chemical engineering, particularly in peptide development, and will be instrumental in leading cross-functional teams. With a focus on enhancing process efficiency and commercialization, this position is perfect for those eager to make a significant impact in the pharmaceutical industry. Join a team dedicated to transforming lives through innovative solutions and technologies.

Benefits

Paid Time Off

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Plan

Short-term Incentive Programs

Long-term Incentive Programs

Qualifications

• 14+ years of experience in chemical engineering or related fields.
• Strong background in peptide development and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop robust manufacturing processes for peptide assets.
• Lead project teams in the development of new peptide assets.
• Optimize drug substance and product processes for manufacturing.

Skills

Chemical Engineering

Peptide Development

Problem Solving

Team Collaboration

Communication Skills

Education

BS in Chemical/Bio Engineering

MS in Chemical/Bio Engineering

PhD in Chemical/Bio Engineering

Tools

HPLC

UV/Vis Spectroscopy

FTIR

Raman Spectroscopy

Computational Fluid Dynamics

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 – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Job Description

Process Engineering, a part of AbbVie R&D’s Development Sciences organization, is responsible for designing and developing scalable processes to make drug substances and drug products, including small molecules, peptides, and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), throughout pre-clinical and clinical development stages. Process Engineering also partners with Biologics CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls) Development and Aesthetics R&D functions to provide active engineering support to enable robust process scale-up and manufacturing of biologics drug substances and drug products including toxins and cosmetic active ingredients (CAIs). We contribute to the development of innovative engineering technologies and create valuable intellectual property through the composition of matter, chemical processes, and technologies resulting in cost-effective commercial manufacturing processes. We support the development of the supply chain for pipeline molecules and help prepare and defend CMC regulatory content.

Chemical/Bio Engineers within Process Engineering support pipeline projects through all phases of development. Early in development, engineers focus on establishing an enabling process that can be scaled up successfully. In the later stages of development, engineers optimize the drug substance and drug product processes and lead manufacturing campaigns. Engineers also work cross-functionally to transfer the optimized process to manufacturing sites, develop control strategy, and prepare reports to support regulatory filings.

Role Overview

The successful engineering candidate will play a key role in the BioProcess Engineering (BPE) Center, a part of the R&D Process Engineering function. The core deliverable of BPE is to develop robust manufacturing processes and advance innovative technologies using strong engineering fundamentals. The ideal candidate will have prior peptide development experience and a passion for hands-on laboratory process development. The candidate is also expected to lead the identification and development of novel approaches and technologies to enhance process development efficiency and commercialization. The candidate must exhibit a collaborative nature in identifying process challenges on a wide range of projects, take part in a cross-functional team to deliver specific project needs, and take on a leadership role in developing and implementing solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop robust manufacturing processes, supporting peptide assets through all phases of development.
• Participate in and/or lead project teams towards development and characterization of new peptide assets. Establish, communicate, and execute research plans.
• Develop commercial ready manufacturing processes in the laboratory and demonstrate the processes in the pilot plant.
• Set project strategies, define project responsibilities and timelines, and provide leadership in a matrixed team setting.
• Address challenging problems with peptide-relevant reactions, separations, and/or isolations using expertise in reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, and mathematical modeling.
• Author and/or review technical documents summarizing process development efforts and contribute to regulatory filings.
• Exhibit a collaborative nature in identifying process challenges on a wide range of projects and communicate findings and recommendations effectively by multi-disciplinary interactions with organic chemists, analytical chemists, process development engineers, pilot plant engineers, drug product development scientists, program managers, and regulatory affairs specialists.
• Author publications and present at scientific conferences.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Chemical/Bio Engineering or a related field and 14+ (BS), 12+ (MS), or 6+ (PhD) years of relevant industrial experience.
• Ph.D. candidates with pertinent research exposure are also encouraged to apply.
• Job level will be commensurate with academic and/or industrial work experience.
• Candidates are expected to have a strong background in chemical engineering, as well as peptide development, and the proven ability to demonstrate their skills in this field.
• The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to solve difficult technical problems and champion new technologies to achieve project goals.
• The candidate is required to be a strong team player and demonstrate scientific leadership, possessing effective oral and written communication skills for facilitating collaborations and leading cross-functional process development teams.

Preferred:

• Peptide development experience, particularly in synthesis and purification techniques.
• Working knowledge of analytical techniques such as UV/Vis, HPLC, FTIR, Raman, and microscopy.
• Experience with laboratory experimentation and process scale-up.
• Experience with mechanistic and/or process modeling or computational fluid dynamics.
• Experience with design of experiments and statistical tools.
• Familiarity with operation of chemical/biochemical process equipment and systems.
• Experience with control strategy development, risk assessments, and tech transfer.
• Experience with GxP compliance.
• Experience with leading cross-functional pharmaceutical development teams.

Key Leadership Competencies:

• Comfortable with multi-disciplinary interactions. Builds strong relationships with peers and cross-functionally with partners outside of team to enable higher performance.
• Learns fast, grasps the “essence”, and can change course quickly where indicated.
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and enables innovation to reality.

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.

• 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.

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