Senior Manager, Special Events

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

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical/dental/vision insurance

401(k) plan

Long-term incentive programs

Job summary

AbbVie is seeking a Special Events Manager to plan and deliver safe, secure events across manufacturing sites, corporate offices, and off-site venues. You will partner with internal stakeholders, leadership, and external providers to implement protective-services plans tailored to each event.

You will coordinate threat assessments, develop mitigation strategies, and ensure compliance with site safety requirements, regulatory standards, and attendee needs.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating security, protective services, emergency management, or operational planning for events or complex facilities.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and external service providers.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond calmly to changing conditions.
• Proficiency with standard business software and tools used for planning, communication, and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Develop protective-services plans for company events (meetings, conferences, executive engagements, employee events, external visits).
• Conduct or coordinate threat and vulnerability assessments for events.
• Develop risk-based mitigation strategies and actionable security recommendations.
• Monitor security threats and adjust event plans as needed.
• Coordinate access controls, credentialing, and visitor screening for events.
• Oversee contracted security and event-service providers and monitor performance.
• Ensure teams follow site procedures for visitor management and restricted areas.
• Document incidents and after-action findings and drive improvements.

Skills

Security coordination

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication skills

Discretion

Multitasking

Planning tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in security/related field

Tools

MS Office

Job 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.

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 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 Special Events Manager supports the planning and delivery of safe, secure, and well-coordinated events for a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. The role partners with internal stakeholders, event organizers, site leadership, and external service providers to identify risks and implement appropriate protective-services plans.

Events may take place at manufacturing sites, corporate offices, off-site venues, or other locations. The manager helps ensure that event plans align with company policies, site access and safety requirements, applicable regulations, and the needs of employees, visitors, executives, and other attendees.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and coordinate protective-services plans for company events, including meetings, conferences, executive engagements, employee events, and visits by external stakeholders.
• Conduct or coordinate comprehensive event-specific threat and vulnerability assessments, incorporating available intelligence, threat indicators, historical incidents, attendee profiles, venue vulnerabilities, and operational considerations.
• Develop risk-based mitigation strategies and provide actionable security recommendations to inform leadership decisions and protective-services planning.
• Monitor and evaluate relevant security threats and emerging risks that could affect company events, personnel, facilities, or operations.
• Translate intelligence and threat information into actionable recommendations, communicate changes in the threat environment to appropriate stakeholders, and adjust event security plans as necessary.
• Assess event-related risks, locations, attendance, schedules, and operating conditions; recommend proportionate security measures.
• Coordinate with event owners and business partners to incorporate security considerations early in the planning process.
• Work with site Protective Services, facilities, environmental health and safety, emergency management, communications, legal, human resources, and other relevant teams.
• Coordinate event access controls, credentialing, visitor screening, staffing, traffic and parking plans, venue security, and incident-response procedures, as appropriate.
• Support protective-services planning for executive and other high-profile attendees in coordination with the appropriate internal teams.
• Prepare event security briefs, staffing plans, contact lists, post orders, contingency plans, and other operational documents.
• Oversee contracted security and event-service providers; communicate expectations and monitor performance.
• Ensure event teams understand applicable site procedures, including visitor management, restricted-area controls, emergency procedures, and relevant manufacturing-site requirements.
• Monitor event conditions and adjust plans in response to changing risks, schedules, attendance, or operational needs.
• Document incidents, observations, and after-action findings; recommend improvements for future events.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality when handling sensitive event, personnel, operational, or security information.
• Track event-related resources and expenses and contribute to planning, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in security management, emergency management, criminal justice, business, hospitality, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Experience coordinating security, protective services, emergency management, or operational planning for events or complex facilities.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and external service providers.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond calmly to changing conditions.
• Proficiency with standard business software and tools used for planning, communication, and documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in pharmaceutical, life-sciences, healthcare, manufacturing, law enforcement, or another regulated operating environment.
• Experience with program development, development of policy and protocols, and scenario-based planning for operational readiness.
• Experience planning events at facilities with controlled access, restricted areas, or sensitive operations.
• Relevant professional training or certifications in security, emergency management, event safety, or project management.
• Experience supporting executive events, VIP visits, or events involving external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with incident command, business continuity, emergency response, and risk-assessment practices.

Work Environment and Schedule

This position may require work at manufacturing sites, offices, and off-site venues. Event schedules may include occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends, or holidays. Travel may be required based on event needs. The role may involve walking venues, conducting site walkthroughs, and working in active operational environments while following applicable safety requirements.

Success in the Role

Success in this role means event organizers and Protective Services partners receive timely, practical guidance; event plans address foreseeable risks and operational requirements; providers understand their responsibilities; and lessons from events are used to strengthen future planning.

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 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.

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