Senior Manufacturing Process Engineer

Abbott; Des Plaines (IL); On-site; USD 78,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott in Des Plaines, IL is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Process Engineer to support our molecular diagnostics operations. You will lead capital projects, qualify equipment, and drive process improvements to reduce costs and improve quality.

The role requires collaboration with cross‑functional teams, suppliers, and external resources to ensure compliant, efficient manufacturing. The position emphasizes equipment upgrades, process validation, and documentation control within a regulated

Qualifications

• Bachelor or higher in an engineering discipline; mechanical, electrical or manufacturing preferred.
• 4–6 years in mid‑volume manufacturing; medical device experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with equipment specification, procurement, and validation for manufacturing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead site Quality System effectiveness and documentation.
• Manage capital projects: design, procure, install, qualify, commission equipment.
• Support long‑range capital planning and capex requests.
• Collaborate with suppliers to define project scope, budgets, and timelines.
• Coordinate equipment qualification and validation to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Address equipment performance, reliability, and yield issues with corrective actions.
• Develop and revise procedures, validation protocols, and maintenance records.
• Guide manufacturing personnel to ensure safe, compliant operations.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Electrical aptitude

Project coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

B.S. in Engineering

Tools

MS Project

SAP

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Power BI

Tableau

Python

R

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 122,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify forfree medical coverage in ourHealth Investment Plan (HIP) PPOmedical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

As a leader in molecular diagnostics, Abbott is committed to providing solution-oriented offerings. Building on a proven track record of service to the worldwide community of researchers and clinicians, Abbott Molecular continues to deliver patented Vysis FISH technology and RealTime PCR assays that enable your laboratory to partner with healthcare providers. The Abbott Des Plaines location develops and manufactures assays for the detection of infectious diseases.

Our location in Des Plaines, IL currently has an opportunity for a Senior Manufacturing Process Engineer.

As a member of the Engineering Department, the Senior Manufacturing Process Engineer will provide engineering support for new and existing equipment and processes used in Abbott Molecular's manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for developing and implementing equipment upgrades and process improvements that reduce costs, improve product quality, and enhance operational efficiency. The engineer will participate in and lead cross‑functional project teams to deliver engineered solutions for new equipment, products, and manufacturing processes. Additionally, this individual will implement, document, validate, and maintain controlled, repeatable production processes that support regulatory compliance and manufacturing excellence.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Implement and maintain the effectiveness of the site Quality System.
• Lead capital projects, including the selection, design, procurement, installation, qualification, and commissioning of manufacturing equipment.
• Support site capital planning activities, including long‑range capital planning and preparation of capital expenditure requests.
• Partner with equipment suppliers to define project requirements, deliverables, budgets, and timelines, ensuring successful project execution.
• Coordinate and execute equipment qualification and validation activities to verify performance and regulatory compliance.
• Investigate and resolve equipment performance, reliability, and yield issues, implementing corrective actions to maintain operations within validated parameters.
• Create and manage Quality System documentation to ensure equipment performance and maintenance history are accurately documented.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with contractors, equipment suppliers, service providers, and external technical resources.
• Direct third‑party resources and contractors to ensure equipment and systems perform as intended.
• Collaborate with external consultants, supplier technical teams, and engineering colleagues across Abbott divisions.
• Develop and revise technical documentation, including operating procedures, validation protocols, preventive maintenance procedures, and material specifications.
• Provide technical guidance to manufacturing personnel to support safe, compliant, and efficient operations.
• Perform additional duties and project assignments as required.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in any Engineering discipline or equivalent experience. Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Experience.
• 4-6 years of experience, preferably in a mid‑volume manufacturing environment, including some or all of the following:
  • Medical device manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
  • Progressive experience with equipment specification and procurement, with emphasis on process and packaging manufacturing solutions, small‑volume aseptic filling, capping, torquing, label printing, application, and inspection systems.
• Ability to communicate effectively and engage cross‑functional teams on all aspects and responsibilities required for equipment installation and qualification.
• Experience with MS Project and SAP. PMP certification beneficial but not required.
• Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude.
• 10% travel required for equipment acceptance, Field Acceptance Testing (FAT), and related activities.
• Familiarity with equipment qualification processes and regulatory requirements in the medical device industry, including Design Review, User Requirement Specifications (URS), FAT, SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ, ISO 8, and related standards.

Experience in two or more of the following

• Working knowledge of industrial robotics, HMI, or PLC programming and troubleshooting.
• Hands‑on programming experience in an object‑oriented language; C# and/or VB.NET preferred.
• Experience with industrial machine vision systems for inspection, guidance, and OCR applications. Cognex spreadsheet experience preferred; other machine vision experience is also valuable.
• Experience using CAD software such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar tools, including the mechanical design of simple components and assemblies.
• Experience with data analysis, design of experiments (DOE), and data parsing using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, JMP, or Minitab, or programming languages such as Python or R.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives: www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott, and on Twitter Abbott News.

The base pay for this position is $78,000.00 – $156,000.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.