Senior Director, Project Engineering

ABBVIE; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 207,000 - 393,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Long-term incentives

Job summary

AbbVie is seeking a Sr Director, Process Engineering BDS CGT to set enterprise direction and governance for biologics drug substance and cell & gene therapy manufacturing. You will lead standards, platform deployment, and project delivery across sites, partnering with operations, quality, EHS and external partners to ensure robust, compliant and scalable solutions.

The role drives strategic investment programs, engineering excellence and lifecycle technology upgrades, with a focus on safety,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science or a relevant technical discipline required; advanced degree preferred where relevant.
• Typically 15+ years of relevant engineering, manufacturing, capital project, technical operations or regulated manufacturing experience.
• Demonstrated technical capability in biologics drug substance and CGT process engineering strategy, platform deployment, design and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain and deploy global engineering standards and governance for biologics & CGT process engineering across sites.
• Lead technical decisions ensuring safety, quality, compliance and operability.
• Coordinate input from project teams, site SMEs, vendors and cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Process engineering strategy

Biologics drug substance

CGT

Technical governance

Project delivery

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulated manufacturing

GMP awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

• Compensation: USD 206,500 - USD 393,000 - yearly

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

Position Summary

The Sr Director Process Engineering BDS CGT sets enterprise direction and senior technical governance for process engineering strategy, process platform deployment, process package design, technical assurance, manufacturing technology interfaces and project delivery for biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy manufacturing within AbbVie Strategic Investment.

The role supports Strategic Investments through engineering leadership, technical expertise, standards development, technical governance and project execution support across multiple manufacturing sites, strategic investments and technology platforms.

The role supports engineering activities associated with new biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility investments, new production capabilities, strategic capacity creation, advanced manufacturing platforms and new technology deployments across the Strategic Investment portfolio.

The role partners with Strategic Investments, manufacturing sites, operations, quality, EHS, validation / CQV and external engineering partners to deliver technically robust and business-aligned engineering solutions.

Strategic Investment Context

Strategic Investment provides engineering leadership, technical governance, standards development and project execution support across AbbVie’s Strategic Investments and strategic capital portfolio.

The organization supports new biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy manufacturing facilities, new platform deployments, strategic capacity creation, advanced biologics and CGT manufacturing capabilities and standards development for emerging technologies across Strategic Investments.

Strategic Investment roles are expected to promote common standards, transfer lessons learned across regions and sites, and enable consistent engineering delivery across strategic capital investments.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Investment Governance and Standards

Establish, maintain and deploy global engineering standards, technical practices and governance expectations for biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy process engineering strategy, process platform deployment, process package design, technical assurance, manufacturing technology interfaces and project delivery.

Drive consistent application of technical standards, design principles, lessons learned and engineering playbooks across regions, sites and capital projects.

Define enterprise standards, engineering requirements and technical guardrails for new biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy technologies, including requirements for consistent design, deployment, qualification, operation and scale-up across Strategic Investments.

Ensure discipline strategies support AbbVie’s long-range Strategic Investment objectives, strategic investment programs and adoption of new technologies across future manufacturing platforms.

Provide governance and escalation for technical decisions with material safety, quality, compliance, cost, schedule, operability or lifecycle impact.

Strategic New Technology and Capital Investment Support

Provide engineering leadership for strategic capital investments, including new biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy facility builds, technology platform deployments, new production capabilities, strategic capacity projects and lifecycle technology upgrades.

Support front-end engineering, facility concept development, investment option evaluation, manufacturing capability assessments and site / platform planning activities for biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy assets.

Partner with Strategic Investments and project leadership to ensure technical assumptions, deliverables, risks and resource needs are integrated into capital program plans.

Apply Strategic Investment lessons learned and standards to improve project quality, speed, reliability and readiness across the portfolio.

Technical Leadership and Delivery

Lead or support technical decision-making for biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy process engineering strategy, process platform deployment, process package design, technical assurance, manufacturing technology interfaces and project delivery across multiple manufacturing sites, capital projects and technology platforms.

Ensure engineering deliverables support safety, quality, compliance, operability, maintainability, reliability, sustainability and operational readiness.

Coordinate technical input from project teams, site SMEs, external engineering partners, vendors and cross-functional stakeholders.

Drive timely resolution of technical issues and ensure suitable escalation when decisions have broader project, network or business impact.

Cross-Functional Integration

Partner with Strategic Investments, manufacturing operations, quality, validation / CQV, EHS, site engineering, MS&T, supply chain, finance and related engineering disciplines.

Ensure discipline decisions are integrated with biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy manufacturing strategy, network capacity, technology platform deployment, regulatory expectations and site handover needs.

