Scientist l / II, Lab Manager

AbbVie Inc.; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

401(k) plan

Job summary

AbbVie Inc. in the United States is seeking a Lab Manager for the tLNP CMC team to lead daily lab operations, ensure safety and organization, and partner with scientists, facilities, EHS, and vendors to enable program execution. You will manage purchasing, inventory, and shipments while developing a long-term operations strategy and improving processes across the lab. A strong background in lab management and GLP-like practices is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in lab operations or related functions.
• Experience managing lab equipment, inventory systems, purchasing processes, and operational workflows.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily lab operations, maintaining readiness, safety, and organization; drive continuous improvement.
• Serve as primary contact for facility, infrastructure, and operational issues; partner with teams to resolve issues.
• Manage purchasing, inventory, supplies, shared resources, sample tracking, and shipments of materials.
• Coordinate equipment lifecycle including installation, qualification, calibration, maintenance, and repairs.
• Support EHS safety compliance, onboarding, training, and daily site coordination.
• Analyze lab performance and trends to mitigate risks and guide resource priorities.
• Develop and execute a long-term lab operations strategy aligned with TCT priorities.
• Resolve complex operational issues and communicate recommendations to leadership.

Skills

Lab operations

Lab management

Scientific research

Operational workflows

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or related field

Advanced degree (MS) preferred

Tools

Laboratory IT systems

Calibration tools

Job description

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 Targeted Lipid Nanoparticle (tLNP) Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) Team (TCT) is part of Biologics CMC Development Sciences within Research & Development. The team supports the development of next-generation mRNA and targeted lipid nanoparticle therapeutics through process development, formulation development, analytical characterization, and manufacturing support.

The Lab Manager will serve as the operational lead for the tLNP laboratories, ensuring a safe, efficient, and well-organized lab environment that enables scientific productivity and program execution. This role will partner closely with scientists, engineers, facilities and EHS to support lab operations, equipment management, inventory control, safety, and site coordination activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily lab operations, maintaining scientific readiness, safety, and organization; drive continuous improvement through 5S, visual management, and operational best practices.
• Serve as the primary contact for facility, infrastructure, and operational issues; partner with scientific, operational, Facilities, EHS, and support teams to resolve issues and enable execution.
• Manage purchasing, inventory, supplies, shared resources, sample tracking, and freezer storage for material availability and organization; coordinate compliant domestic and international shipments of laboratory materials, biological samples, and research supplies.
• Coordinate equipment lifecycle, including installation, qualification, calibration, preventive maintenance and repairs.
• Partner with EHS on safety compliance, inspections, training, incident follow-up, and corrective actions; support employee onboarding, lab access, required training, and daily site coordination.
• Analyze lab performance, equipment reliability, utilization, and inventory trends to mitigate operational risks and recommend resource or investment priorities to leadership.
• Develop and execute a long-term lab operations strategy and roadmap aligned with TCT priorities, growth, and evolving capability needs.
• Resolve complex operational issues, make decisions with limited direction, and communicate recommendations to leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and lead across scientific, engineering, facilities, safety, and vendor organizations without direct authority.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related scientific discipline.
  • Scientist I: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent education with typically 5 years of experience, or Master’s Degree or equivalent education with typically two years of experience.
  • Scientist II: BS or equivalent education with typically 7 or more years of experience or MS or equivalent education with typically 5 or more years of experience.
  • Leveling will be commensurate to experience.
• Ideally, 5+ years of experience supporting lab operations, lab management, scientific research, manufacturing support, or related technical functions.
• Experience managing lab equipment, inventory systems, purchasing processes, and operational workflows.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to work across diverse technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, biologics, nucleic acid, or lipid nanoparticle development programs.
• Knowledge of lab safety practices and EHS requirements.
• Experience with lab asset management, calibration, maintenance, and equipment lifecycle management.
• Working knowledge of laboratory IT systems and infrastructure, including software applications, data management tools, and associated scientific instrumentation.
• Familiarity with Lean, 5S, visual management, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience coordinating shipments of biological, pharmaceutical, or research materials.

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 thetimeofthis posting based on the job grade for this position.Individualcompensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographiclocation,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 short-term incentiveprograms.

Note: No amount of payis considered to bewages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, anddeterminable.Theamountandavailabilityof anybonus,commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form ofcompensation and benefitsthat are allocable to a particular employeeremainsin the Company'ssoleandabsolutediscretion 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