Talent Acquisition Operations Risk Lead

AbbVie; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie in North Chicago, IL, is seeking a Talent Acquisition Operations Risk Lead to oversee pre-employment compliance, governance, and risk management across Talent Acquisition. You will lead a team of associates and collaborate with HR, Legal, Compliance, Global Security, Employee Relations, and Total Rewards to strengthen governance and support compliant hiring decisions.

The role requires a keen understanding of policy development, regulatory requirements, and data analytics to drive audit

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in Talent Acquisition Operations, HR Compliance, Risk Management, Employment Compliance, or a related field.
• Experience leading teams and influencing cross-functional stakeholders within a complex, highly regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of pre-employment compliance, employment regulations, risk management principles, and governance practices.
• Experience with ServiceNow, Background Check Vendors, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and reporting platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, assess business and compliance risks, and make sound business decisions.
• Strong analytical capabilities, including trend analysis, performance metrics, dashboard development, and executive reporting.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the governance and continuous improvement of pre-employment compliance programs, including offers, background screening, drug testing, and hire eligibility.
• Provide leadership and oversight to a team of associate specialists supporting high-volume compliance operations and risk management activities.
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for hiring compliance, regulatory requirements, and pre-employment risk mitigation.
• Lead the governance and resolution of complex, high-risk pre-employment matters, exercising sound judgment and informed decision-making to protect the organization and support equitable hiring practices.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to establish and strengthen policies, controls, and governance frameworks that ensure compliance and operational effectiveness.
• Monitor regulatory developments, assess organizational impact, and recommend enhancements to hiring practices, policies, and processes.
• Drive audit readiness and oversee responses to regulatory inquiries, investigations, transparency initiatives, and compliance reviews.
• Leverage data and analytics to identify trends, assess risk, measure operational performance, and provide actionable insights to leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Governance

Risk management

Analytics

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ServiceNow

Background check vendors

ATS

Reporting platforms

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

Purpose

The Talent Acquisition Operations Risk Lead provides leadership for pre-employment compliance, governance, and risk management across Talent Acquisition. This role is accountable for ensuring hiring practices align with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and industry standards while mitigating operational, legal, and reputational risk. As a leader within Talent Acquisition Operations, this individual oversees a team of associate specialists and partners across HR, Legal, Compliance, Global Security, Employee Relations, and Total Rewards to strengthen governance, drive operational excellence, and support compliant and risk-informed hiring decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the governance and continuous improvement of pre-employment compliance programs, including offers, background screening, drug testing, and hire eligibility.
• Provide leadership and oversight to a team of associate specialists supporting high-volume compliance operations and risk management activities.
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for hiring compliance, regulatory requirements, and pre-employment risk mitigation.
• Lead the governance and resolution of complex, high-risk pre-employment matters, exercising sound judgment and informed decision-making to protect the organization and support equitable hiring practices.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to establish and strengthen policies, controls, and governance frameworks that ensure compliance and operational effectiveness.
• Monitor regulatory developments, assess organizational impact, and recommend enhancements to hiring practices, policies, and processes.
• Drive audit readiness and oversee responses to regulatory inquiries, investigations, transparency initiatives, and compliance reviews.
• Leverage data and analytics to identify trends, assess risk, measure operational performance, and provide actionable insights to leadership.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in Talent Acquisition Operations, HR Compliance, Risk Management, Employment Compliance, or a related field.
• Experience leading teams and influencing cross-functional stakeholders within a complex, highly regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of pre-employment compliance, employment regulations, risk management principles, and governance practices.
• Experience with ServiceNow, Background Check Vendors, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and reporting platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, assess business and compliance risks, and make sound business decisions.
• Strong analytical capabilities, including trend analysis, performance metrics, dashboard development, and executive reporting.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.

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.

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