Facilitate collaboration across Strategic Investments, sites and project teams to avoid fragmented solutions and drive consistency across the strategic capital portfolio.

Represent Strategic Investment in technical reviews, project forums and risk discussions relevant to assigned scope.

Capability Building and Continuous Improvement

Share engineering best practices, lessons learned and technical knowledge across sites, regions and projects.

Build capability through coaching, mentoring, technical review discipline and development of reusable engineering practices.

Promote a culture of engineering excellence, safety, quality, reliability, collaboration, accountability and proactive risk management.

Support continuous improvement of Strategic Investment standards, templates, knowledge management and project delivery approaches.

Strategic Investment Leadership Expectations

Collaborate across Strategic Investments to identify, develop and deploy best practices, technical standards, lessons learned and capability-building initiatives.

Promote consistency, quality, reliability, sustainability and project delivery performance across regions, sites and capital projects.

Support long-range manufacturing strategy, strategic investment planning and Strategic Investment capability development.

Build technical capability through coaching, mentoring, standards governance, knowledge management and cross-functional collaboration.

Stakeholder Interfaces

Strategic Investments: Investment planning, portfolio alignment, technical assumptions, front-end engineering, biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy technology deployment standards and strategic capital program support.

Manufacturing Sites and Operations:Network needs, site readiness, operability, maintainability, startup, handover and operational performance support.

Quality, Validation / CQV and EHS:Compliance expectations, validation strategy, qualification readiness, safety, risk review and inspection readiness interfaces.

Strategic Investment Disciplines:Cross-discipline technical integration, standards, design reviews, technical issue resolution and lessons learned.

External Engineering Partners, EPCM Firms, Vendors and OEMs:Technical oversight, deliverable review, issue escalation, supplier alignment and execution quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science or a relevant technical discipline required; advanced degree preferred where relevant.
• Typically 15+ years of relevant engineering, manufacturing, capital project, technical operations or regulated manufacturing experience.
• Demonstrated technical capability in biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy process engineering strategy, process platform deployment, process package design, technical assurance, manufacturing technology interfaces and project delivery.
• Experience supporting biologics drug substance, cell therapy, gene therapy, viral vector, mRNA, sterile biologics or similarly regulated biopharmaceutical manufacturing environments preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work across global functions, manufacturing sites, project teams, suppliers, vendors and external engineering partners.
• Strong communication, risk management, technical judgment, stakeholder engagement and structured problem-solving skills.
• Biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy process design and process package review
• Front-end engineering and concept development
• Biologics and CGT technology transfer, platform deployment and manufacturing scale-up
• Process safety and CQV interfacesStrategic Investment support
• Strategic capital investment and new biologics / CGT technology deployment support
• Engineering governance and standards
• Development of engineering standards and deployment requirements for emerging biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy manufacturing technologies
• Technical understanding of bioreactor, harvest, purification, single-use, closed processing, aseptic processing, viral vector, cell processing and cryogenic / cold-chain interfaces as applicable to biologics and CGT platforms
• Technical risk management
• GMP and regulated manufacturing awareness
• Operational readiness and handover support
• Strategic thinking and enterprise mindset
• Matrix leadership and influence without direct authority
• Clear technical communication and executive-ready recommendations
• Risk-based decision making and issue escalation
• Collaboration across functions, sites, regions and external partners
• Capability building, mentoring and knowledge sharing
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing technical engineering team with clear priorities, accountability, development plans and delivery expectations aligned to Strategic Investment objectives.
• Set technical direction for the engineering team, ensuring work is prioritized against safety, quality, compliance, business value, capital delivery needs and long-range manufacturing strategy.
• Build technical bench strength by identifying capability gaps, developing succession depth, mentoring senior engineers and enabling knowledge transfer across sites, projects and technology platforms.
• Create an inclusive, disciplined technical decision-making environment where engineers challenge assumptions, manage risk transparently and escalation decisions with material safety, compliance, cost, schedule or operability impact.
• Align team performance with enterprise standards by reinforcing consistent engineering practices, structured technical reviews, lessons learned adoption and measurable delivery outcomes.
• Continuous improvement and commitment to safety, quality and compliance

Working Relationships

This role works globally with Strategic Investments, Strategic Investment disciplines, biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy manufacturing sites, quality, validation / CQV, EHS, operations, MS&T, supply chain, finance, external engineering firms, technology vendors and equipment suppliers. The role is expected to operate across multiple projects, manufacturing sites and technology platforms, supporting new biologics and CGT manufacturing investments, new production capabilities and enterprise standards for emerging biologics drug substance and cell and gene therapy technologies.

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 employeeremains in 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.